I recently spent five incredible days in Paris exploring this beautiful city; visiting museums, visiting flea markets, and exploring the gorgeous streets and parks! I also had the privilege of trying so many amazing types of authentic French food that I thought I would share my favourites with you! If you are visiting Paris this summer make sure to give a few of these places a visit – you won’t regret it!
Tarte aux Framboise:
A French Patisserie classic consisting of a light shortcrust pastry base with a perfectly sweet and smooth vanilla cream filling with tart, fresh raspberries and a shiny glaze to make the raspberries really pop. You can find these delicious tarts at many boulangeries in Paris.
Mirabelle plum tart:
This Mirabelle plum tart is handmade from Maison Schmid Traiteur, a gorgeous charcuterie and restaurant, located outside of Gare de I’est, that has been specialising in cuisine from the Alsace region since 1904! They offer a great selection of cold cuts, sauerkraut, cheese, sausage and wine as well as desserts, so definitely stop by for a bite to eat or pick up something to enjoy at home! The Mirabelle plum is a variation of plum grown only in the eastern region of France, in Lorraine. The base is called a “pâte brisée”, and it’s filled with a type of custard and topped with Mirabelle plums. This tart was so delicious, it was great to try such a unique fruit for the first time!
Steak frites with a thyme sauce:
I enjoyed a perfectly cooked and flavourful beef fillet with a delicious thyme sauce and a very generous portion of fries from Chez Pradel, located on 3 Rue Du Pasteur Wagner. The restaurant is beautiful and an excellent place to spend an evening enjoying authentic food and wine in a traditionally French atmosphere.
(Image: Tilly Bowen)
Ratatouille with ground pork mince:
Ratatouille is the ultimate comfort, homely meal consisting of aubergine, tomatoes, onions, peppers, courgette and pork mince in a tomato sauce and served with white rice. The ratatouille that I tried had the most wonderful flavours and was cooked to perfection! I hope to try and recreate it sometime myself!
(Image: Tilly Bowen)
Choux pastries from Popelini:
Popelini has a range of shops around Paris, and they specialise entirely in cream puffs, known as choux, that are high quality and expertly baked. These gorgeous choux pastries are the perfect bite size to enjoy all the many flavours they offer. Choose from praline, raspberry candied rose, dark chocolate, coffee, coconut and lime and raspberry, plus many more! An individual choux costs 3.10€, or you can purchase an assortment of six for 18€ or 12 for 35€ for the best tasting experience.
(Image: Tilly Bowen)
With many thanks to Lilou and her family, Geraldine and Vincent, for cooking the most incredible food and showing me some of the best French cuisine I have ever tried!