A Taste of Home

You may be rhapsodic over the bread in Paris and swooning over the cheese, but trust me, sooner or later, you’re going to be looking for molasses to make your favorite ginger snaps or corn meal for muffins when you’re making chili.  And maybe, just maybe, your kids will be crying for Pop Tarts or a Dr. Pepper.  There is a time to be a purist and enjoy what’s available locally but there are also times when a little taste of home is just what’s needed.

There are several sources for your favorite American food stuffs in Paris and without exception, you will pay a premium for these products.  Look closely and you may find peanut butter, maple syrup, Tabasco, and Oreos in your local supermarket.  For the rest, you may need to travel further afield.   More on American-style eateries in a future post.

La Grande Epicerie de Paris, Le Bon Marché
38, rue de Sevres
75007 Paris
Métro: Sèvres-Babylone

The Real McCoy
194, rue de Grenelle 
75007 Paris
Phone:  01 45 56 98 82
Métro: Ecole Militaire

Thanksgiving
20, rue Saint-Paul
75004 Paris, France
Phone: 01 42 77 68 29
Métro: St. Paul

My American Market is an on-line source for American groceries.  Based in Toulouse in southwestern France, they will ship throughout France with rates beginning at 6.89 euros for shipping. 

Homesick Brits may find their favorites at any of several small shops around town. In addition, the W.H. Smith book store on rue de Rivoli stocks some British comfort foods.

The English Shop
10, rue Mesnil
75016 Paris
Phone: 01 45 53 11 40
Métro: Victor Hugo

This shop also has a larger location on 96, rue du Connetable in Chantilly (Phone:  03  44 57  22 20).

Epicerie Anglaise
5, cité du Wauxhall
75010  Paris
Phone: 09 53 75 41 07
Métro: République

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Everything You Need to Know About Home Baking In Paris

So you’ve arrived in Paris with your mom’s famous pound cake recipe or your best friend’s secret formula for chocolate chip cookies, and the first time out, it’s a flop.  The cake sags, your cookies run, the taste is off.  What the heck?!   You’ve learned the hard way that the flour, the butter, the eggs are all just a little bit different here and it’s wreaking havoc with your time-honored favorites.

David Lebovitz, former pastry chef at Berkeley’s famous Chez Panisse, cookbook author extraordinaire, and Paris blogger to the rescue!  David’s blog is chockful of great recipes and funny tales about being an American in Paris and he’s also got great tips for understanding French ingredients and what to look for when you’re trying to recreate your North American baked goods on French soil.

David’s work is copyrighted so I can’t reproduce it here but follow these links and be sure to bookmark them when you get there.  Hands down, he’s got the clearest advice on flours, sugars, and other essentials plus tips on where to find both the best quality ingredients in Paris and those everyday items (like buttermilk or molasses) that may not be on the shelves in your local supermarket.

Ingredients for American Baking in Paris (France)

French Sugars

More on French flours and French butters from Practically Edible, a Web-based food encyclopedia.