Greenspan - Paris sweets: great desserts from the citys best pastry shops

One of the great joys of dividing my life between Paris and New York is that I have twice as many friends and colleagues as I did when I was a sole-city dweller. And for this very Parisian book, I am grateful for the friendship, talent, and help of many amis, amies, et collgues.

Among my Paris coterie, I am fortunate to count Patricia Wells as a friend and neighbor. Patricia, the ultimate American food lover in Paris, was the inspiration for this book. It was Patricia who said one evening over dinner, You should write a book about the pastry shops of Paris. No sooner had she said it than I knew she was right. I have never been happier working on a book than I was while I was working on this one. How wonderful it is to have friends who know you so well.

Without Hlne Samuel I might still be waiting for that first pastry chef to send me the recipe he promised. Hlne, whom I think of as my French sister, and who is much sought after as a restaurant consultant, took time away from her real work to organize the Paris side of this project for me. When I started Paris Sweets, I thought I could manage it on my own. Now that Ive finished and it is only thanks to Hlne that I met my deadlineI know that it would have been impossible (and not nearly as much fun) without Hlnes friendship, lively intelligence, extraordinary charm, finely honed administrative skills, and unflagging good humor.

I was a great admirer of Florine Aschs watercolors even before I met her and discovered that she is as sweet, sunny, stylish, and chic as her designs. Florines elegant light touch, her whimsy and wit, and her eye for the romance of Paris can be seen in each of her lyrical paintings. It is a privilege and a great pleasure to have Florines work in this book.

Martine and Bernard Collet have been our friends for more than twenty years, and it is they who helped us get settled in Paris and they who add immeasurably to our happiness when we are there. A bundle of gros bisous and some chocolate kisses, too, for their friendship and their appetites; I think they hold the record for tasting the most test sweets.

And thank you to Suzy Born to Shop Gershman, a great Paris shopping buddy and an avid test-recipe taster.

Enfin et toujours, there are the pastry chefs, the generous, talented people who make Paris the sweetest place on earth. Merci infiniment to the pastry whizzes at Christian Constant, Dalloyau, Fauchon (with special thanks to Sbastien Gaudard), Ladure, Lentre (with special thanks to Grard Gautheron), La Maison du Chocolat, Maison Kayser, Mariage Frres, Ptisserie Arnaud Larher, Ptisserie Lerch, Ptisserie Mulot, Pierre Herm Paris, Poilne, Boulangerie-Ptisserie Poujauran, Ptisserie Rollet-Pradier, Ptisserie Stroher, and Ptisserie Vandermeersch.

Back in New York, the list is as varied and the thanks as heartfelt.

From the beginning and throughout, this book has been informed by the good sense and good humor of my editor, Jennifer Josephy, who championed it from the first clair to the last. Jennifer is rare and wonderful in that she is a perfectionist who can laugh, and both perfectionism and laughter are vital in the process of bookmaking.

At Broadway Books, Paris Sweets benefited from editorial support from Laura Marshall, and the design talents of Songhee Kim and Umi Kenyon.

And, encore, I was fortunate to have Judith Sutton copyedit the manuscript. Judith has worked on all my cookbooks, and each is better for her intelligence and skill.

I was delighted, once again, to have Rica Buxbaum Allanic share my kitchen for recipe testing. Ricas skill with pastry is exceeded only by her grace, energy, and good taste.

Special thanks to La Maison de la France/The French Government Tourist Office, most especially to its director, Robin Massee, as well as to Jana Kravitz and Anne-Laure Trolio for helping to enlist the participation of Pariss most talented pastry chefs; and, once again, a cornucopia of chocolate cakes to Nick Malgieri for his friendship, generosity, and inexhaustible knowledge of baking.

Finally, much love and enormous thanks to my husband, Michael, and our son, Joshua, the two best men in Paris, New York, and all points between and beyond.