Paris on the Potomac

When I was in Paris, I indulged in so much patisserie and the locals at the Rue Mouffetard Market mistook me for one of them because I frequented the boulangerie for baguettes & other tasty baked morsels (I, personally thought that was an honor!).

Hubs had made an initial visit to Paul Bakery in the Penn Quarter in December and although they had opened the bakery in April of 2011, I had yet to make it over there.  So today, in the balmy 29 degree DC weather, we walked the near 1.5 mile trek so that I could taste some authentic French baked goods.

Hubs pretty much knows my likes and dislikes but what really sealed the deal was reading the blog post of one of the bloggers I follow, www.frenchtwistdc.com/.  She talked about a particular cake served during the Epiphany holiday that I wanted to try and with its limited availability, I was determined to make it over there, regardless of the temperature.  Since New Orleans is my 2nd home and it has its own version of King Cake, I wanted to try this traditional northern French pastry!  In France, there’s a Galette des Rois (King Cake) and it is tasty!  Made with puff pastry and frangipane (an almond flavored filling), it has a flaky crust and it doesn’t taste too sweet.

If you don’t make it in time to get the Galette des Rois, don’t miss out on the pain du chocolate (chocolate croissant), the baguettes or any of the other savory offerings!

Baker at Paul Bakery at work