Twelve years ago my friend Stacy helped me live my dream by accompanying me on a ten-day sojourn to Paris. Childhood memories from Madeline stories fueled my inner French girl passion to visit the City of Lights. It was a magical trip of a lifetime.

In celebration of Stacy’s birthday this year, it seemed apropos to throw a Parisian brunch in her honor. Saturday provided perfect sidewalk cafe weather so we dined al fresco, sipping cool glasses of our beloved Orangina. Our petit déjeuner included baked brie with apricot compote, assorted quiches, tasty little tea breads and a minted melon salad.

Sprinkled about were funny little mementos to trigger memories of our trip; a butter dish from our favorite Parisian tea house, a souvenir scarf bought from a street vendor and multiple miniature replicas of the Eiffel Tower. For dessert, decadent black and white cupcakes took center stage with triangular adornments of both white and milk chocolate Toblerone pyramids representing the glass entryway at the famous Louvre.

As we recounted the tales of our travels, we realized how much we had each forgotten. After all, much had transpired in the twelve years since that adventure. What both of us did remember, however, was how awe-inspiring the food was to taste and behold. It was an art form in itself. Paris is a place for food lovers and we fell head over heels for the cuisine. So much so that a dozen years later we are still fawning over the cheese, finding ourselves enchanted by the chocolate and ever-dreaming of the pastries. We’ll make up any excuse to recreate a little corner of our favorite city right here at home, and in doing so create our own form of Parisian déjà vu.

Recipe for Black & White Cupcakes