It has been over a month since I have updated my blog. I am seized with an urge to apologize. But to whom, and to what end? If one truly creates for one’s self, why then am I so disturbed to find that my unique visitors have dwindled away practically to nothing, with a bounce rate approaching ninety-five per cent? These twin impulses—toward reckless self-regard and the approbation of others—neatly negate one another. This is the essential paradox of our time.
– From the genius New Yorker piece Le Blog de Jean-Paul Sartre, by Bill Barol
Well. I think Sartre said it better than I ever could, so I’ll leave it at that. Existential crises notwithstanding, it’s been an interesting year. When we last left off, I was working six days a week as the Executive Pastry Chef for Blend, one of Paris’ most highly regarded burger joints. As of this month, I am no longer there, and next month I will be officially unemployed. But that doesn’t mean I won’t be keeping myself busy. I’m in the process just beginning to write a book – so far I’ve got an outline and a couple of recipes – and I’m also thinking about staging (i.e. working for free for a few weeks) in some of the best chocolateries, bakeries, and pastry shops this city has to offer. Oh, yeah, and I’m blogging again, too.
A few things I’ve baked in the interim:
Last Spring I made these apple doughnut muffins, inspired by The Hungry Dog. I meant to post the recipe, and then it wasn’t apple season anymore, and now I’ve decided I want to keep it for the book. But I will share this photo.
Over the summer, I once again had the good fortune to bake the wedding cake for two dear friends. Once again, I made cupcakes, but this time I added a small “topper” cake for the cake-cutting. I spent three days in Celine and Jesse’s kitchen, and naturally there were a few stressful moments the day of the wedding, but in the end I was very pleased with the final cakes. And the bride and groom seemed pretty happy, too.
Ab
Ac
Croque-Camille 