Proust's Madeleine

As a fan of fine literature and food, I was curious when I first ran across Edmund Levin's article for Slate "The Way the Cookie Crumbles: How much did Proust know about Madeleines?" 

In Remembrance of Things Past, the narrator tastes some crumbs from the bottom of his teacup and experiences a flood of childhood memories: 

"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 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 invaded my senses."

In his article, Levin argues that Proust pretty much made the whole thing up. A typical madeleine leaves no crumbs he argues, and worse yet, he claims that the crumbs have no taste. 

Like Proust's child narrator, I've loved madeleines since I was a kid. When I was a young girl growing up in Olympia, my mom would take me to Batdorf and Bronson after ballet or violin and I'd always have one of their delicious madeleines (I think I tried the cookies with pretty much every beverage there - but tea was the best). My mom and I would chat about art, music and all manner of delightfully grown-up topics while taking in the aroma of roasting coffee beans and thumbing through independent newspapers. Those are fabulous memories. 


At least I thought they were! 


For a moment after reading Levin's article, I questioned my childhood experiences. Were Proust and I both crazy? I knew I'd tasted those crumbs, but it had been a while. Surely this food writer must be right, and I wrong. There's no way he would have made this up...right? 


To see if I could replicate some childhood memories and have a "Proust moment" of my own, I sat down with Julia Child's recipe from The Way to Cook and the madeleine pan I received for Mother's day. I figure that if anyone could settle this once and for all, it was Julia. 


Here's Julia's recipe (more or less). 


2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 c. sugar
1 c. flour + 1 T for preparing pans
5 oz. butter
pinch of salt
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 t. vanilla


Now, while I fiddle with Julia's ingredients a bit (she calls for "drops of lemon juice and vanilla" - whatever that means), I stick to her preparation guide fairly religiously: 

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. 
• Measure 1/4 c. eggs into bowl. Beat in sugar and flour. Blend and allow to rest for 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile: 

• Melt butter in saucepan. Bring to a boil and let brown slightly (it should be a lovely caramel colour). Place 1 1/2 T. in a bowl and set aside (very important!)
• Stir the rest of the butter over ice until cool but still liquid
• Blend the cooled butter with the reserved 1/4 c. of the eggs into the butter with the salt, lemon juice, rind and vanilla
• Mix remaining butter (1T) with the 1T of flour you have reserved, and use the mixture to prepare the madeleine pans. 
• Divide batter into 24 lumps of 1 T each (okay, so I don't follow this part so religiously - measuring 1 T for each madeleine should do the trick)
• Bake 13-15 minutes or until browned around the edges and a teensy bit on top!

I love this recipe. I put a fair bit of lemon juice in my madeleines. I like them that way - they smell positively divine when they come out of the oven! And Julia's trick of mixing the melted butter with the flour and using the mix to prep the pans is pure genius - there's never so much as a speck of batter left clinging to the pan. All you need to do afterwards is rinse the pans with warm water. Don't use any detergent - it's unnecessary, and can harm the seasoning of the pan. Also, don't buy a nonstick madeleine pan! It's a terrible waste - not only are most nonstick pans junk, but even the expensive ones won't allow your madeleines to brown properly.


These delightful cookies are pure poetry, and will leave delightfully perfumed crumbs in the bottom of your teacup after dunking. Feel free to use your spoon to capture a few, a la Proust, when no-one's looking!


Now to the controversy. Levin extrapolates several things about Proust's madeleines from the text, all of which seem silly to me. Most importantly, he argues that Proust's madeleine would have needed to be very dry, in order produce such a quantity of crumbs. Now, this is plain nonsense. Has this guy ever dunked a donut? 


I could go on... but for now, I think I'll just enjoy my madeleines. 

