I am so surprised no one has listed where to buy the "best" baguette in the 14th....
Come on folks .. let's get this message board swinging again!

Marc -- if you haven't gone, it's not worth the effort. Interesting and if you are a sweets' lover - you can score some freebies.

But - unless you love machinery and flour providers .. skip it (:

March 8-9 and 10

Porte de Versailles
Hall 7.3
9 am to 6 pm.
think I will go tomorrow. Hopefully, there will be fewer people than on a Sunday.

What bread and pastry show?

Bulletin ....

If it doesn't stop raining ... I may just go to the bread and pastry show today or tomorrow. It will be a mob scene.
Anyone want to come with me??

Minnette.......don't think I'd get a chance to peek at Camille this next time. Sorry. But I will give a couple of tips on a couple of Bistros.

I occasionally cook an entire duck. I preheat the oven to 450 degrees, put the duck in and turn the oven down to 400. Let the duck (or poultry) cut at that temperature for approx. 30 minutes depending on the size of the bird and then cook it for 350 degrees until it is done. Ducks can make a mess. Be sure to prick the skin well and what I do, is drain the fat out of the pan so it's not making (as much) of a mess. I also trim the the excess fat of the duck at the cavity end. Some people save that fat to cook other things. Pas moi. It would be nice to have someone to clean the over ;-)

I'm always up for baguette hunting. But I tend to stay in my quartier. We're all creatures of habit.

" lately we have not been looking for ducks as they make a fatty MESS with the oven and not worth all the trouble when most any French restaurant has them as standard fare." *****

Al, I won't dare put a whole duck in my oven -- I agree, the fatty mess is so not worth the trouble! What I found at Fairway was packages of just legs! Yay! 2 legs-- easy to cook! Yay! Perfect for someone who lives toute seul. I also bought the magret, by D'Artagnan which they sell, single packages. Made one last night and it was outstanding. It took me back to "Camille" in le marais. Al, I'd like to know if you've been there and if not, please go and tell me what you think... I respect your opinion as you seem to know food! Karen, you too -- please let me know your food-loving thoughts of it... I loved it! But I know I have stars in my eyes when it comes to Paris!

Tonight I am attempting the confit de canard in the "Rougie" tin that I bought with potatoes fried in the duck fat. I'll put it all on a bed of greens... and yesterday's baguette on the side.

Karen, I'd love to baguette hunting with you next time I come to Paris. I'm serious!

Oh Ellen, I am so with you on the croissant-loving! I won't even eat them here in US anymore - just not worth the calories for the poor quality. I am sure that the difference in French croissants is the BUTTER (ok, and the flour and the water -- tipping kudos to Karen cuz she's right about that too, re - baguettes!) I have been buying French butter lately and it is better than excellent! I didn't have a bad croissant in Paris -- but then again, I only had it three times in a week -- trying to save calories and fat for -- well, other things! Like PASTRY! :)

I know this is off the baguette topic, but I had a sandwich on a croissant yesterday. The croissant was doughy and hard. Oh how I miss flaky and buttery French croissants! In anticipation of my next visit to Paris, does anyone have a favorite croissant bakery?

Al -- a favor please - Just "save reply" once and wait. Sometimes the board takes a while (too long) to load. Thanks for your understanding. I agree it's a pain. K

Minette.....yes, I haven't seen too much of ducklings around lately which is why I thought they are seasonal. Always saw them packaged like chickens are...all clean and oven ready. But lately we have not been looking for ducks as they make a fatty MESS with the oven and not worth all the trouble when most any French restaurant has them as standard fare.

As far as 'artificial" ingredients in the bread, I think this is as misused as the descriptive word "natural" which of course can be used for all poisons and even rotted food.

Marc ... I ate so many (rather sampled) that I ended up with a stomach ache par excellence. There are so many yummy breads in Paris. I cannot pretend to judge or be one. (:

Minette, the only additive allowed for standard baguettes in France that I know of is ascorbic acid.

(Which, by the way, is worth adding, in my experience. You don't need much--1/8 to 1/4 tsp per regular-sized bread recipe--and it helps with both the rise and with making the crust crackly.)

Where's that report, Karen?

Ugh -- fixing typos... sorry -- just the first two sentences:

Al, I went back to Fairway today around noon- since taking the day off- and I really wanted to take my time and explore. As I hit the bakery section, they were unloading baguettes from the oven, so I'm two for two WARM ones in one week!

Al, I went back to Fairway today around- since taking the day off- and I really wanted to take my time and explore. As I hit the bakery section, they were unloading baguettes from the oven, so I'm two for two arms ones in one week! As for duck -- it's hard to find it even on Long Island and I can't understand why unless if there's something wrong with our ducks... honestly, I rarely see them and keep being told I need to order them. Anyway, found some lovely duck legs and magrets today -- retrying my magret de canard recipe ce soir with a much better cut and a nice baguette!

