Madeleines - French Snack Cakes With a History

Have you ever baked something so appreciated in your home that you need to multiply the recipe?

Whenever I bake Madeleines, I have to multiply the recipe by 5 because my kids (my husband and I too) love them so much.

But do you know what are Madeleines other than " little shell of cake, so generously sensual"?

The madeleine is a traditional small cake from Commercy and Liverdun, two communes of the Lorraine region in northeastern France.

Madeleines are French sponge cakes with a distinctive shell-like shape acquired from being baked in pans with shell-shaped depressions. Aside from the traditional molded pan, commonly found in stores specializing in kitchen equipment and even hardware stores, no special tools are required to make madeleines.

According to one story the name "Madeleine" was given to the cookies by Louis XV to honor his father in-law's cook, Madeleine Paulmier. Louis first tasted them at the Chateau Commercy in Lorraine in 1755. Louis' wife, Marie introduced them to the court and they soon became all the rage at Versailles.

However, they were made famous by Marcel Proust in his autobiographical novel À la recherche du temps perdu, translated Remembrance of Things Past. This novel was left unfinished upon his death, and his brothers published the book in 1923. He wrote:

She sent for one of those squat plump little cakes called "petites madeleines," which look as though they had been molded in the fluted valve of a scallop shell … 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 …And suddenly the memory revealed itself. The taste was that of the little piece of madeleine which on Sunday mornings at Combray … when I went to say good morning to her in her bedroom, my aunt Leonie used to give me, dipping it first in her own cup of tea or tisane …. and the whole of Combray and its surroundings, taking shape and solidity, sprang into being, town and garden alike, from my cup of tea.

 

It is not fair to talk about those little cakes without giving you an opportunity to taste them, but first you will have to bake them. They are very easy to bake and you will see everyone in your home will love them. 

MADELEINES recipe                      

                                    

 Ingredients:1 egg
¼ cup sugar
Vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
¼ cup flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ cup melted butter
   1-     Turn on oven to 425° F.
2-     Beat with an electric whisk egg, sugar and salt until the mixture become creamy and white.
3-     With a wooden spoon, add flour and baking powder and finally add melted butter. Mix vigorously to obtain a very smooth mixture.
4-     Butter and flour the mold if you are not using silicon mold.
5-     File a teaspoon of dough in each alveolus. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

The most famous French structure

If I tell you United Kingdom, Italy, Brazil, United States or France... what do you think of?

I think: Big Ben, The Colosseum, The Christ Redeemer Statue, The Statue of Liberty and The Eiffel Tower...

Beautiful and breath taking, all of them!!!

Every country has its symbol for the foreign people and of course France symbol his The Eiffel Tower. But did you know The Eiffel Tower wasn't suppose to stay forever? How unbelievable is that? Especially when you know that it is the most visited structure in the World.

You couldn't possibly visit Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower. Even if you do not want to visit this world famous structure, and I strongly recommend you do, you will see its top from all over Paris. The tower rises 300 meters tall (984 ft); when its was completed at the end of the 19th century it was at the time the tallest structure in the world.

The construction started on the month of January 28, 1887 and required more than 2 years to accomplish. the tower was inaugurated on March 31, 1889.

The Eiffel Tower was built for the World Exhibition in 1889, held in celebration of the French Revolution in 1789.

The construction was only meant to last for the duration of the Exposition, but it still stands today, despite all protests from contemporary artists who feared the construction would not fit into the architecture of Paris.

Today, there is no such aversion anymore among the Parisians, and one could not imagine Paris without the Eiffel Tower, in fact it has become the symbol of the City of Light.

How majestic !!!

The man behind the Eiffel Tower was Gustave Eiffel, known from his revolutionary bridge building techniques, as employed in the great viaduct at Garabit in 1884. These techniques would form the basis for the construction of the Eiffel Tower. He was also known for the construction of the Statue of Liberty's iron framework.

A little bit of history, what is May 8 in France?

