Les Madeleines

What a wonderful day!!!! I accomplished something that I wanted to do in a loooong time... which is to bake Madeleines!! The adorable, super delicious french little cakes! I buy them once in a while at the store, but they are so expensive! I have never had the possibility to make them because I needed the special madeleine-pan and it's found in france or in special/fancy stores. Well, I have been recently soooo blessed in winning a giveaway hosted by the bestest girl Kristine from TheFoleyFam. What I received as a prize was a 25$ gift-card to Williams-Sonoma! The FIRST thing I thought I really needed was the pan to cook madeleines, so I found it and bought it on their web-site! :)

I'm so happy! They came out really really good, so fresh and much better than the ones from the store. I'm making the second batch right now, my children wanted more! {not only them..}..

...here they are! I wish I could give you some..

I have to finish this post speaking about Marcel Proust, a very famous French poet who wrote about these cute little cakes in one of his works.. he was speaking about memories, the type of memory that takes you back to the past through the senses, like the smell of something or in his case the taste of the Madeleines.

"No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate than a shudder ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me. An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses, something isolated, detached, with no suggestion of its origin. And at once the vicissitudes of life had become indifferent to me, its disasters innocuous, its brevity illusory – this new sensation having had on me the effect which love has of filling me with a precious essence; or rather this essence was not in me it was me. ... Whence did it come? What did it mean? How could I seize and apprehend it? ... And suddenly the memory revealed itself. The taste was that of the little piece of madeleine which on Sunday mornings at Combray (because on those mornings I did not go out before mass), when I went to say good morning to her in her bedroom, my aunt Léonie used to give me, dipping it first in her own cup of tea or tisane. The sight of the little madeleine had recalled nothing to my mind before I tasted it. And all from my cup of tea."

—Marcel Proust, In Search of Lost Time

Have a sweet rest of the day!!

xoxo,

aaahhh... Food!!

Food... I could never hide my love for food... I love to cook and love to eat! :) But before showing you the delicious dinner I prepared for my family tonight, I want to introduce to you {for those who don't know her} a great polimer clay artist: Valentina from Minibonbons on Etsy. She specializes in miniature food {mostly Italian.. he he}. I admire her creativity and the precision she uses in making her little tiny creations.. so perfect and beautiful!! See for yourselves!! I'll share with you some of my favorite :


French Baguette earrings

Blueberry & Lemon Cake and Cookies

 Sicilian Cassata

Aren't they adorable?? I'm a big fan of Valentina!! I hope you all go visit her shop.. there's much more to see! ♥

And now I'll show you what I ate tonight.. La Quiche Lorraine!!  {I think Valentina should make a mini quiche!!}.. here's what is left of mine.. even the children loved it!

It was very easy to make, I want to share the recipe with you: Enjoy!!!

Quiche Lorraine

Crust:
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cold, cut into small pieces
3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

Filling:
4 ounces thick-sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled (I used Italian pancetta)
3 eggs
1½ cups heavy cream
4 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded (about 1 cup shredded)
Salt and pepper

1. Make the Crust: Whisk together the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Cut the butter and the shortening into the flour mixture with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Using a rubber spatula, stir in just enough water to bind. Gather into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 20 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 12-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Carefully transfer the dough to a 9-inch tart pan. Gently fit the dough into the tart pan and trim any excess off the edge by rolling the rolling pin over top of the pan. Prick the bottom all over with a fork. Line with parchment paper and fill the tart pan with pie weights. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and pie weights and continue baking until the crust is golden brown, 5 to 10 more minutes.

4. Make the Filling: While the crust bakes prepare the filling. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, eggs, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. When the crust comes out of the oven, immediately sprinkle the bacon over the bottom crust, and then slowly pour the egg mixture over the bacon to fill the crust. Bake until the quiche is puffed and brown, about 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Cover leftovers and store in the refrigerator.

{recipe taken from The Brown Eyed Baker newsletter: www.browneyedbaker.com}

Gorgeous Photographs...

Everytime I stumble upon her shop.. I get stuck in a dream watching all the beautiful pictures she takes..
I'm talking about Georgianna, incredibly talented photographer who lives in the wooded wildlife of the Pacific Northwest. She sells on Etsy, but you can reach her in different ways. These are all her info:


Blog: http://georgiannalane.blogspot.com/
Website: http://www.georgiannalane.com
Her stock photo library: www.gardenphotoworld.com
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/georgiannalane/


I'm sure you will enjoy her Art, like I do. I especially love her flowers' compositions, and her French pictures are just dreamy.. they take me back to Paris, where I've been only one time, simply beautiful. She really knows how to capture you through beauty. ♥


Please enjoy some of her gorgeous Art Work: