I just came back from a trip to Paris. While there I sampled some of the
local bread to see how it compares to what I can buy here in San Francisco
and what I can make myself.
First I went to Lionel Poilane, the shop that is by all accounts the most
famous in all of France. I actually didn't expect to like his signature big
round rustic loaf because it appears to include some whole grains and those
just aren't my favorite. But I was wrong...it was so addictive that my
girlfriend and I ruined our appetites for dinner.
"A Food Lover's Guide to Paris" suggested that they are often willing to let
visitors see the bakery floor. That sounded crazy to me, but I screwed up my
courage and asked. They let us in.
I snaked my down the narrow, winding staircase to find a "miniature" bakery
out of a storybook. As we watched the baker shoveled more wood in the
cramped oven. How do they crank out so much bread from that tiny space and
tiny oven? I was hot and claustrophobic after just a few minutes!
Next I sampled the baguette a l'ancienne of Philippe Gosselin. Yes, it was
fabulous, but perhaps not as life-transforming as Peter Reinhart described
it in "Bread Baker's Apprentice."
Finally, I sampled the baguettes at Eric Kayser's shop in the 5th. They also
had fabulous flavor and crust.
Upon returning home, I sampled a lot of the local product to see how it
compares. La Brea baguettes had great flavor, but the crust wasn't as good
as Gosselin or Kayer. I think that's because they were not given enough cool
down time after baking (they're mixed and partially baked at a central
bakery, and then given a final baking at my local Whole Foods...so the
bagging mistake is the local store's fault). Semifreddie's and Acme weren't
as good. It's been a while since I've had the baguettes from Craig
Ponsford's Artisan Bakers in Sonoma, but my recollection is that they were
fully as good as the Parisian competitors.
Overall, I noted that in Paris the streets are littered with little bakeries
that make and sell their product in one location. In contrast, in my area
the bread is made in central facilities, packaged, shipped and finally sold
through specialty grocery stores. I suspect this extra handling and delay
between baking and purchase does not help the quality.
Finally, as good as the French bread was, it seemed to me that we should all
be able get very, very close to it at home. I certainly have
(inconsistently) gotten my rustic bread to taste as good. I haven't yet
practiced on the baguette shape, but now I'm inspired to make that my next
project.
And lastly, just for fun, here are a few miscellaneous observations on
Paris:
* I found it especially ironic that what we call "French toast" they call
"American toast."
* Bring your wallet: the prices were astronomical, higher than I previously
saw in Paris (and that's not even taking into account the unfavorable
exchange rate). We paid ridiculous sums of money for guidebook-rated
restaurants that turned out to have mediocre food (much worse than in San
Francisco). However, a few times we got off the beaten path and found small,
local restaurants with superior food (still not better than my home town) at
less egregious prices.
The most mind-boggling price gouging was the drinks we had the observation
bar in the Concorde Layfayette Hotel. 20.50 Euros each. Throw in a modest
tip and the exchange rate and we paid $45 for two drinks. That's a sobering
thought.
* The Metro is fabulous, but...it closes down far too early for the partying
tourist and the musicians were so irritating. I think there should be an
open season on musicians in the Metro, perhaps February-May. This may sound
drastic, but thinning out the herd would entertain the tourists and provide
peace and quiet for the residents.
Allen