May 8 is a Holiday in France. Do you know why?It's Victory Day (la fête de la victoire, le jour de la libération) to celebrate the end of World War II and the French people's freedom. It is the anniversary of when Charles de Gaulle announced the end of World War II in France on May 8, 1945.

Charles de Gaulle, the leader of the Free French Forces, announced the official end of World War II to the French people on May 8, 1945. Church bells rang to communicate and celebrate this message. It marked the end of a six-year war and the Nazi oppression in France, which resulted in millions of deaths.

Many people attend parades on May 8 each year to celebrate the end of World War II and the freedom of France from Nazi oppression. They also sing patriotic songs and display the French national flag on their homes and public buildings. The mood on WWII Victory Day is generally joyous but people may also make time to remember family members or others who died during World War II. 











The French Flag:The French flag, or tricolor, is an important symbol of WWII Victory Day. It is one-and-a-half time as wide as it is tall and consists of three vertical bands colored blue, white and red. The bands are all the same width. The French flag is based on a revolutionary cockade created during the French Revolution in 1789, after the fall of the Bastille. It takes the colors of red and blue, the colors of Paris (blue representing equality, red representing liberty). The red and blue are combined with white, symbol of the Bourbon monarchy.

The flag represents everything the French Revolution stood for, including all the ideals mentioned in the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen, the 1791 and 1795 Constitutions, founded on liberal bourgeois ideals of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. The colors of the flag are a symbol of the achievements that were won through the Revolution.

La Marseillaise:

La Marseillaise is the national anthem of France. The song, originally titled "Chant de guerre pour l'Armée du Rhin" (English: "War Song for the Army of the Rhine") was written and composed by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle in 1792. The French National Convention adopted it as the Republic's anthem in 1795. The name of the song is due to first being sung on the streets by volunteers from Marseille.

