Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience.
– Francis Bacon, Sr.
“When are you leaving? In a week?” He looked at me from his usual corner of the sofa, bald, skinny, healing Boston snuggled in the heavy blanket in the gap between his legs. Eyebrows raised in amused astonishment, he teased “What? And you haven’t even started packing yet?”
I leave Thursday on a travel odyssey that takes me from Nantes, through Amsterdam to San Francisco and then down to Florida. A long weekend in SF, discovering a city that I do not know, eating street food, seeing friends and – oh yes – attending a conference! Ilva and I have been working like mad on the presentation for our Strategies for Expats Experts Are In session with Ilva for IACP San Francisco amid the craziness that is our freelance work and family time. Deadlines missed and made up, articles submitted and others pitched, it is all part of the game. Plate to Page Ireland follows swiftly upon the heels of my return end of April. Life is a whirlwind of activity. I am often befuddled, my head in a spin trying to keep up and trying to keep everything straight.
The month of March was bogged down with sickness: rude, nasty, unwelcome colds. The days have been gray and dreary, many have been downright miserable. Marty hovered on the edge, tightrope walking on the precipice. A birthday at the end of the month brightened us up; husband, the birthday boy, Clem, Simon and I went to Lulu Rouget for dinner, an evening filled with spectacular food, laughter and bonhomie. A wonderful birthday and good news about Marty’s health and the month came to a cheerful end. And as March flowed into April, the days became suddenly luminous and golden. Something is surely in the air. I never travel without my diary.
One should always have something sensational to read in the train.
– Oscar Wilde
Now suitcase has been pulled out of storage (okay, from the corner of Simon’s room where it has stood since our move) and my belongings are scattered from one end of the apartment to the other. Clothing overflows from the closet and drawers, a tangle of power cords and chargers trails across tabletops and bed while piles of papers, notebooks and snacks are strewn willy-nilly, slithering – or threatening to – to the floor. I type furiously on my laptop, fervently and assiduously prepare my session presentation while surrounded by my Plate to Page workshop notes, which stare accusingly up at me, jealous of my infidelity. I scoop up Marty who has once again curled up in the open suitcase on the floor and - once again - decide to pull out half of what I have packed and replace it with a different choice.
Never go on trips with anyone you do not love.
– Ernest Hemingway
And with all of this going on, you would think that baking has come to a halt, wouldn’t you? Well, first came the Madeleines for company. Chocolate-Rum and Orange-Cointreau, to be exact, with a few marbled ones thrown in. And need I mention that these luscious, boozy Madeleines were made to accompany amazing Vanilla-Rum Panna Cotta (just add 2 tablespoons rum to the cream mixture)? Heaven! And then came my son’s old friends who dropped by to say hi and show off their beautiful new baby daughter. This called for my famous – and Simon’s favorite – Chocolate Layer Cake with Simple Chocolate Buttercream. Nothing complicated, nothing fancy, just the best chocolate cake ever. And how perfect is it to be able to offer homebaked treats to friends who drop by? And have leftovers for the loved ones at home for the rest of the week?
Chocolate-Rum and Orange-Cointreau Madeleines
Our favorite Chocolate Cake
And these simple yet astonishing sèches. A cold, windy day in Nantes called for something cozy and warm from the oven, something reminiscent of snowy days sitting in front of a roaring fire, sipping cocoa and nibbling on cookies. Sèches are a local specialty of la Haut-Doubs, a mountainous region of Franche-Comté in the east of France where the winters are cold and rude and the need for warming comfort food is at its highest. The recipe is very simply a pastry dough – a pâte brisée – with the addition of cream. I decided to add a bit of sugar to the dough and top it all with a heavy, generous dusting of cinnamon-sugar.
Simple to put together, roll out and slice, quick to bake and perfect for just a few convives - company and cohorts - I might even be tempted to toss in a handful of mini chocolate chips or some dried fruit to the dough, but these are just so beautiful in their simplicity, the ideal snack for dunking in hot chocolate or a cappuccino, there really is no need to change a thing.
SÉCHES
Adapted from a recipe in French Saveurs magazine n°199
Scant 1 cup (120 g) sifted flour (sifted before measuring)
¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
2 ¾ Tbs (40 g) unsalted butter, cool
Pinch salt
1 large egg yolk
3/8 cup (100 ml) heavy cream
Cinnamon-sugar for dusting (1 tsp ground cinnamon for 2 Tbs granulated sugar)
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the flour and sugar in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the cool butter cut into cubes and, using fingertips and thumbs, rub the butter into the flour until completely rubbed in and the mixture resembles sand. Add the salt and the egg yolk and, using a fork, stir in vigorously until combined. Stir in the heavy cream until the dry ingredients are moistened and the dough pulls together.
Scrape the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead briefly until the dough is smooth and homogenous.
Roll the dough out until a thickness of about ¼ inch (approximately 7 mm). Place the circle of dough on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet and dust generously with cinnamon-sugar. Cut into triangles. The dough can be chilled before baking.
Bake in the preheated oven for 5 – 10 minutes or until puffed and set.
Serve the sèches warm (although the sèches are pretty darn tasty the following day if any are left over).
0 التعليقات:
إرسال تعليق