Paris, Our Way
A party and pastry recap
Cake friends,
Summer is well underway, and copies of Humble Pie are arriving at homes and bookstores around the world. Check out a full list of our stockists for the issue here; just scroll down.
We’re still smiling about (and digesting) our recent Paris trip celebrating the new summer issue. Thank you to Combat for hosting us and everyone who came by to grab magazines over a custom banana pie-inspired cocktail, and of course, plenty of dessert. It was a great time, as evidenced by these party photos shot by the very talented Shirley Chan. (Check out more on our Instagram!)
We recruited two of our favorite pastry chefs in the city to make dessert inspired by the issue. Alina Prokopenko made a huge lemon quark poppyseed pie inspired by her Ukrainian heritage. “I chose the products that we usually use in Ukraine for sweet dishes: poppyseeds, honey and cottage cheese. I also love that poppyseed filling has black color, my favorite and a signature in my pastries. The baked cottage cheese part reminds of ‘Lviv syrnyk’—a traditional Ukrainian farmer’s cheesecake flavored with lemon zest, raisins and a touch of vanilla. Its taste takes me back to childhood and home.”
And Andrea Sham made a trio of lemon meringue and Neapolitan ice cream-flavored pies crowned with a frosting lattice. “I’ve seen this technique on Instagram a couple times, but the post that made me feel the urge to make it was from Noma, when they did a basket. I thought it could be very playful to do, because it’s an endless mix of colors.”
At the risk of sparking more FOMO, here are a few pastry-focused highlights from the trip.
Tapisserie
This patisserie from the owners of the famous fine dining spot Septime has commanded attention for its runny maple syrup tart. But I fell for their flan—a thick slice of vanilla-speckled custard atop flaky puff pastry—and choux à la flouve, choux buns filled with grassy, hay-infused cream. Both are deliciously creamy and wonderfully messy. –AA
Mokonuts
Moko Hirayama of Mokonuts is famous for her iconic cookies (get the tahini black sesame and peanut butter milk chocolate) but the true standout was the strawberry tart with a nutty crust, tangy yogurt filling and berries straight from the market. We ordered two! –TB
Alina Prokopenko at Mardi
After trying Alina’s spectacular poppyseed pie at our party, I knew we’d have to stop by her pop-up at Mardi, a very cute coffee shop by Buttes Chaumont park. The showstopper was her hyperrealistic “oysters”—salty dark chocolate cookie dough molded into the shape of a craggy oyster shell, filled with panna cotta and finished with a generous squeeze of lemon juice. –AA
Du Pain et des Idées
The Sacristan from Du Pain et des Idées is everything I want in a pastry. Laminated croissant dough is twisted with creme patisserie, yielding a flaky, supple, and crisp treat. Best enjoyed on the canal two blocks from the shop. –TB
Hot off the press:
We’re in Eater! Thanks to Bettina Makalintal who featured us alongside Humble Pie contributors Stacey Mei Yan Fong and Rossi Anastopoulo, who have recently released two stellar pie-focused publications of their very own: 50 Pies, 50 States and Sweet Land of Liberty.