Ladurée Macarons

I haven't really had any cravings during my pregnancy, but if there's one thing that I can't stop thinking about lately, it's the lovely macarons (not to be confused with macaroons) from Ladurée. I think this is partly due to the empty Ladurée box sitting in my living room that I can't bear to part with. Everytime I see it I am transported back to memories of those heavenly, perfumed, morsels. I'm not usually one to get overly ecstatic about my food. I'm not a huge chocolate addict (don't get me wrong, I love chocolate, but I'm not one of those girls that "needs chocolate" or craves it particularly).

Anyway, there's just something about Ladurée's macarons that just sets them apart. But there doesn't seem a way to get them that doesn't involve a 9 hour flight (which, I suppose, is part of their charm). Anyway, I dearly wish that they would at least open one shop somewhere on this continent. Currently they have shops in Monaco, London, Tokyo and Switzerland. Would it kill them to open a shop in Seattle, San Francisco or Vancouver? Or even New York?

Hmm. Well, until then, I guess I'll just have to cherish the memories. And maybe try bribing friends to bring them back from overseas trips. And perhaps even learn to make a decent macaron myself!

Musee D'Orsay Wall Divider

This room divider is just another example of how the Art Nouveau Movement succeeded in turning even relatively mundane necessities into objects of art. The front of the divider has been decorated with a lovely painting. While the painting could easily stand alone as a work of art (sorry about the glare--you can't quite see how lovely a piece it is), the artist has chosen to give it another purpose, in addition to its beauty.



As you can see, even the back of the divider is stunning!



Every once and a while I am truly astounded by some of the beautiful works of art that have been created with the purpose of both serving and entertaining. When I saw this room divider, it really inspired me to believe that it is truly possible to find ways decorative objects that do more than simply serve a purpose. There has to be a way of making household objects both useful and uplifting!

Limoges Porcelain Painting

On our last morning in Rennes, Monique took my mom and I to see an exhibit of the traditional art of porcelain painting that featured works done by her and her friends. They call themselves "Les Atelliers du Chardon." From what I could tell, painting china is quite popular in France and there are a lot of places that sell plain Limoges china that you can take home and paint (sort of like the ceramic painting places we have in North America, except the work these people produce is much, much finer).

The artwork was extremely high quality. I was particularly impressed by the fine detailing that the artists had used on the porcelain. I didn't get to see their brushes, but they must have been incredibly tiny!

This is Anne Pichon, who organized the exhibit, with one of her pieces. The detail on the ducks is just amazing! It would make a great lamp for someone's study. It's a little masculine for my taste, but the artwork was just lovely. It reminded me of 19th century nature drawings. Anne took her inspiration from the ducks in her garden pond.



This gardenia blossom platter was one of my favourite pieces. The design was so modern and elegant.



Here's a set of hand painted kitchen tiles, also painted by Anne.



Here we are, discussing the importance of handcrafts in Anne's garden!



I was so impressed with the work that these ladies were doing. They are so passionate about art and about taking part in the creation of art objects for their own homes. None of the pieces of art in the exhibit were for sale, although Anne does do commissions. The ladies really just enjoyed designing beautiful one of a kind china for their own homes, which I thought was really neat.

I actually bought a number of unpainted pieces of Limoges porcelain while I was in Rennes (it's actually very inexpensive if you buy the china straight from the factories). It's so beautiful that it doesn't really need to be painted, but now I want to learn!

Visit to Fougères Castle

On our first day in Rennes, Monique and Pierre drove us to a lovely Medieval village of Fougères. Fougères is located near the coast in the northwest corner of France. The village is most famous for the 11th century castle that dominates the landscape.

During the medieval period, Fougères was an important commercial centre that was known for the quality of its shoe making and weaving. In the 19th century, Victor Hugo traveled to the city to find inspiration for his novels.



This picture, taken from the interior of the castle, shows some of the details of the chateau. I was quite surprised by the size of the stones that were used to construct the castle. Most of the other castles I've seen contain are constructed out of much pieces of stone. Our friend Pierre believed that the people who originally constructed the castle used the local stones to construct the castle because there weren't any rock quarries near by, but I haven't found any research done on this. If any one knows, please share!

