LANGUES-DE-CHAT....FANCY AND FRENCH

Are you familiar with the Langues-de-Chat, or what Americans call "Cat's Tongues"? If you are not, you will surely want to be. This is a long, thin French cookie that is light, crisp and slightly sweet. As its name states, it is the shape of a cat's tongue. It belongs to the category "Petit fours secs" or "dry petit fours", as opposed to the smaller versions of pastries involving butter creams or pastry creams.

 The langues-de-chat dates back to the 17th century where refined white sugar was just coming onto the baking scene. It was a staple among the wealthy class of Northern Europe. You would see this French cookie served with fine liqueurs or sparkling wines and would be a lovely addition to a dessert table. 

What makes this cookie unique is its versatility. It is not meant to be gobbled up like a chocolate chip cookie, but rather it acts as an accompaniment to such desserts as mousse, ice cream or just a simple cup of tea or coffee. It is more of a "nibble" than a full fledged dessert.

The ingredients are household staples, but the trick is in the execution of this piped beauty. It is a matter of practice and patience to get the shapes to be consistent. And to mix it up a little bit, you can change the flavor of the cookie - swap vanilla for either lemon zest, orange zest, cardamom, or even nutmeg. 

Want to try this authentic French cookie? I hand-dip each one in bittersweet chocolate and sprinkle them with chopped green pistachios. And if you have a nut allergy, no worries. I can substitute various colors of nonpareils or sprinkles.

Trust me.....sit with you cup of tea/coffee, close your eyes and taste this lovely French treat. You'll swear you're in a French cafe with nothing else to do but enjoy a moment away from the busyness of your day.

Bon Apetit!

Christine

ENGLISH TEA COOKIES, PLEASE

I would consider myself a lover of all things "French", but I have to say that I am a fan of many things "English" as well. My husband and I have been hooked from the beginning with a series called "Downton Abbey". This coming January 2015 will be season 5 and we are anxiously anticipating its start.

I mention this BBC series because watching it made me think of cookies (naturally!), as lovely afternoon tea was being served on some episodes and it got me to thinking about what is authentically English when it comes to baking. Well, of course, that would be "tea cookies' right?

This fall I will be introducing and adding to my menu offerings three (3) very special English Tea Cookies: Earl Grey, Chai Spice, and Chamomile Lemon. Each cookie has natural tea leaves sprinkled throughout the dough, giving it a subtle but recognizable hint of the cookie flavor, without being cloying. 

The Earl Grey has a light bergamot (orange) flavor, Chamomile Lemon has a light lemon flavor, and the Chai Spice has a variety of spices including cinnamon, allspice, clove, and cardamom. The cookies have a nice "snap" to them when biting into them, but not much chewing is necessary, as the cookie will melt in your mouth.

Sold by the dozen, you may mix and match flavors as you please. These are great with your cup of tea (or coffee for that matter!) and make a nice afternoon snack or hostess gift.

Enjoy trying all the flavors!

Sweetly,
Christine

 THE FRENCH MACARON.....A PARISIAN OBSESSION

Are you familiar with the French Macaron? Most Americans think we are saying "macaroon" which is an American treat made of coconut and usually dipped in chocolate. Although very tasty, this is "not" the Parisian......oh so very French.......Macaron.

This confection boasts mounds of fresh almond meal as its main ingredient in its crispy shell and chewy interior....and did I say filled with a luscious buttercream?  This confection is so customizable, it will have your head spinning. Planning a wedding or special event? Provide a swatch of color and the shell can be made to match. From crazy Parisian colors to pretty spring pastels, the shell colors and shades are endless. And the buttercream? There are endless color and flavor combinations as well.

I had the pleasure of having my business being featured in a segment of the March Issue of Lehigh Valley Style Magazine. I want to thank Lisa Gotto, Editor-in-Chief, for our time spent talking about her trip to France and how she loves the French Macaron, as well as offering to make my business a part of the "Life in the Valley" section of their lovely  magazine. I also want to thank Editorial Intern, Alyssa D'Ippolito, Marketing Assistant, Kelli Hertzog, and Advertising Executive, Kellie Bartholomew for our emails, phone conversations and helping to bring this to fruition. Many thanks to the entire staff that I did not have the pleasure of meeting.

The French Macaron has actually been around for several hundred years....in France that is. Did you know that the Italians are actually credited with the very first macaron? This was before the French decided to sandwich the shells together with luscious fillings. Well, we can give them both credit for the birth of this lovely and one-of-a-kind confection. Did I mention the difficulty level in producing this cookie? I won't even go there....many months were spent perfecting the making of them. So many variables in your kitchen from mixing, to oven temperature to humidity levels in the house - they must all work synergistically to produce that lovely "pied" or "foot" or "ruffle" at the base of the shell.

You will most likely taste many lovely desserts, pastries and treats throughout your life, but there is something quite special about the French Macaron. It embodies so many qualities of crispiness, chewiness, sweetness, eye candy color appeal and just plain "cuteness", that I don't think we will ever see or produce something quite so special in the culinary world ever again.

Sweetly Yours,

Christine

THE QUINTESSENTIAL FRENCH MADELEINE

There has been great debate over who actually made the first "madeleine". Some say there was actually a girl named Madeleine, a young peasant who was asked to create this special confection for the deposed king of Poland who had sought refuge during the 17th century, in France.

About a century after the very first madeleine, the town of Commercy in the Lorraine region of eastern France became of center for commercial production. In the late 19th and early 20th century, train passengers passing through this town were greeted by female vendors selling these "tea cakes" in large baskets. The girl who screamed the loudest made the sale:)

French author Marcel Proust  was the first to truly "immortalize" the madeleine.  His autobiography, "Remembrance of Things Past" talks of being transported back to childhood the moment he takes a bite of this indulgent bite-size treat.

