Paris: Shopping for Cookies and Cookware on Rue de Rennes

Sweet Dreams at the Boulangerie de Rennes Photos by Theadora Brack

By Theadora Brack

Confession: When I’m out tasking in Paris, I always carry at least one meringue cookie in my trench coat pocket or bag at all times. Sweet and crunchy, it’s the ultimate instant sugar rush, making the perfect portable snack.

Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock

Tip-Tock

Be choosy! Goldilocks, size does matter, so I recommend going with a medium-sized cookie because the smaller ones are sometimes on the dry side, and the larger ones are occasionally too soft.

You’ll find the meringue in pâtisseries throughout the city. My favorite current sweet spot is the Boulangerie de Rennes at 101 rue de Rennes. You can’t miss them. Here the pretties hold court in the shop’s street side vitrine.

Rue de Rennes

By the way, rue de Rennes is also one of my favorite window-shopping hotspots in Paris. For the love of juxtaposition, here the trendy boutiques mesh with classic Parisian shops. So add it to your photo bucket list! Even street photographer Eugène Atget shot here.

Bustling Rue de Rennes

WWJCD?

Would would Julia Child do? She’d hotfoot it to rue de Rennes for kitchenware. Here you’ll find a cluster of fun and practical shops definitely worth a browse : La Vaissellerie (85), Culinarion (99), and Plastiques (103) where bold and beautiful owl-shaped egg timers rule the roost. Le Creuset also makes a cameo appearance here. Your cuisine will thank you.

More skinny

Boulangerie de Rennes
101 Rue de Rennes, 6th arrondissement
Metro: Rennes

 

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8 thoughts on “Paris: Shopping for Cookies and Cookware on Rue de Rennes”

  1. I love meringue and it is still on my to bake list 😉

    Great Paris tips, Theadora.

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    • Thanks, Malou! So the meringue cookie is on your list? That’s fabulous news! We’re looking forward to following the recipe on your site. Please keep us posted! Theadora

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  3. The only place I know of for cookware is E. Dehillerin. I read about it in the Barefoot Contessa Paris book and there did seem to be a lot of americans there when I went, they have her to thank for a lot of business! Love that picture of the meringues!

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    • Thanks, Sara! Great recommendation. E. Dehillerin is also where Julia Child shopped. “Thunderstruck!” was her description of the encounter. The centuries-old shop is located at 18 Rue Coquillière (Metro: Les Halles). Their inventory is amazing. (Julia’s photograph behind the cash register!) Cheers, Theadora

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      • Ah! I missed that–the place was too packed to be able to take note of much of anything. Well, I’m very pleased I went to Julia’s favorite store then. I still have my bench scrapers stamped with the store’s name and address. I love even the name of the street it is on!

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      • Sara, I love the story about your bench scrapers. You should write a post about your favorite kitchen tools. Or perhaps you have already? If so, let us know! (I love visiting Julia Child’s kitchen at the Smithsonian! There’s a website tour, too.)

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