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Windy City Baker Around the World: Honeymoon Series – Nice, France (Day Deux)

Windy City Baker Around the World: Honeymoon Series - Nice, France: Sara and Nabil in Nice, France

It’s been a few months since I last posted about my honeymoon to France.  My husband and I started with an eventful layover in Montreal and then had a wonderful first day in Nice, France. 

Breakfast in Boulangerie Jeannot

Our second morning in Nice began with both of us waking up and craving breakfast.  We were in for a treat!  We walked to Boulangerie Jeannot and had one of the best breakfasts we’ve ever had!  Walking into the shop, we were greeted with the smell of fresh bread, a pastry case full of gorgeous pastries, and the typical hustle and bustle of a French bakery in the morning.  It was pretty much everything that we were looking for from a French honeymoon! 

Pastry spread from Boulangerie Jeannot in Nice, France

Everything in the shop looked (and smelled) delicious!  It took us a few minutes before we could decide on which pastries to try.  We bought more than we intended to, but we just couldn’t narrow our choices down. 

Amazing Pastries: Tarte Aux Pomme, Choux Chantilly, Olive Ficelle, and Fig Bread
Tarte aux Pomme (Apple tart) from Boulangerie Jeannot in Nice, France

We started with a tarte aux pomme (i.e., an apple tart).  The base was a layer of puff pastry, covered in pastry cream, apple slices, and a sweet fruit glaze.  This was so tasty.  The apples were fresh, and the flavor of butter was prevalent thanks to the perfect puff pastry.  The only thing that could have made it a little better (at least in my opinion) was the addition of cinnamon.  However, we learned on our trip, that French recipes very rarely add cinnamon.  When I make this at home, I’ll have to deviate and add a little spice because I think apples should pretty always be cooked with cinnamon. 

Choux Chantilly from Boulangerie Jeannot in Nice, France

Next, we ate the Choux Chantilly.  This is cream puff filled with Chantilly cream (i.e., sweetened whipped cream) and fresh fruit.  It is topped with a dusting of powdered sugar.  This treat was divine.  It was light, yet so flavorful and the fresh fruit added a delicious burst of freshness to the treat. 

We liked this pastry so much, that I’ve made Choux Chantilly multiple times since returning home. 

Olive Ficelle from Boulangerie Jeannot in Nice, France

Our next breakfast treat was an olive ficelle (i.e., a skinny olive baguette).  I had never tried anything like this before.  It had two different kinds of olives, black and green.  The salt from the olives paired very nicely with the rosemary that was added as well.  The bread was so chewy and flavorful!  I’m truly sad that we only bought one loaf. 

Fig Bread (pain sportif aux figue) from Boulangerie Jeannot in Nice, France

The last pastry that we ate for breakfast was pain sportif aux figue (i.e., fig bread).  This small loaf had a crusty exterior, chewy interior, and a slight sweetness from the fig.  We added a small amount of apricot jam, which was a wonderful fruit combination. 

Fig Season
Fresh figs at a market in Nice, France

Since the weather was nice and warm, we walked around a nearby outdoor market after finishing breakfast.  The vendors sold everything you could imagine from fruits and vegetables to pieces of art and clothing.  The one fruit that was sold in bulk throughout the whole market was figs.  We hadn’t realized previously, but it was fig season and every boulangerie in Nice was selling pastries with fig.  I had never seen so many foods made with figs before since they are less popular in the Midwest.  Prior to Nice, the only dessert I had ever eaten with figs were Fig Newton cookies. 

Lunch at Chez Pipo

We spent our last food stop in Nice at Chez Pipo, where we were able to see the popular and regional socca being made. Socca is similar to a round flatbread that is made with chickpea flour.  It is very thin and had a crispy top and soft bottom.  The flavor was simple, and it had a slight nutty flavor.

Pissaladiere from Chez Pipo in Nice, France

We also tried pissaladière, another traditional and regional baked good from Nice. The pissaladière is similar to pizza bread that has been topped with onions, garlic, olives and anchovies.  This was delicious and reminded us of focaccia in flavor and texture.  The onions were cooked until sweet and the dough was soft and airy.  Really tasty!   

After lunch, we slowly made our way to the spectacular beach along the French Riviera to take pictures in some of their iconic blue beach chairs before heading out for our next honeymoon destination, Marseilles. 

If you missed the beginning of our honeymoon food journey, click on the links below:

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