In France today you will notice mothers allowing their children to enjoy snack-time with this comforting confection. Mind you, lunchtime in France is normally between noon and 1pm, while dinner is 7:30pm.....quite a long stretch for a child who is hungry and growing!

As much as I love French Madeleines, every time I tasted one I was expecting a burst of flavor that just was not there. I have spent time testing (and tasting!) them, and have added even more natural flavors to the interior of this delicate cake. It is typically a sponge cake texture, but I have made it richer so that each bite is worth it:) The typical "one day" shelf life I have been able to extend by "glazing" the outside of the madeleine. You can now have them sit on your counter, covered and sealed for 4 days, without any drying out. Please do not refrigerate or freeze them!

So....you must decide....cake or cookie? One bite and you will rethink the once commonplace tea cake known as the "French Madeleine".

A bientot!
Christine

WANT THE ULTIMATE CUPCAKE?

In the short span of time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Stephen and I were in downtown Bethlehem, PA and decided to see if the new "cupcake" shop was open. Do you know the place? Well, let's just say we've been waiting for this lovely shop to open and we were pleasantly surprised that particular day!

Yes....it is "Sugar Babe" and Angela Malpedo is the owner of this quaint cupcake store located on 14 W. Broad Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018. I will tell you it was quite hard to decide which delicious cupcake to try:) Stephen and I both bought a rich, dark chocolate cupcake with a perfect peanut butter buttercream which was topped with "the" tastiest mini peanut butter cookie...did I say the interior had a .....yes....peanut butter filling! 

We, of course, forced ourselves to wait until after dinner, perfectly seated on our living room sofa, to enjoy our "find". The rule is.....you  must eat your treat with your eyes closed...so as to get the full experience of this most tempting confection:)

The truth is.....there are SO MANY cupcakes out there. We've tried many and honestly, you WILL NOT FIND A BETTER CUPCAKE anywhere in the Lehigh Valley. Those in the baking industry understand that people "eat with their eyes first", so the confection must be eye-appealing initially.  Of course, the ingredients must be fresh and of good quality. Angela knows this quite well. Her cupcakes are beautiful, chic, delicious and "cleanly" presented. What I mean by "cleanly" is their appearance is top notch - perfectly iced and designed. You automatically know that it will be delicious before tasting it because of the attention and care she puts into her presentation. We are bakers who think along the same lines. "Care" is the catalyst to becoming well known and in demand. She is genuine and her cupcakes reflect that trait.

So...make it a point to stop into her lovely shop! "Sugar Babe" is located at 14 W. Broad Street, Bethlehem, Pa 18018 and their phone# is: 610.462.8050. Their website is: http://www.sugarbabecupcakes.com.

Much continued success is wished for you, Angela!
Blessings,
Christine

LADIES...YOU MUST VISIT "BOUTIQUE TO GO"

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone! I"ve waited until after the rush of the holiday shopping  before mentioning my first (and second!) stop into my new favorite shop in Allentown, PA..."Boutique to Go". A friend of mine recommended this shop to me a few months ago and I finally had a chance to make it there - of course, bringing my mom made for an adventure of an afternoon:)

Elena Pascal is the owner of this most lovely ladies' accessory boutique. And I might say Elena herself is lovely as well. Her welcoming each and every customer who walks through her front (or back door - a private parking lot in the rear entrance) with a smile and a big "hello" is a special touch - and you know it is sincere.

I cannot even begin to explain her unique shop. You will find gifts for friends (and yourself of course!) who are easy to buy for and hard to buy for....from lovely scarves, jewelry, beautifully designed capes/shawls, purses (one of a kind for our Lehigh Valley), children's clothing and plush toys, soaps, perfumes, and many more items you would have to travel far to find. We surely needed this type of specialty store.

An important point I would like to mention....a huge pet peeve of mine is being pressured into buying something every time I walk into a store. You will not encounter this problem at Elena's "Boutique to Go" for one reason. Elena is not about trying to sell you something you don't like or are not sure about. She is ALL about sharing what she loves with other women - be it her great accessories or a lunch over a "table talk" discussion.

Please visit her website for more information as well as her "table talk" or guest speakers at: http://www.boutiquetogo.com. She is located at 522 N. 19th Street, Allentown, PA 18104 and her business phone is: 610.437.1663. Her email is: boutique2go@yahoo.com.

Thank you, Elena, for bringing something very special to our Lehigh Valley!

Blessings,
Christine

ROME, ITALY...AND THE CROSTATA

So...did you guess correctly? It was the "crostata" or a cookie-like pastry filled with either whole fruits or a type of lekvar...as is used in my Austrian Linzer Tarts. In this case you can see the individual servings - in apricot and sour cherry. I am a lover of all things apricot (being Hungarian) so I pointed it out to the very congenial barista. He however encouraged us to try the sour cherry one, and if we didn't just love it, we could return and get the apricot one free of charge.

Well.....as you may guess....we did NOT return the pastry! It was delicious! Stephen and I shared it because it was quite large...and very heavy....but oh so wonderful:)

The photo you see here is a famous scene from "Roman Holiday" for those of you who are fans of Audrey Hepburn (the face of an angel). Check out the movie and see the similarity after all these years.

Italy is a place we enjoy going. Why? Beyond architecture, tempting pastries and need I say, "amazing" coffee.....the Italian people are so very friendly and welcoming. Make it a destination sometime.