The lost meals entries consist of meals that occurred at various times throughout 2012 which, for any number of reasons, escaped my documentation – some due to a cross country move and a new job, some due to the Los Angeles Kings run to the Stanley Cup, and some simply as a result of too much travel. Having enjoyed many of these meals with friends or family and with some of them amongst the year’s very best the reality is that with time my memory has deteriorated and as life moves forward I’ve realized there is little hope to ever “catch up” or document these experiences as well as I’d hope, yet in order to preserve them I present these pictures, notes, and thoughts on the experience.
Coffee, Almond Croissant, Orange Kugelhopf, Caramel and Pumpkin Macaron
Pain Au Chocolate, Streusel Brioche
Hazelnut Beignet, Raspberry Beignet, Streusel Brioche, Pistachio and Pumpkin Macaron
…having finally found a good croissant in Chicago the day before at Hendrickx I decided to press my luck with La Fournette and with family in tow we made a few selections beyond the croissant – and unfortunately every single one save for a pair of airy and unassumingly rich beignets came up lame; the Kugelhopf dry and dense – nothing like those in Paris – while the macarons were dense and gummy to the tooth, though admittedly very flavorful.
Moving on to the croissants, one almond and one chocolate, as is the case in many American bakeries the pain au chocolate held up better than the densely frangipane’d almond version but in the end both were too dense on the interior while the shell bent more than shattered; not even as good as the one at Floriole, but thankfully far less sweet. Taking into account the cost of parking I really can’t think of a reason to return to La Fournette save for perhaps some of their house preserves (though I’m told by a trusted source the Bretzel and Beer Breads are quite good.)