When I speak of bliss, there are only two categories.

One is Paris and the other is Dessert.

Today it happens to be desserts, usually found in Paris.

The French are “culinary hedonists”.

In Paris, every dessert is a work of art.

There should be a new wing in The Louvre dedicated to French Desserts.

I would call it the “Ile Flottante Wing.”

Only the French could even conceive of a dessert like Ile Flottante

( which means “floating island”).

It’s an incredibly light, creamy custard sauce with an island of meringue .

It’s sometimes topped with fresh berries or berry coulis

or spun sugar and slivered almonds…. or all of the above.

If that isn’t tempting, there is always

 the highly coveted

Croquembouche-

a pyramid of delicate cream filled puffs topped with spun sugar.

These aren’t just desserts .

They are edible works of art,

created on a canvas of  french pastry,

using a palette of fresh berries, sugar, cream and fruit.

Because of my love for dessert and

my inability to restrain myself around amazing desserts,

I  have devised  a strategy I call:

THE SECRET TO BLISS

First, you must commit to

avoid wasting your dessert calories on mediocre desserts.

Spend them on something magical, luscious and decadent.

THE SECRET IS:

Three Bites = Bliss

Take a your first bite, slowly, deliberately.

Experience everything: the aroma, the consistency, the deliciousness.

Take your time.

Then, take another bite.

Luxuriate in the experience of this wondrous confection.

Here’s the important part…..

Your third bite is your last bite!

That’s right- only three bites!

It will never be better than those first three bites!

After three bites, your taste buds will be in  “Sugar Shock”

and unable to process anything else.

It’s like smelling a fragrant flower.

If you hold it up to your nose for more than a minute,

 you can’t really smell it anymore.

So take those three bites,

 luxuriate in each one.

Engage all your senses.

Remember:

Three bites of divine is better

than ten bites of nothing special.

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For me, moderation has always been a difficult concept to embrace.

I’m an “all or nothing” kinda gal.

But discovering this little strategy has been

The Secret To Bliss.

Next time you find an amazing dessert,

put it to the test.