For today's post, we went to the quaint little bon-bon shop called A la Mere de Famille. Aside from chocolate, boxes of marzipan, candy, lolly pops and nougat line the shelves, making the whole shop colorful. In the freezer, the only non-oldfashioned thing in the shop, are ice cream and ice cream cakes. While pricey, they look delicious.Started on Montmartre in Paris, this candy/chocolate shop has been going since 1760. It was started by four children and their parents in their big, green house, and was passed down, family to family, though not all of the same decent. The founder, Pierre Jean Bernard, a spice man, started the shop in this neighborhood. At the time, the neighborhood was still developing, and he was unsure whether this was the right place to live. But as the years went by, more and more of Paris went to live there, and in the end, he was confident that he had situated himself in the right place.
The shop we visited is on Rue Bonapart. Nestled in the throng of modern shops, it looks even more old fashioned than ever. In the big windows are displays of lollypops, candy, and chocolate. Inside are all the candies, perfectly boxed up in little plastic boxes with bows. Able to endure a long train or plane ride, these are the perfect presents to bring back to friends. Many people who enter the shop and don't like marzipan will wish they do. Little sculptures of perfect red apples and little oranges line some of the boxes of candy, and are on sale by the piece. Another unique French candy are little plastic shells that, while being cute, are a challenge to eat. The inside, thought to be a gummy, turns out to be a lollypop plastered inside the shell. Besides these, there are little fruit candies, and many chocolates. The chocolates are on the chocolate counter, and near the cash register is a crystal bowl full of chocolates for degustation (tasting). These are also available to buy. On the shelves that line the shop are boxes of chocolates, and there are even cute, tiny boxes of chocolates with two chocolates in them. Le confisserie has a cheery ring to it, between all the colors of candy, the bows, and the overall quaintness. |
I chose a caramel ganache with praline in the middle (as you can see, I am a praline lover). It was rich, mostly the doing of the praline, which had it's usual peanut-buttery texture. The outside coating was milk chocolate, which made the chocoalte creamy, and the caramel added more sweetness and a slightly gooey texture to the chocolate. Although it was small, it was scrumptious, complete in it's own with blasts of flavor. A la Mere de Famille is a great store. Not only are the chocolates great, but the atmosphere is nice and cozy, and the people are happy to help. Definitely worth it.
