La Chambre aux Confitures

The gourmand who steered me to La Chambre aux Confitures could barely find superlatives enough to describe it, and he is clearly not alone. In the scant nine months since the beautifully named Lise Bienaimé opened La Chambre aux Confitures, an ecstatic crowd has adopted the place as a prized pantry. Following a lifelong passion, Bienaimé left her job in the beauty industry to devote herself full-time to creating the kind of preserves that an epicure grandma might have made. Jams are divided according to season: “winter citrus” includes four types of orange marmalade, with a delectable variation lightly perfumed with fleur d’oranger. Summer fruit flavors include raspberry and rose, red or black cherry, delicate gariguette strawberry, hazelnut and melon, mirabelle plum and five kinds of apricot, including a lavender-infused version. The fruit content in everything is very high, with only enough sugar to preserve freshness. For Americans, Bienaimé’s eight confits designed as condiments for a gourmet cheese plate, and other savory specialties specifically for foie gras, may come as a revelation: shallot or onion with cassis (black currant liqueur) or morel mushrooms. No worries about making a mistake: everything in the store can be sampled.

9 rue des Martyrs, 9th, 01.71.73.43.77. Métro: Notre Dame de Lorette, Saint Georges. www.lachambreauxconfitures.com

Originally published in the June 2012 issue of France Today