About the baguette -- I finally read the ingredients and tho it does taste good, it also has about ten more ingredients that are likely not added in the bakeries en France... "acids" and such and one or two that I can't pronounce so I'm guessing these are not "true." Warm but not true..... sigh.

Marc -- no fair.

I've collected baguettes from the 6eme, 7eme and 14eme.
The Vacherin is perfect .... but I'm getting a tummy ache~~ (:

For what it's worth, Karen, here are--from that Figaro ranking--the top three boulangeries in terms of taste, and the top four in terms of texture. (In brackets are their overall rankings.)

Best for taste:

Jacques Bazin, 85 bis, rue de Charenton, XIIe [1]
Secco, 20, rue Jean-Nicot, VIIe [3]
Philippe Martin, 40, rue Saint-Louis-en-L'Ile, IVe [10]

Best for texture:

Jacques Bazin, 85 bis, rue de Charenton, XIIe [1]
Régis Colin, 53, rue Montmartre, IIe [2]
Daniel Dupuy, 13, rue Cadet, IXe [5 tied]
Yves Desgranges, 6, rue de Passy, XVIe [5 tied]

Unfortunately, they're literally all over the map. Good luck hitting as many as you conveniently can.

I applaud your choice of testing cheese. I remember eating Vacherin for the first time at Chez Michel. The maître d' served it, pronouncing it the best cheese in the world. Since they're a Breton restaurant, and the Savoie is about as far from la Bretagne as you can get, I thought that a very generous estimation. (And you remind me that we're nearing the end of its season. Got to get some more.)

I wish I could take part, but wouldn't you know I've had some stomach trouble these last few days.

Give us a full report.

One of the reasons I adore living in Paris is that I can walk to do all of my grocery shopping. That's not the case when I am in DC and have to get into a car to go to the Safeway or Whole Foods ... or even Trader Joe's.
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This has its plus and minus. Essentially this means a limited amount each time and could mean shopping every day or close to it. Pour moi, I prefer shopping for the bulk of my seeds (except for items here and there) on a weekly basis and even for the two of us we have to do it as you suggest you do in DC.

One of the reasons I adore living in Paris is that I can walk to do all of my grocery shopping. That's not the case when I am in DC and have to get into a car to go to the Safeway or Whole Foods ... or even Trader Joe's.
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This has its plus and minus. Essentially this means a limited amount each time and could mean shopping every day or close it. Pour moi, I prefer shopping for the bulk of my seeds (except for items here and there) on a weekly basis and even for the two of us we have to do it as you suggest you do in DC.

Al - the seafood section did look great, as did the meats and poultry. I'm still shocked they had duck! And warm baguettes! And....

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Dont understand your being shocked at finding duck. Long Island Ducklings are not hard to find in NY although I do think that they are seasonal,for some reason. As for the warm baguettes in Fairway, I think that's luck of the draw in your timing. Half and hour later you wouldn't have found them warm.

Just a comment on the BP format. The email postings of answers to threads are working fine. Only problem is there are postings for each response. Our old formate restricted it for one email per thread no matter how many responses. This AM there were 4 emails for "bagettes". Nice if we could get the old way

Al - the seafood section did look great, as did the meats and poultry. I'm still shocked they had duck! And warm baguettes! And....

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Dont understand your being shocked at finding duck. Long Island Ducklings are not hard to find in NY although I do think that they are seasonal,for some reason. As for the warm baguettes in Fairway, I think that's luck of the draw in your timing. Half and hour later you wouldn't have found them warm.

Just a comment on the BP format. The email postings of answers to threads are working fine. Only problem is there are postings for each response. Our old formate restricted it for one email per thread no matter how many responses. This AM there were 4 emails for "bagettes". Nice if we could get the old way

I'll be with you in spirit. Bon appétit.

Well - this is my day to go and TASTE five baguettes. PLEASE -- aim me to which shops I should go! I will only eat a wee bit of the bread with some melt in your mouth and scoop with a spoon .. Vacherin. Who is in Paris to join me??? Send an email to me ASAP: Karen@BonjourParis.com

Here on the West coast, my options are very limited. Particularly in the Bay Area, it seems to vary greatly from year to year. The few I knew are long gone. I will see Cara Black next week, and I will check with her, although I rarely get into San Francisco from South San Jose (long drive on most days, then have to fight SF city traffic, then try to find a parking spot). I missed the SF BP get-together, and would have checked with the locals then about what is left in this economy. One I recently tried was Whole Foods market near Stanford, but that baguette could have passed as a cricket bat, and I fed most of it to the ducks.