Oh, and I also loved all the wildflowers growing in the crooks and crannies of the castle walls!



One of the most charming things about Fougères is that the oldest part of the town has been restored to its Medieval splendor. Many of the buildings now house touristy businesses like traditional creperies, where you sit on the patio and enjoy some cider while taking in a view of the castle!

Medieval-Inspired Umbrella Stand from Musee D'Orsay

More from the Musee D'Orsay! (Can you tell I liked this place?).

This umbrella stand was in the same room as the pictures from yesterday's post. When I looked at the picture again today, I realized that the wrought iron designs on the bottom of this early 20th century stand were copied almost directly from iron works on display at the cluny museum from the 15th century. Do you see the resemblance?





Pretty neat, eh? One of my favourite things about art is how symbols and designs are picked up and re-used over time. It just shows that if you create something of lasting value, people will continue to be inspired by it for years to come (now, where can I find an umbrella stand like that?).

Shopping in Paris at La Duree

La Duree's rose macaroons--my favourite flavour!

On Wednesday the 14th my mom and I spent the day shopping for hostess gifts at Printemps and Galleries Lafayette. We were leaving for Rennes the next day to visit some wonderful friends my mom had made on her last trip. In the end, we came back with some AMAZING macaroons from La Duree. They made a great hostess gift--I think Monique was rather pleased, and I think everyone enjoyed eating the cookies!

I have to say that in spite of the jaw dropping cost of La Duree's desserts, they are definitely worth it. Each one is a little work of art! While we were there, we couldn't resist having some tea and cookies! I sampled their celebrated macaroons, while my mom had a spectacular confection--the Ipsahan--created by taking a rose macaroon, filling the center with rose cream and lychees, and decorating the entire thing with fresh raberries. Both were delicious (she graciously let me sample hers!). Mom's dessert was crowned with a fresh rose petal.

For tea I had "Marie Antoinette" tea (of course) and a sampler of four of their mini macaroons--violet cassis, pistachio, lemon and cherry. Each and ever one was a dream, but my favourite was the violet. After all, how often do you get to eat a violet-flavoured desserts? And it was not just interesting, it tasted spectacular and not at all weird. My other favourite was the rose, which my mom had (again, extremely tasty and strangely unstrange). The French seem to love not only having their flowers, but eating them, too--and they have certainly perfected the art!

This picture of us was taken at the La Duree Tea Room at Printemps by our extremely congenial waiter. It's a little blurry, but I'm glad to have it, since you aren't supposed to take pictures at La Duree!(I'm not sure why).



Afterwards we got stuck in a torrential downpour at a charming little cafe. Here you can see the Parisians dashing about madly in an attempt to escape the rain! I was really impressed at how many of them had umbrellas--it has been extremely hot for days and the rain came from nowhere. Parisians are well-prepared for whatever comes their way!



After we got back from Rennes, I decided to get my husband a box of macroons. They seemed like the perfect gift. I wasn't completely sure whether he would really appreciate them or not (after all, he's not a girl and I've never heard a guy gushing about La Duree). We sampled several of the macaroons on thursday and he LOVED them! (Of course, who wouldn't?).

Photo of rose macaroons courtesy of La Duree.

This post has been featured in Heather on Her Travels' Carnival of Europe.

Historic Pottery and Tiles at the Cluny Museum

My first day in Paris I went to the Cluny Museum. If you ever get a chance to go there, it's a must see! If you have any interest in medieval decorative arts, it is heaven. I was particularly impressed with their collection of pottery dating back to the 9th century, many of which were from Iran.

I was instantly struck by the similarities between the tiles in the Cluny and the work of William de Morgan during the late 19th century. I had learned a while ago that Morgan's work was inspired by Iznik (Turkish) and Persian ceramics, but this was the first time that I was able to see his inspiration up close. The similarities are striking!

I just love these two bowls. They are both from 9th century Iran and the colours and design work are just spectacular. I love the brilliant red that has been used in the first bowl. Pictures taken through glass are never very good, but hopefully you can still tell how bright the colours are.



