Café Croissant

My goal this drizzly summer Sunday was to enjoy a croissant and grand crème at the Montorgueil market (2^nd arr. M: Châtelet-Les Halles). Somewhere between the pharmacie and the fruits et legumes I decided if I had two croissants, each from a different bakery, it would be research.

Le Compas d’Or

© 2012 Isabelle Vianu

My idea of a good croissant includes a flaky crust of course, but like Julia Child, I'm in the pro butter camp and prefer a croissant pur beure over a croissant ordinaire which contains margarine, tends to be flakier and is perceived as less “fat” and “less buttery” – as if that were an advantage. My favorite croissant has crunchy ends and when the croissant is pulled apart to expose the buttery middle, there is some elastic tension. The moist springy interior should have a sweet, buttery taste. The ratio of flour to butter varies tremendously from bakery to bakery and while I see no need to dwell on the fat content of a croissant let’s just say that the croissants at Stohrer probably have fewer carbs than those 

at the Boulangerie des Petits Carreaux at the northern end of the street, which for one block, is called rue des Petits Carreaux.

Au Rocher de Cancale

© 2012 Isabelle Vianu

Finding good coffee in a Parisian café is not as easy as one might think. The espresso can be watery and since Parisians are not milk drinkers, the milk used for café crème is often sterilized long shelf life milk in square cartons called briques. It’s the rare café that uses fresh milk. La rue Montorgueil has many cafés to choose from, but I find that the coffee at Le Compas d’Or , across from Stohrer, is quite good. They use Kimbo, a Neopolitain style espresso bean. The terrace is nice on those rare sunny days and on Sundays it provides the perfect perch for people watching, as does the newly restored and significantly hipper Au Rocher de Cancale.

 

Café Croissant

Stoher, 51 rue Montorgueil

Boulangerie des Petits Carreaux, 4 rue des Petits Carreaux

Le Compas d’Or, 62 rue Montorgueil

Au Rocher de Cancale, 78 rue Montorgueil