I connected with Jill last year when I discovered her two cookbooks – Mad About Macarons and Teatime in Paris on Twitter (as a macaron lover, you KNOW I had to have a copy of her books!). After corresponding via email for several months, I’m happy to say that behind the beautiful and useful baking books, there is an incredibly warm and friendly author.

I’m grateful to Jill for taking the time to do a Q&A for my blog and I hope to meet up with her one day in Paris so that we can visit some of her favourite patisseries together! You can read my full review of Jill’s second book, Teatime in Paris here.

Tell us a little about yourself.

First, thanks for having me on Kitchen Frolic, Stephanie. I love the name of your blog – and am so impressed you’ve managed to get through all of those cookbooks. I wish I could have even part of your library!

OK. Here goes: I’m Jill, Scottish and been living in Paris for 24 years with my French husband. I studied at University twice: first with music – becoming a professional musician which lasted a year – then back to do a Masters in Marketing. Worked for 10 years at the OECD in Paris, had two girls, discovered the Parisian macaron, then Waverley Books and have been having a ball sharing the cooking and baking I enjoy with the family.

List three fun facts about yourself that we wouldn’t read in your ‘official’ bio.

– The last time I went to the top of the Eiffel Tower, I was 9 on holiday with my parents – and yet I lived in rue Bosquet around the corner from it for 5 years!
– I’m quite tall and so when I played the flute for my idol, James Galway in a masterclass I was so terrified of towering above him, I was more concentrated on stooping as low as I could. I look like a hunch-back in all the photos.
– Pushed by my friends, I signed up and even went through the selections for the UK’s popular TV show, Blind Date with Cilla Black – but I chickened out as soon as I found myself singing “Oh, you can’t hurry love”. I couldn’t get out of there quick enough!

You’re originally from Scotland – what made you decide to move to France?

I didn’t really decide to move for good, as I thought it was short-term. When I finished marketing, I had a job lined up in Scotland as a brand manager in the wine business but the recession froze recruitment and Antoine, now my husband, suggested I come to Paris and use the time effectively to brush up on my French. I found a “temporary” job and realised how special Antoine was. One way ticket.

What do you think makes French pastries so special?

Pastry shop windows are not just pretty to look at but most of them are absolutely stunning. Some Parisian patisseries even resemble museums, as their pastries are just so beautiful, presented behind glass cases. But they’re not just works of art; the taste is even better! It’s the play of sugar and salt: I’m not talking about salted caramel, I’m meaning the play of salt in a tart base which makes it all the more compulsive eating. Fillings are surprisingly not that sweet – so that we can actually taste the freshest of fruits in season or appreciate the percentage used in chocolate desserts, for example. These French pastry chefs are genius!

What is your favourite Parisian pastry?

That’s a tough question. It’s like picking out just a few pieces of your favourite music. Possibly it depends on mood and what’s in season – plus there’s such a bewildering choice already amongst the classics here but Parisian pastry chefs introduce seasonal editions and the list just continues!

Let’s see: in Autumn/Winter, it’s a Paris-Brest (a wheel-shaped cream puff but filled with a light praline buttercream), a vanilla millefeuille, chocolate or creamy caramel éclair or lemon meringue tart – and anything with passion fruit. In Spring/Summer it’s any light pastry with the messiest of red fruits, with a touch of rose. I’m stopping there. Mon Dieu! I even forgot the macarons! I love making them too, as French friends think I bought them from a patisserie and I saved a fortune!

La Patisserie des Reves in Paris

I know you often host food tours in Paris. What are some of your favourite places to eat in Paris (doesn’t have to be pastry shops)

Funnily enough, when I lead a pastry and chocolate tour, I don’t eat with the clients. So by the end of the day I’m not only exhausted but famished and I just go home and cook. We don’t go out that much, so when we do it’s either best quality (I love their inspiration too!) and value such as Le 6 Paul Bert, or Semilla – then there are the top starred locations when we occasionally splash out: I’m still dreaming of the gastronomic experiences of last year’s visits to Kei, and lunch at L’Arpège of Alain Passard, who specialises in just the freshest of vegetables from his organic garden. It’s food for the Gods! For pastries, I go much more regularly to many favourites and write them up on le blog.

Of the recipes included in Mad About Macarons and Teatime in Paris, what are the easier recipes (for beginners)? What are the most challenging?

I love that Waverley Books insisted that I start each book with the easiest recipes. So the first chapters explain it all and then we start gently. In Teatime in Paris, we start with little teacakes and crêpes, then the next chapter we move on to choux puffs and profiteroles… by the end of the book we hit a Tea Party, mixing all the previous recipes to show that it’s not as challenging as you think.

You have now written two beautiful cookbooks – any tips for aspiring cookbook authors?

I have just been incredibly lucky finding Waverley Books and I know it doesn’t just work like that to be published by a traditional publishing house. It’s also a lot more work than meets the eye – especially after the manuscript is written and even after the book comes out. I’d say, it’s not enough to be passionate about your subject. You need to have the time to devote to the whole project and be prepared that it’s not lucrative either. If you know these things and are ready, willing and able, then go for it!

Any plans for another book?

Gosh, let’s just see if you like Teatime in Paris first, and then I’ll think about inflicting another book on you! In the meantime, I’m thrilled to be able to share French patisserie with you and hope you’ll make a bit of Paris come to your kitchen.

A very special thank you to Jill for taking the time to answer my questions! You can learn more about the Jill on her website, madaboutmacarons.com, or by following Jill on Twitter: @Jill_Colonna, Instagram: @madaboutmacarons or Pinterest: @jill_colonna.

You can purchase Teatime in Paris on Amazon or The Book Depository or Jill’s first book, Mad About Macarons, also on Amazon or The Book Depository.

All images used in this post belong to Jill Colonna and are used with her permission.

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