currently snacking on...

...the Isphan Macaron from TC Paris Bakery aka the best macaron I've ever tasted in my life—giant raspberry macaron filled with rose water and lychee flavored white chocolate ganache and fresh raspberries. It's heavenly! 

Ravenous Creperie

A taste of France in Saratoga? We are obsessed with TC Paris and its delicate and magical confections so why not complete the French experience and balance the sugar out with some crepes and frites from Ravenous Creperie. Crepes come in savory and sweet options, so we got one of each.  

Chicken Bechamel: This savory version is stuffed with sauteed chicken and broccoli with a creamy bechamel sauce. The crepe batter was nice and thin but the filling lacked seasoning and was disappointingly bland.

Crepe Rhubarbe: Sweet crepes are Ravenous' forte. The filling is the right balance of sweet and tart with fresh strawberries, apples, and rhubarb and just the right amount of sugar. A dollop of whipped cream rounded out the dish and was the perfect topping for an added decadence. 

Pomme Frites: We missed the boat on poutine but weren't disappointed by an order of fries. These handcut frites were stellar and delightfully golden and crispy. An order comes with your pick of dipping dipping sauces from pesto mayo to sriracha ketchup. Most of the sauces we wanted to try had ran out but the horseradish mayo we ended up with was a good creamy accompaniment. With these sturdy fries, we had high hopes for the poutine. 

Poutine: Finally on a return visit, we got to try the poutine. I could tell the owner had a French Canadian accent and was hoping that from one Canadian ex-pat to another that flavors from my childhood would come through. Sadly, this did not live up to our expectations. The gravy had good flavor but was thin and lacking. As for the cheese curds, they did not squeak and weren't the flavor we were looking for.  For what it's worth, the fries were still good. Our search for good States-side poutine continues. Squeak squeak. 

TC Paris Bakery

You know what makes the best Christmas presents? The edible and delicious kind. We've told you how much we love TC Paris Bakery but let us tell you how much we love it even more. Now that TC has its very own storefront and kitchens, they're offering more specialty confections. For the procrastinators out there, these local treats are the perfect last minute gifts or a great addition to your holiday dessert spread. 

Behold the Winter Cookie: a buttery shortbread cookie topped with crunchy toasted almonds, a chewy honey caramel, and orange zest dipped in Valrhona dark chocolate.  This cookie is a delightful combination of textures and the floral notes from the orange blossom honey is so unique. We're planning on bringing a 1lb tin to Christmas dinner, minus maybe a few cookies because yours truly couldn't wait to share. You might want to hurry up to get these Winter Cookies. In true Alsace French tradition, TC Paris is only making these cookies up until January 2nd and then they are gone until next year! It's a one of kind cookie! 

Just in time for the holidays are jars of French brandied cherries. We got a special taste of this holiday item and it was lick-the-spoon-clean good. Tart sour cherries imported from France are infused with brandy, cloves, and cinnamon. Chef tells us they would be a great addition to the bottom of a champagne glass. That's something we could toast to and so would your guests! 

There are also a variety of chocolate dipped fruits and confectionaries but you can't go wrong with a sleeve of TC Bakery's signature French macarons.  We're avid fans of flavors like salted caramel and earl grey but new flavors like the chocolate dipped strawberry macarons are quickly rising to the top of our favorites. A flavorful and creamy strawberry buttercream with a dollop of chocolate ganache is sandwiched between delicate crisp and chewy almond shells. These macarons would be a great gift alongside its fresh chocolate-dipped strawberry counterparts. 

Be sure to make TC Paris Bakery part of your holiday. It's well worth a trip to Saratoga Springs. These are beautiful, quality handmade items made from the best ingredients and crafted by talented bakers. Your guests will be in awe and don't forget to get a little something for yourself too (or a lot!). You deserve it :) 

TC Paris Bakery Preview

J and I have been avid fans of TC Paris Bakery since their early days inside The Chocolate Gecko in Albany. We would stop by every other weekend for fresh flaky and buttery chocolate croissants and boxes of french macarons, not to mention the best creme brulee (torched to order!) and lemon tarts too. Safe to say we were regulars but how could we resist all made from scratch treats. Being in walking distance was dangerously delicious. It would be an understatement to say that we were devastated to find out that TC Paris was losing their space back in March and had to relocate. We were in withdrawals throughout the summer and while TC temporarily found a home at Fluffalicious, it just wasn't the same not being greeted by Chef Paul and crew. 

We're so happy to report that TC Paris has found a permanent new home in Saratoga on Henry Street. It's a bit more of a hike for us to get our fill of treats, but it's one we're happy to make. We were honored to be invited to a preview of the new shoppe and every morsel we sampled was just as good as we remembered, if not better. TC takes pride in quality from ingredients to execution. The stars of TC Paris are the French macarons: delicate almond meringue cookies filled with light buttercream or chocolate ganache. These macarons have a light and crisp shell yet chewy center as you bite into the cookie and filling. They are delightful fun little morsels of textures and flavors ranging from chocolate made with Valrhona chocolate, salted caramel, and lemon to unique flavors like chocolate earl grey, chocolate rose, and ube purple yam. 

Did we mention how good Valrhona chocolate is? TC uses the same quality chocolate in their croissants and no other croissants have lived up to TC's since. We're also happy to report that TC started making chocolate-dipped pretzels with the same Valrhona chocolate. If you need more of a chocolate fix, TC is now carrying a line of Neuhaus Belgian chocolates and truffles, and we can vouch for those too but the in-house scratch-made confections are what you really want to go for. Duchilly hazelnut pralines are also back and we can't wait to see the return of our old favorites and new favorites to come! Congrats TC Paris Bakery! The new space and renovations are beautiful. It's great to see TC in their own space. We'll be back in two weeks for the official opening! - J&R