Joyeuse St. Valentin

In celebration of Valentine's Day, I walked down to the Béchard patissierie on Cour Mirabeau here in Aix. I pass this store almost everyday and periodically I go in just to admire.  It's a lovely old store; in fact, it's been around more than 100 years. In a city (and country) full of incredible bakeries, this one is considered the best in town although I think Pâtisserie Weibel is fabulous as well. However, when I paid a visit to Weibel's yesterday, they were closed for the midwinter holiday! Can you imagine? A bakery closed over Valentine's Day!  Just goes to show you how important "les vacances" are in France! 

Anyway, I really just intended to take pictures. REALLY! The ladies at Béchard's are accustomed to this so I went in and asked permission to take photos. No problem, Madam.  But when she asked me if there was anything I wanted, the monster was unleased! I just couldn't help myself. I decided to chalk this one up to research and began my drooling as I perused the endless treasure case. I chose what looked good to me, asked a million questions and finally just asked the clerk what her favorites were. And I left this beautiful store with a few photos and a bag full of the most gorgeous calories I've ever seen.

I bought several macarons (not a macaroon) which is a filled cookie that comes in all sorts of flavors and colors. They've always looked sort of gross to me because the colors look so unnatural but they are delicious. The outside cookie is made with eggs whites and it is crunchy and spongy at the same time and the fillings are creamy and delectable. I bought 2 gigantic macarons; pistachio and chocolate and plain, old, wonderfully delicious vanilla.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mbostock/ / CC BY-SA 2.0
(I didn't get a decent photo of these so I'm borrowing from somebody who knows how to do this.)

So in all, I the chose the macarons, a mini chocolate eclaire (MINI!), some beautiful thing filled with cream and topped with raspberries and a millefeuille, which is layers of puff pastry filled with anything wonderful. (Fillings seem to be a theme on this shopping trip.) I thought it only right to take pictures of these treasures

I have no idea how to take food photos. It's an art and I ain't no artist. (I'm really going to have to read up on this subject) And, in the interest of good blogging, I thought I should take photos of my desserts as I ate them. So now, I've eaten everything but the raspberry dream, my photos look like...well they look like I took them...I have a stomach ache, and I have no more sweets to practice my photography on...

Joyeuse

St. Valentin

à moi!

Okay, Delana. STOP!

My last word on this subject: I want to know who really eats this stuff?  The French look pretty damned good and between the bakeries, the chocolate, the cheese, and the wine.....well, apparently keeping French people thin will have to be my responsibility!