Introducing: Pastry of the Day

I am beginning to believe that there is a chance I may gain 10 pounds in the next month. Paris is teeming with delicious-looking shops, filled with chocolates and pastries. I am staying at my sister's apartment, where the aroma of freshly baked bread wafts up every morning. I don't stand a chance.

In my effort to exercise some form of moderation, I am going to limit myself to one pastry a day. Ha, what a sacrifice on my part, no?

Today's highlighted pastry is the Framboisier. This is a very thin slice of cake, topped by a mound of whipped cream. Fresh raspberries are then added, and the whole thing is finished with another slice of cake.

This was a delicious balance of sweet and tart. The cream was a little denser than what I expected; it was not airy like the Japanese style shortcakes, but wasn't greasy like the American versions can sometimes be. The confection was just incredibly creamy, with the raspberries providing a burst of freshness and the cake adding some textural structure.

My sister got the Frasier, which is basically a strawberry version of the same cake.

I was surprised to see what a difference the strawberries made. The pastry tasted much more subtle, with the strawberries providing almost a perfume that worked with the cream, instead of the raspberries that gave it the tart kick.

What a fantastic start to my journey of snacking across the city!