Croquet Bourbonnais

During my Paris weekend, I stumbled across a bakery on the rue des Deux Ponts on l'Ile Saint Louis. The windows were filled with the kind of old-fashioned baked goods which set a special boulangerie apart from the more quotidian ones. I couldn't help but go inside and poke around for a bit. I ended up buying something I'd never seen before, a croquet bourbonnais. Made with pulverized almonds, salted butter and sugar, it was a flat and hard and square confection, only about an eighth of a inch thick. We broke off shards of it and crunched away while standing on one of the two ponts. The croquet was a satisfying snack, with a nice snap to it and not too sweet. I haven't quite figured out yet where it comes from or how you make it, but for now I'm savoring the memory of my mother and I, standing in the sun and breaking off piece after piece until there was nothing left but a square of waxed paper. Thanks for the lovely weekend, Mami.