FdSTL Second Day of Christmas: Deux Desserts Délicieux

Happy Friday! For the second day of Christmas, I'm keeping it short but oh so sweet. Today I share deux desserts délicieux, two delectable desserts that are perfect for entertaining this holiday season and all throughout the year. Both recettes are wonderful for lovers of le chocolat, relatively simple to make, and sure to impress! Enjoy and bon weekend. :)

Flourless Chocolate Cake from the Daily Connoisseur (click this link for the recipe)

I discovered this recipe in Jennifer L. Scott's book At Home with Madame Chic and it has become one of my go to desserts. This gâteau is as delicious as it is beautiful. My favorite way to serve is with a small scoop of vanilla bean ice cream or gelato (here is the one I most often use) and a few fresh raspberries. It is a very rich dessert so a little goes along way. Your guests are sure to feel special when you present them with this simple, beautiful plate. 

(click for link to book)

Mousse au Chocolat from the Simply Luxurious Life (click this link for the recipe)

Fellow francophile Shannon Ables of the Simply Luxurious Life blog and the Simple Sophisticate podcast is one of my most trusted sources when it comes to discovering new French inspired recipes to add to my repertoire. I've only made this chocolate mousse once and unfortunately didn't document the occasion, but I remember being giddy with joy that I successfully made something so perfectly light and airy. A classic French dessert, I believe a good mousse au chocolat recipe is a must to have on hand. 

What is your favorite French dessert, chocolatey or not? I would love to know in the comment below!

Enjoy this last weekend before Christmas.

Warm and sweet wishes from me to you,

FdSTL First Day of Christmas: A Croissant in a Christmas Tree

Bonjour readers! 

It's been un moment and I am overjoyed to be back to the Fleur de St. Louis community. Vous m'avez manqué. I just love this French expression that literally translates to "you have been missing from me". In the almost month that has passed since I've posted, not a day has gone by that I haven't thought about this blog. In the midst of studying seven French novels/films as I work toward my bachelor's degree in French, my teaching career, and everything that life has brought in between, I needed to take a moment to be gracious with myself. More progress in some areas meant less progress in others, but I'm coming to the understanding that this is OK. I have arrived at a moment where I can turn my attention back to sharing all things with a little French flair and I am truly in my happy place. And in the time I've been away, I've also been planning a little treat: a Fleur de St. Louis 12 Days of Christmas series to enjoy each day as December 25 draws near. 

Here we are, December 14, the official "first day of Christmas". A partridge in a pear tree... a croissant in a Christmas tree... get it? :) Just a little taste of what you can expect over the next twelve days of this holiday season, and I am so full of excitement for all of the French flair I have to share! 

Now, back to that croissant. At the beginning of November, I spent a weekend in Chicago with my mom, French style bien sûr! It was on this trip that I laid eyes on the most adorable croissant ornament and I just knew it had to hang on my tree. It was also on this trip that I enjoyed one of my favorite croissants in the Midwest: the almond croissant at Chicago's authentic French bakery, La Fournette. Let's be real. With croissants, what's not to love? It's flaky layers of buttery goodness all rolled up in the perfect little viennoiserie present. I'll be the first to admit, I'm a little croissant crazy, and I'm totally good with it. 

Click here to listen to one of my favorite French teachers, Carrie Anne of French is Beautiful, pronounce this lovely French word. (Here she is talking about a specific type of croissant, the pain au chocolate, but she says croissant at about 7 seconds.) Don't you just love the way it rolls of the tongue? Croissant. Oh so French.

Here in St. Louis, Comme à la Maison (authentically French) and La Pâtisserie Chouquette are my croissant go-to's. In Paris, Tony and I enjoyed croissants at Claus, Angelina, Coquelicot, and Télescope. I can't honestly tell you which one I liked best - I was so giddy to be in PARIS that everything tasted quite incredible. That said, I would love to do croissant tasting justice the next time I am in Paris just like Rebecca Plotnick of Every Day Parisian. Here is her list of the best croissants, and I think Du Pain et Des Idées will be my first croissant stop the next time I'm in the city of light. While you are checking out Rebecca's blog, be sure to stop by her shop where she sells beautiful photography including this mouthwatering croissant print. 

A croissant at La Fournette

 A croissant at La Pâtisserie Chouquette

 A croissant (and brioche) at Comme à la Maison

For more croissant inspired gifts, check out this list below:
Phone Case
Art Print
Croissant Necklace (I've had my eye on this ever since I saw it on a store clerk in Copenhagen...) 

(My phone case and an adorable scarf I picked up at Sept Cinq in Paris)

Who knew I had so much to say about croissants?! Do you have a favorite croissant in France and/or in your hometown? I would love to hear from you in the comments below. I'm always interested in adding to my list, wherever my travels may take me. 

I look forward to seeing you back tomorrow for Fleur de St. Louis' second day of Christmas. If you like what you're reading, be sure to subscribe so that each new post will arrive in your inbox for you to enjoy!

I am so so happy to be back.

Warm wishes from me to you,

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La Critique du Film: Lost in Paris

(Click image for source)

This past Sunday was a wrap on the 26th Annual Whitaker Saint Louis International Film Festival here in St. Louis, Missouri. It has been a goal of mine to take advantage of French films showing in my area, and I am thankful that this festival provided that opportunity. While I wish I could have seen more than one film (I had my eye on Back to Burgundy), Lost in Paris was absolument charmant! 

Before the film as I munched on my Toblerone (Toblerone and a Diet Coke... my movie going traditions...), I struck up a conversation with an elderly gentleman sitting behind me. He was interested in my experience with the French language, a passion I am always ready to discuss. After the film he said, "I'm sorry you didn't get very much French." While Lost in Paris is set in the city of lights, main character Fiona is an English speaking Canadian with limited French. While viewers definitely had the opportunity to hear French, English or a lack of dialogue were equally as present in this film.

Language aside, I will always delight in the opportunity to see Paris in all of its beauty, and the storyline of this Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon film offered some wonderful insights.  In the film, Fiona travels to Paris after receiving a letter from her Aunt Martha (who had followed her dream to move from Canada to Paris when Fiona was a child). And just as the title suggests, when Fiona arrives in Paris she is lost. Very lost. I laughed out loud when Fiona asked a Parisian café server for directions. After many steps (go straight here, take the metro to this stop, then switch lines, then go left for a while, then go right...) he ended with "and from there you'll have to ask."  While humorous, I couldn't help but compare this scene to life and the constant journey that seems clear at times, only to become confusing again at others.

Lost in Paris showed that on this winding life journey, it's important to find someone to stand by your side, whether that be friends, family, or a romantic companion. It is also, as Aunt Martha demonstrates, incredibly important to live life in a manner that best suits your dreams and the truest version of you, even if others may disagree. It is in this way that we can strive to achieve a full and contented life. 

In the spirit of this message, my new friend (the gentleman I mentioned above) wished me a happy life on my way out of the theatre. A beautiful moment after a delightful film. :) 

If you have the opportunity to see Lost in Paris in a theatre near you, I think you will very much enjoy it. I am also interested in viewing another Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon film, The Fairy. Audience members were raving about it before Lost in Paris began. 

Do you have a favorite film en français? I am always interested in recommendations, so let me know in the comments below! 

Merci, as always, for stopping by.

Warmest of wishes from me to you,