My patisserie challenge, tartelette aux fruits

My patissereie challenge tartelette aux fruits

Welcome to my patisserie challenge. This year I have decided to buy something different from our village boulangerie every Sunday and to enjoy the simple pleasure of treating myself each week. This week I have chosen the tartelette aux fruits, fruit tart.

This is a crisp and crunchy flaky pastry base topped with crème patissiere (a set custard that is not overly sweetened) and finished off with glazed fruit. Bernadette makes these all year round so she uses fruits that have been bottled in syrup; Mirabelle plums, apricots and cherries. I thought this was a tasty treat that looks almost jewel like and isn’t too sweet, and although I'd happily eat it again, I think I prefer the tartlette aux pomme.

Don’t forget to come back next Sunday for the next delicious delight from Bernadette at the boulangerie.

Here are my previous patisserie challenge posts in case you have missed any, buchette de noel, éclair au chocolat, foret-noire, galette de St Jacqueline, tartelette aux pommes and Paris-Brest.

This post has been linked to All About France, the blog link up run by Lou Messugo. To read more fun posts on a French theme please click on the image link below.

French women’s beauty secret revealed #BOAW2015

Beauty of a Woman Blogfest #BOAW15 

I am no fashionista and my life in rural France is many miles away from the catwalks of Paris, but I still consider myself to be fairly well informed on the subject of French women and their style and beauty secrets. You don’t have to search too hard to find books about their ooh la la or their je ne sais quoi or their ability to never get fat and I have read most of these books. However, after living among them for over ten years I can tell you that some of them do get fat, some do go out without make-up, some don’t wash as often as my nose would like them to and some even have chin hairs and unplucked eyebrows – quelle horreur! Despite this I would still agree that a French woman has a special something that holds her apart from the rest of us and although there is no one fit answer, I can tell you it’s not all about Chanel suits and expensive fragrance, skin care products or lingerie.

What French women have is that they know how to feel happy and beautiful from within. This happiness radiates their beauty through their body and mind, making them stand tall and giving them confidence, allure and attitude. For some it is the knowledge that they are wearing an expensive set of matching lingerie that puts a smile on their face and gives them an inner glow, for others it will be a manicured set of nails, a perfectly made up face or a fortnightly appointment at the hairdressers (from my observations there are as many hairdressers as boulangeries in France). What works for you may not work for me, or the next woman in line, but that doesn’t matter, there are no hard and fast rules. For me it is the knowledge that I know their secret, that I am bien dans ma peau (happy in my skin) and never too far from my tweezers to keep those pesky chin hairs in order. I can now happily hold my head high as I walk into a room of French women and know they are my equals, not my superiors. Now you know their secret you just have to discover what you can do to give yourself that inner glow and confidence. Good luck!

This post has been written as my contribution to the Beauty of a Woman BlogFest 2015 #BOAW15 being run by writer August McLaughlin. I’m joining bloggers all over the world sharing their stories and celebrating the beauty of women. You can read what the other contributors have to say and be in with a chance to win some great prizes by clicking here.