Paris Part 1 - The Pastry Edition

I ate well in Paris, very well, maybe too well.  My wonderful coworkers ensured that every meal was better than the last and that I maintained a state of over-satiation at all times.  Seriously, I forgot what hunger felt like for those few days in Paris.

I started each day with croissants, as in, I consumed a couple of them before lunch time .  Of course I know one is enough, but when there are bags of fresh croissants in various flavors, how do you have just one?  

simple, delicious

I usually start with a simple plain croissant.  Is there anything better than the perfect croissant?  Flaky, airy, buttery.  It has just a touch of salt and a touch of sweet.  Perfect.

pain chocolat

Then I move on to a pain chocolat.  The same lovely buttery layers, but kicked up a bit with a slick of chocolate.  Sometimes, you just need that slick of chocolate in the morning.

almond croissant

Then there is the almond croissant.  I can't decide which I love more.  Although the almond croissant is made with day old regular croissants, the soft and chewy texture filled with almond paste makes it a worthy contender for my top 3 favorite pastry.  I really can't decide which of the three I love best.  Probably why I ate as many as my tummy can possibly hold everyday in Paris.

My birthday coincided with my Parisian trip.  Marie, aka the most amazing hostess ever, surprised me with a box of macarons.  Macarons = my favorite type of cookies ever.  Birthday = awesome.

maaaacaaarons

My favorite in the box were the spiced wine, caramel, and pistachio.  I think croissants and macarons should be the fifth food group, i.e. the French pastries group.