Ispahan

This is the little beauty that I get to make every day in my pastry internship. Last week alone, I think I made over 700 of them, 280 in one day.

Wild Asparagus

I found this in the store the other day and was completely baffled by what it was. Turns out it's a form of wild asparagus and tastes just lovely.

Peas and Wild Asparagus

Fabrice cooked up my exciting find at the grocery store with peas, garlic, and olive oil. It was a perfect spring dish.

Filet

For Sunday dinner not too long ago, Fabrice made me a perfectly cooked filet topped with a little shallot compote and a bed of pasta salad. Yes, there are definitely advantages to dating a chef!

Pork Roast

The following Sunday, Fabrice whipped up another fabulous dinner out of everything I bought at the market. Here are pan seared pork medallions with a refreshing garnish of peas, four kinds of peppers, and a little bacon.

Mushroom Salad

This innovative salad served as my starter at Gaya, Pierre Gagnaire's fish and seafood bistro in Paris.

Tomato Soup

Tomato soup gets a major renovation at Gaya. Here the server pours a rich tomato broth over my brothers vegetables.

Raspberry Delight

This was my stepmother's dessert - all things raspberry. She was in complete heaven and didn't talk much after her first bite!

Macaron Sampling

My brother gets his first taste of a real French macaron outside Lenotre. After one bite, I think he was hooked.

Bisous

My brother and I kiss the Eiffel Tower together.

Professor

My last day working at my favorite store, I snapped a few pictures which I'm sure was not allowed. This is the sweet, darling Frenchman I worked next to almost every day and who taught me some very valuable techniques. Here he is preparing the coffee tarts.

Production

This is only one of the 12 trays I did on Friday. All these Ispahan were headed to the store because it's a holiday weekend.

Teamwork

Two of my fabulous co-workers. They always kept me laughing every day.

Vanilla Tart

This is the vanilla tart sold in the store. It's like eating a cloud made from the purest vanilla possible. In our ganaches and glazes, we use three types of vanilla beans for a more complex flavor.

Montebello

I was also responsible for making the Montebellos each day. This is a pistachio cake with pistachio buttercream and strawberries. Believe me when I say it's no easy task to stack those strawberries up on end and get them to stay.

Montreal

This chef is from Montreal so he spoke both French and English. Here he shows off the new cherry and pistachio tart. He kept us in stiches the whole day by singing, cracking jokes, and talking non-stop.

Chocolate

The boys downstairs hand decorate chocolate ganache before enrobing each piece in dark chocolate.

Decoration

Now I understand why the chocolate is so expensive. The whole process is done by hand and with the utmost of care.

A Great Team

A snapshot of the team I worked with in my pastry internship. They made my whole experience a true joy and pleasure.

Pastry Dash

While visiting me in Paris, I took my brother and stepmother to Pierre Herme to sample the delights. As we were coming home with our arms loaded with chocolate and treats, it began to rain. Sheets of rain pourred down on us as we exited the metro and dashed home.

So Sad

After eating his way through every flavor of macaron at Pierre Herme, my brother is a little sad. I think he's going to miss them!

Treats

My stepmother shows off a selection of treats from Pierre Herme. We managed to finish them off by the end of the night.