Jaques Genin is a well known Parisian chocolatier. He has a beautiful shop at 133 rue de Turenne. I stayed in Paris recently with a friend and as luck would have it, this delightful shop was a hop, skip and a jump from her apartment in the Marais district.
She dragged me along one day on the promise of the best mille-feuille I would ever taste. They are made to order just for you. Take a look at these little beauties.
Sharyn ordered a salt caramel mille-feuille.
Mine was vanilla.
We had a lovely pot of tea to go with our delicious pastries.
The shop is beautiful.
As well as the small dining in section the counters are full of delectable delights to take home.
There are chocolates of course.
Even the flowers are exquisite.
This is another reason to love Paris.
Those chocolate “religieuses” look like a cardinal sin!!!! They are called “religieuses” because they look like old, fat nuns. Two petit-choux, one (the body) bigger than the other (the head), filled with some type of cream. To die for. But I must admit that the mille-feuilles look divine.
By: Mulino Dominillo on December 17, 2011
at 3:19 pm
I love the name and the description. Now I wish I had tried one, but the mille-feuille stopped me.
By: Debra Kolkka on December 17, 2011
at 9:09 pm
Everything is the epitome of perfection! Beautiful!!
By: Karen Overton on December 17, 2011
at 4:23 pm
Everything did look perfect. I am quite pleased I don’t live close to the shop, I would want to be there every day.
By: Debra Kolkka on December 17, 2011
at 9:11 pm
All I can say is “oh my!”.
By: paninigirl on December 17, 2011
at 5:04 pm
That seems like a perfectly good response.
By: Debra Kolkka on December 17, 2011
at 9:11 pm
So beautiful and so tempting, how did you manage? A feast for your eyes .. c
By: ceciliag on December 17, 2011
at 6:21 pm
I didn’t get past the Mille-feuille.
By: Debra Kolkka on December 17, 2011
at 9:12 pm
Where would you start – I could spend a week there!!
By: Anonymous on December 17, 2011
at 7:17 pm
Only a week?
By: Debra Kolkka on December 17, 2011
at 9:12 pm
John and I have called in here every time we visit Paris but I did not get the stunning photos you have, only of what we ordered. He also does the best Paris Brest, in the middle of the eclairs. No one does them better. Complete extravagance. Jaques often comes down the stairs from his kitchen and always says hello to guests. Did you meet him.
By: Roz on December 17, 2011
at 8:21 pm
I didn’t meet him.I will have to go back.
By: Debra Kolkka on December 17, 2011
at 9:13 pm
I am salivating over this post. The lime tarts are calling to me…
By: Liz Golding on December 17, 2011
at 8:47 pm
Everything looked perfectly delicious.
By: Debra Kolkka on December 17, 2011
at 9:13 pm
Yum, yum yum yum yum yum. Sorry, where was I? oh yes… jealous 🙂
By: Joanna on December 17, 2011
at 9:20 pm
I wish I was there right now, sinking my fangs into one of those delicious things.
By: Debra Kolkka on December 17, 2011
at 11:01 pm
I want to fly there NOW! These are all so beautiful but the first one! Oh my God, seems so delicious. Thank you dear Debra, with my love, nia
By: niasunset on December 17, 2011
at 10:13 pm
A flight to Paris for a Mille-feuille seems quite reasonable.
By: Debra Kolkka on December 17, 2011
at 11:02 pm
Exactly dear Debra, but Paris has so many reasons for to fly there… 🙂 Thanks and Love, nia
By: niasunset on December 19, 2011
at 9:18 am
Paris has so many wonderful things to do, see and eat.
By: Debra Kolkka on December 19, 2011
at 10:10 am
How would you choose! Everything looks delicious. The salt caramel mille feuille looks amazing but I’d have to try the lemon tarts …….as well!
By: jenny@atasteoftravel on December 17, 2011
at 10:27 pm
Everything looked amazing. I am definitely returning to sample some of the other delights.
