Bonjour Madeleines

I was looking for Madeleines

I'd given up finding these quelle ordinaire quotidien dunking cookies

Until I come home and blewup a counter shot to find these perfect golden shell biscuits They have absolutement rien de tout to do with the grand La Madeleine btwAnd everything to do with a young girl named, Madeleine de Commercy, who saved the day according to Tartelette. Depend on her to include an excellent recipe in her cookie tales...

I always flirt with the Mini Madeleines de Bretagne at Le Bon Marche, especially the caramel au beurre madys, but restraint occasionally kicks in for me...

Fauchon are not only the maitres of the almighty Paris eclair, but of the madeleine as well. They have beautiful tins of mini-madeleines, which I did fall victim to (for research purposes bien sur)... They also offer individul madeleines in at least 7 different flavors!

You can buy the whole set in a gift box or just one framboise.

I gave French girl the contents of the tin, except for two to paint. So far niente as they say in Brasil..

Why do some people think French Girls don't cook?

This is a BIG erreur. There are literally tons of adorable cookery books everywhere you turn in Paris. Plus they're in full color and relatively inexpensive, say 5-9 euros...

Which brings me to the tale of French Girl. Arriving home from work at 10 pm, she was in a tizzy. She'd forgotten she was to make THE MADELEINES for the office party the following day. Eeek!

The pots and pans flew. I mainly watched and later washed-up.No wonder French Girl has 18 jars of jam in the Frigo! They're used to flavor her office soiree madeleines. Ah ha!

They came out perfectly though I can not tell you on her recipe-un mystere...

Here's an homage of sorts to the madeleine transformed into a chocolate Easter sculpture at The Paris Ritz.

I have too many times shown no restraint with the crumby madeleines in the Metro vending machines. Fortunately I usually lose my money rather than gain calories.

BONJOUR MADELEINES!

Let Them Eat Fauchon Tartes...

There's something very democratic about French patisseries and salons de the.

You can waltz in. Buy just ONE cookie (i.e. a macaron) or tarte.And not be thrown out or ignored or snubbed.

And that one macaron or eclair won't break the bank either.

Look at these beautiful petit fours.They ARE petite! Still you can have just as much fun with one of these as with a whole gateau (cake).

And choosing is a big part of the fun too.

If you go into a tea salon in Paris, you can feel like Marie-Antoinette for an afternoon. The lovely china, the attentive service, the beautiful desserts.

All the stuff of fine memories or souvenirs as the French say.

We have Marcel Proust's Madeleine in Remembrances Of Things Past to thank for reminding us of
the importance of nostalgia and food. Perhaps that why it's hard for me to let go of Fauchon. I have many memories of looking at their beautiful food, pretending I was in Paris, with just a hop on the N train...
"...And soon, mechanically, weary after a dull day with the prospect of a depressing morrow, I raised to my lips a spoonful of the tea in which I had soaked a morsel of the cake. No sooner had the warm liquid, and the crumbs with it, touched my palate than a shudder ran through my whole body, and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary changes that were taking place…at once the vicissitudes of life had become indifferent to me, its disasters innocuous, its brevity illusory…"

Blame it on Paris

Fauchon Tin of Madeleines, watercolor

Last week I just happened to return some books to a different library...

At the library, I just happened to spot a book with an irresistable title,

BLAME IT ON PARIS.

I'd like to blame to on Paris that I'm obsessed with painting cafe cups, French tins, macarons and chocolates..

But author, Laura Florand got there before me and came up with a better reason.

Laura just happened to find an adorable French husband when she walked into Le Relais du Vin and she writes about her Paris adventures with delight and humor.

On page 37 Laura describes her student dorm room in Paris:

"I only believed in the most essential of expenses, like chocolates from various luxury chocolate houses whose beautiful BOXES and TINS currently decorated two long shelves that circled my tiny room."

Laura is a kindred spirit!

Next trip I may just happen to make a small detour from chocolatiers and patisseries.

You never know what might happen...

Laura Florand has an author websitehttp://www.lauraflorand.com/
And a bloghttp://www.lauraflorand.com/blog/

Read her book. You'll be laughing outloud!