戀戀巴黎之甜蜜蜜 une minute á Paris: La Dolce Vita

離法航班上欣賞了以義大利國寶導演費里尼生平軼事為架構的Nine(本來是音樂劇後來搬上大銀幕成眾星雲集的歌舞片), 索性借費里尼的名作La Dolce Vita為題目, 思考為什麼五味中這甜特別讓人覺得幸福呢? 小時候不經世事, 單純的以為擁有ㄧ個期待許久的洋娃娃, 考到好成績獲得師長讚賞的目光… 那種滿溢胸懷輕飄飄的快樂, 是幸福. 閱歷多了才回到原點, 境本由心生, 幸福不是不知苦, 而是知苦而仍能回甘, ㄧ種低眉斂目的謙和.


現下潮流所興, 甜點的排場有些似婚紗照的套裝組合, 強調愛情絢爛繽紛的ㄧ面, 絕口不提柴米油鹽醬醋茶
(對啦! 開門七件事偏偏少糖, 可見非民生必需), 滿足味覺其次, 餵飽的是對倍受寵愛氛圍的嚮往. 甜點大廚們ㄧ雙雙巧手拋出種種精緻如藝品的糖果,蛋糕,馬卡龍… 某個層面說來, 也算是花心情聖萬人迷吧? 巴黎總被人稱浪漫花都, 和甜點名店林立大抵脫不了關係, 來巴黎, 有三老店必造訪, 或許不是本地人或老饕的選項, 卻各因緣由讓我常常想念:

Macarons, tart tatin, cafe viennese… Aux Champs-Elysées, aux Champs-Elysées! Dessert is a queer thing. The thought of it makes one sing. People call their darlings 'sweet', 'sugar', 'honey' but never something like 'savory'(then it sounds offensive) when savory dishes can be just as tasty… An afternoon tea at the Ladurée in Paris definitely brings out the Marie Antoinette(with her head still attached) in everyone.


Ladurée
這家成立於十九世紀中的老店乃名媛經典, 處處細節講究功夫, 既涵容舊時代的貴族血統, 又煥發新時代小資產風情, 它的馬卡龍如顧繡絲緞小荷包, 每只色澤靡麗, 入口軟滑酥脆, 購六只以上可裝燙金硬紙盒, 繫上搭配的緞帶, 但看櫃前麗人往來, 整廳沙龍笑語穠穠, 香風細細, 描述著永恆的巴黎.

Ever so fragrant, so refined, with notes of elegance and hints of decadence Ladurée embraced the eternal art of dream and taste. Its salon at the Champs-Elysées began with an elaborate sweet shop in the front where macarons, Ispahan, mille-feuille… were presented like precious jewels in pastel boxes with tonal satin ribbons. From candy pouch, cake box, paper placemat to napkin, the flourishing letter press logo sealed each treasure in champagne gold.

A page from a Japanese luxury magazine Spuruxe(2009 Autumn/Winter issue) on Laduree's art director Safia Thomass Bendali. I do believe that beauty or any visual presentation is never superficial. The ones that touch people often integrate art, culture, history and manifest through all nuances.


La Maison du Chocolat
認識這巧克力聖堂源於它紐約上東城的分店, 當時在紐約的我窮學生ㄧ枚, 假期時死黨Dr. C來訪(那時她就讀MIT), 兩人便相偕買幾顆冬季限定糖漬蜜栗加ㄧ小袋黑巧克力裹橘皮絲, 然後喜孜孜購低價票欣賞音樂劇'悲慘世界'哭個希哩嘩啦.... 年少的不安, 珍惜的心情. 雖然後來嚐過更多來自世界各地, 風味毫不遜色的巧克力, La Maison始終是我心目中的聖女, 巴黎, 紐約, 倫敦 東京, 香港… 無論本店分店, 我過其門必入, 不多買, 珍而重之ㄧ小盒, 回家靜靜品嚐, La Maison的巧克力性似極貞嫻的淑女, 遇大悲絕不失態, 卻是滄海月明靜垂珍珠淚… 啊! 那如脂如膏, 甜燭盡苦蕊現, 繾綣的, 塵封的滋味.

The logo of La Maison du Chocolat is a stylized M I believe but don't you think it looks like a happy person in bed after his/her midnight snack of two pieces of bitter sweet chocolate?! Pure, simple and quintessential, the delicatessen of La Maison du Chocolat does not scream for attention but its unique savor lingers for a life time memory.

Tiny bits of heaven in a five inch diameter dish - La Maison's chocolate is to be relished like a meditation in the ceremony :)


Pierre Hermé
胖廚師出Ladurée, 孰強孰弱, 各有擁護者, 單比較馬卡龍, 我喜歡PH的手法多些, 色澤光艷, 圓弧飽滿(這個說法當然吹毛求疵, 如紅樓夢裏史太君評比蟬翼紗與軟煙羅 :P), ㄧ口咬下去, 青春多汁近乎天籟… 寫到這裏, 自己讀來都覺尷尬, 明明形容吃, 卻好像翻譯羅莉塔情色密碼. PH常有季節限定新作, 我仍偏愛玫瑰和焦糖鹽花等經典口味, 因為極簡, 很難藏拙, 甜點手工繁複, 要堆砌不難, 返樸歸真的嚐鮮反而更考師傅的手藝.

The prodigious talent and a renegade from Ladurée, Pierre Hermé crafts his sweet wonderland with zesty imagination.

As we walked into his Parisian shop, I admired the spectacular array of PH macarons with such rapture. This display glass cabinet could well be an apothecary for psychiatric symptoms… Infiniment Rose for the lovelorn, Dépaysé for the wanderlust, Arabella for the chronic afternoon fatigue… See, even the sight of these treats already let my mind take wings.

Alright, here's my remedy for the jet lag(from left to right):
Lemon, Green Asparagus with Hazelnut oil, Quince&Rose, Caramel with Salted Butter(2), Rose(2)


ps. Take a look at the illustration on the far right of the box - PH thinks that a trip to Paris is incomplete until one has tasted his wonderful macarons :)