Story and Photos by Richard Nahem, Eye Prefer Paris CorrespondentHere’s a tasty reason to nix your failed miserable attempts to diet from the New Year’s resolutions you know you weren’t going to keep and slip into a diabetic coma (safely on your computer screen) while I tempt you with some sweet treats from Chez Bogato.
Chez Bogato is a charming sweet shop and bakery tucked away on a quiet, mostly residential street in the 14th arr. near Denfert-Rochereau metro. It’s a melange of a penny candy shop, toy shop and bakery. The focal point of the shop is a kitschy flaming pink dinette table piled with individually wrapped sables(butter cookies) in fun shapes, a glass dome with thick American-style cookies studded with M&M’s and peanuts underneath it, and a wooden boxed filled the most adorable life-like carrots, asparagus, beans, mushrooms and potatoes, all made out of praline. On side walls made of neutral light colored wood were baking and kitchen accessories for kids, party paper plates and cups, and other cutesy things.
I had enough cutesy for the moment and made a beeline to the glass counter to get to the serious stuff my sweet tooth was waiting for: the individual cakes, tartes, macarons and cupcakes. Cleverly shaped and decorated, it was, as always, hard to choose just two (one for me and one for Vincent). Since Vincent is a carrot cake expert, the choice was simple: the carrot cake sphere topped with a spot of cream cheese and a carrot colored candied bunny rabbit. Of course for myself it wasn’t so easy, so I asked the advice of the shop’s owner, Annais, who without hesitation recommended the Carambar tarte, one of her specialties. Carambar is a French caramel as popular in France as M & M’s and Reese’s Pieces are to the U.S. Some of the other choices I mournfully gave up were the Bambi cupcake with pistachio cream, mini macaron flowers, cupcake d’amour with beets and cheese, sweet burger- two bun shaped almond macaroons with marzipan cheese in the middle, and a Nutella tarte.
Annais had to get back to work in the kitchen, so I asked if I could follow her and she kindly said yes. She was rolling out a chocolate sable mixture and cutting shapes with her molds while her bakery elves iced cookies and whisked some wicked chocolate mixture in a metal bowl. I stood there transfixed by the smell and finally had to wake myself up to get out of there before I did something my waistline would regret.
I later learned that Annais gives baking classes to kids and adults in her kitchen and she posts the monthly schedule on her website. Chez Bogato also does wild and creative customized special occasion cakes. I wish this passionate, talented lady the best of success with her special combination of French pastry making and touch of American cake and cookie style which I sometimes miss.
By the way, Vincent loved his carrot cake, which he said was fluffy and light with just the right amount of icing. And my Carambar tarte was mucho delicious.
7 rue Liancourt, 14th arr.
Metro: Denfert-Rochereau
Open Tuesday- Saturday 10AM-7PM
Tel. 09 61 05 04 00
www.chezbogato.fr