I find the design on the blue bowl quite reminiscent of some of William Morris' artichoke interpretations. Does anyone else agree?



For comparison, this is one of William de Morgan's vases, which utilizes a bright red glaze whose formula was derived from analyzing fragments of medieval pottery from the Middle East.



This tile from 9th century Iran uses a similar style and the bright colours are definitely reminiscent of de Morgan's work.

Musee D'Orsay

Paris is amazing--you could visit art exhibits for weeks before you ran out of things to do. On Sunday we went to the Musee D'Orsay, which was absolutely lovely. I didn't get a chance to go there last time and it was at the top of my list. All in all, it's one of my favourite things that I've done in Paris so far. They have a spectacular collection or artwork, including a good number of Symbolist paintings (this category is similar to, and often includes the Pre-Raphaelites). I even actually got to see one of my favourite Sir Edward Burne Jones paintings there, which is pictured below!

One of my favourite paintings at the Musee was actually this one, by Gustav Klimt ("The Kiss" is probably his most famous painting). It's called "Rosiers sous les Arbres" and I just adored it. I believe that I've seen the painting on notecards before, but it is sooo much better in person.

The same also goes for the Monets. If you like Monet, Musee D'Orsay is a great place to go--they have so many, and they're so good! I have to admit that I always considered Monet somewhat bland before. Well, no more! They are absolutely fabulous! I tried taking pictures, but I've decided not to post them, because they seriously don't do justice to the paintings (that sounds so elitist, but it's simply true. It feels like taking a photo of Joshua Bell playing Mozart and calling it a great piece of music...). At any rate, Monet is definitley meant to be seen, not photographed. Which is really too bad, since he is so popular.

One picture I've included anyway is this one by Van Gogh. It's called Fritillaire Couronne Imperiale (1886). I do hope I spelled it right! I just loved it. Van Gogh is another artist that I've decided is just not fair to reproduce in print. There's simply too much texture in his paintings to reproduce them in photos. Ah well! I've done my best!


I hope everyone is having a great week! I'll post more later!

The Cluny Museum

Greetings from Paris! I am having such a good time. The last few days have gone by so quickly. Paris is just lovely right now. The weather here is amazing, though quite a bit warmer than I had expected. This is a picture of me (after hours of flying and not a wink of sleep) just after arriving at the Hotel College du France. In the picture I'm having a cafe au lait and croissant which explains my mouth being full of food!

This is a picture from the Cluny Museum. I was very interested in the sculptures and tiles they had in their collection--some of the designs were so similar to ones that William Morris revived during the Arts and Crafts Movement ( actually found one 16th century acanthus carving that looked EXACTLY like the pattern Morris always used, but the light was too low to take a proper picture. I swear he must have traced it). We went to the Cluny right after breakfast on the 10th (Saturday). As fate would have it, it turned out that Saturday was free admission day--yay!--and it's a good thing, too. Prices in Paris have absolutely gone through the roof. The first time I came here I thought Paris was a bargain--well, no longer! (we had breakfast at a rather modest cafe the next day and I noticed that a coca cola was 8 euros--twelve dollars!)

The Cluny was spectacular. A must for anyone who loves the Middle Ages--especially if they are into tapestries! They have the entire Lady and the Unicorn series there, and it is absolutely amazing to see up close, though unfortunately it's pretty much impossible to take photos, since there's no flash allowed and the room they are in keeps them in low light to preserve the colour. It really is a good thing in the long run, though, because it will preserve these fantastic works of art for another generation. One thing I was really impressed with when I saw them up close was how good the shading is. The figures seem so lively and there is so much humor injected into all of the tapestries. Definitely not the dreary mood you might imagine. My favourite from the series was "Gout" (taste). I will post a picture of it when I find a good one--such a great tapestry! Because of the light, I didn't get any tapestry picture that turned out very well, but this is for Kate! It doesn't nearly do justice to the amazing colours and textures, but c'est la vie!