By: Debra Kolkka on December 17, 2011
at 11:03 pm
Good God, I’m so hungry now! These pastries look amazing!
Kathy
By: Kathryn McCullough on December 18, 2011
at 12:44 am
I think the French do the best pastries.
By: Debra Kolkka on December 18, 2011
at 2:44 am
Why do I always read your blog when I’m hungry? I should know better by now!!
By: Julie Hedlund on December 18, 2011
at 1:11 am
I defy anyone not to be hungry looking at these pastries.
By: Debra Kolkka on December 18, 2011
at 2:45 am
I love mille feuille and to get a custom made one would be heaven! I can just imagine how crunchy the pastry would be against the soft filling 🙂
By: Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella on December 18, 2011
at 4:48 am
It makes it difficult to eat a vanilla slice again.
By: Debra Kolkka on December 18, 2011
at 6:49 am
Impressive – my sweet tooth is calling.
By: sheof108names on December 18, 2011
at 8:18 am
You could do no better than these delicious things.
By: Debra Kolkka on December 18, 2011
at 8:36 am
These look amazing!! I’ve never eaten a custom-made one..but I do know that they are among my favorite of all-time pastries!
By: Marcie on December 18, 2011
at 3:44 pm
Gorgeous. What a treat. Looks bloody yummy. Another reason indeed to love Paris. 🙂
By: Anna Johnston on December 18, 2011
at 7:57 pm
There are many, many reasons to love Paris.
By: Debra Kolkka on December 18, 2011
at 9:35 pm
Good ‘Ol Sydney has some great pastry shops…but! I think it would be hard to find one with such a selection…..then again, maybe that could be a challenge to go out and survey….and taste 🙂 What a wonderful idea. On my list of ‘things to do’!
By: Sue Austin on December 19, 2011
at 6:34 am
Let us all know if you find it!
By: Debra Kolkka on December 19, 2011
at 7:20 am
I’m pretty sure the patisserie is exquisite. the chocolate too, yummiiiiiii…. any patisserie in Paris should have high standards…. and all of them are delicious.I have tried different ones, they were great.
By: Fragolina on December 19, 2011
at 10:24 am
The only thing I tried the Mille-feuille, but the rest looked fabulous too.
By: Debra Kolkka on December 19, 2011
at 10:38 am
‘Gobsmacked’ seems fitting here! On a recent episode of Back to Basics, (Ina Garten – Barefoot Contessa – Food Network, who also happens to have an apt. in Paris) her friend, who owns a Creamery in Santa Barbara, Calif. came for lunch.(in the Hamptons)..in exchange for making up a batch of her renowned ‘salted caramel’ ice cream. The combination seems unusual until you think of ‘salt taffy’ and the Asian use of sweet/salty/sour. Did you try your friend’s mille-feuille?
By: Caterina on December 19, 2011
at 2:47 pm
I did try Sharyn’s pastry and it was exquisite.
By: Debra Kolkka on December 19, 2011
at 8:40 pm
Debra…as mentioned above, my quest was to find pastry shops equal to some of those in Paris. I am familiar with quite a few.
Numero Uno: Yesterday we went to Becasse (Justin North) in the new Pit St, Westfield Plaza. Their coffee shop with all the delicious little pastry treats are to die for!! If you every come to Sydney I’d love to catchup over such delights! 🙂 Sue
By: Sue Austin on December 22, 2011
at 1:24 am
It sounds great! I haven’t been to Sydney for ages, I would love to visit. French Sin in Brisbane makes wonderful French pasties. They are mostly butter with a bit of flour thrown in for effect.
By: Debra Kolkka on December 22, 2011
at 6:00 am
Il mio piacere La vede in Sydney….forgive my stumbling Italian!! I’m still trying to learn!
Sue
By: Sue Austin on December 23, 2011
at 12:07 am
I have been learning for 8 years and I am still stumbling. Of course it would help if I actually studied.
By: Debra Kolkka on December 23, 2011
at 12:09 am