    French version                                    English version

Allons enfants de la Patrie	Arise, you children of the fatherland
Le jour de gloire est arrivé !	The day of glory has arrived!
Contre nous de la tyrannie	Against us, tyranny
L’étendard sanglant est levé (bis)	Has raised its bloodied banner (repeat)
Entendez-vous dans les campagnes	Do you hear in the fields
Mugir ces féroces soldats ?	The howling of these fearsome soldiers?
Ils viennent jusque dans vos bras	They are coming into your midst
Égorger vos fils, vos compagnes !	To slit the throats of your sons, your wives!
Aux armes, citoyens !	To arms, citizens!
Formez vos bataillons !	Form your battalions!
Marchons, marchons !	Let us march, let us march!
Qu’un sang impur	May impure blood
Abreuve nos sillons !	Soak our fields’ furrows!
Que veut cette horde d’esclaves,	What does this horde of slaves,
De traîtres, de rois conjurés ?	Traitors, and plotting kings want?
Pour qui ces ignobles entraves	For whom these vile chains
Ces fers dès longtemps préparés ?(bis)	These long-prepared irons? (repeat)
Français, pour nous, ah! Quel outrage,	Frenchmen, for us, ah! What outrage,
Quels transports il doit exciter !	What fury it must arouse!
C’est nous qu’on ose méditer	It is us they dare plan
De rendre à l’antique esclavage !	To return to the old slavery!
Aux armes, citoyens…	To arms, citizens…
Quoi! Des cohortes étrangères !	What! These foreign cohorts!
Feraient la loi dans nos foyers !	They would make laws in our homes!
Quoi! Ces phalanges mercenaires	What! These mercenary phalanxes
Terrasseraient nos fiers guerriers !(bis)	Would cut down our proud warriors! (repeat)
Grand Dieu! Par des mains enchaînées	Good Lord! By chained hands
Nos fronts sous le joug se ploieraient	Our brow would yield under the yoke
De vils despotes deviendraient	The vile despots would become
Les maîtres de nos destinées !	The masters of our destinies!
Aux armes, citoyens…	To arms, citizens…
Tremblez, tyrans et vous perfides	Tremble, tyrants and traitors
L’opprobre de tous les partis	The shame of all good men
Tremblez! Vos projets parricides	Tremble! Your parricidal schemes
Vont enfin recevoir leurs prix ! (bis)	Will receive their just reward! (repeat)
Tout est soldat pour vous combattre	Against you, we are all soldiers
S’ils tombent, nos jeunes héros,	If our young heroes fall,
La terre en produit de nouveaux,	The earth will bear new ones,
Contre vous tout prêts à se battre !	Ready to join the fight against you!
Aux armes, citoyens…	To arms, citizens…
Français, en guerriers magnanimes,	Frenchmen, as magnanimous warriors,
Portez ou retenez vos coups !	Bear or hold back your blows!
Épargnez ces tristes victimes	Spare these sad victims
À regret s’armant contre nous (bis)	That they may regret taking up arms against us(repeat)
Mais ces despotes sanguinaires	But not these bloody despots
Mais ces complices de Bouillé	These accomplices of Bouillé
Tous ces tigres qui, sans pitié,	All these tigers who mercilessly
Déchirent le sein de leur mère !	Ripped out their mothers’ breast!
Aux armes, citoyens…	To arms, citizens…
Amour sacré de la Patrie,	Sacred patriotic love,
Conduis, soutiens nos bras vengeurs	Lead and support our avenging arms
Liberté, Liberté chérie,	Liberty, cherished liberty,
Combats avec tes défenseurs ! (bis)	Fight back with your defenders! (repeat)
Sous nos drapeaux que la victoire	Under our flags, let victory
Accoure à tes mâles accents,	Hurry to your manly tone,
Que tes ennemis expirants	So that your enemies, in their last breath,
Voient ton triomphe et notre gloire !	See your triumph and our glory!
Aux armes, citoyens…	To arms, citizens…
(Couplet des enfants)	(Children’s Verse)
Nous entrerons dans la carrière	We shall enter the career
Quand nos aînés n’y seront plus	When our elders will no longer be there
Nous y trouverons leur poussière	There we shall find their dust
Et la trace de leurs vertus (bis)	And the mark of their virtues (repeat)
Bien moins jaloux de leur survivre	Much less jealous of surviving them
Que de partager leur cercueil,	Than of sharing their coffins,
Nous aurons le sublime orgueil	We shall have the sublime pride
De les venger ou de les suivre !	Of avenging or following them!
Aux armes, citoyens…	To arms, citizens…

HAPPY FRENCH HOLIDAY!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP, WE COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU!!

Mother's Day or in French, La Fête des Mères

Mother’s Day is a day for many people to show their appreciation towards mothers and mother figures worldwide. 

It is an annual event but is held at different dates in the calendar, depending on the country.

We didn't know that the first year we were in the US. Fortunately, "La Fête des Mères" in France comes after Mother's Day in US. So for Mother's Day my husband and I called our mothers to wish them a Happy "Fête des Mères". It is when they told us: "It is not today!" that we understood that something was going on and after some research online we found that Mother's Day is not celebrated the same day worldwide. How strange is that?

For example, in 2013 Mother's Day is celebrated May 4 and "La Fête des Mères" is celebrated May 26. 

 

Many people give gifts, cards, flowers, candy, a meal in a restaurant or other treats to their mother and mother figures.

In the days and weeks before Mother's Day, many schools help their pupils to prepare a handmade card or small gift for their mothers. Finally, they are the most important and beautiful gifts a mother ever received!!

Do you know that Mother's Day is an American invention?

In the United States, Mother's Day did not become an official holiday until 1915. Its establishment was due largely to the perseverance and love of one daughter, Anna Jarvis.

Anna's mother had provided strength and support as the family made their home in West Virginia and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where her father served as a minister. 

When Mrs. Jarvis died on May 5, 1905, Anna was determined to honor her. She asked the minister at her church in West Virginia to give a sermon in her mother's memory. On the same Sunday in Philadelphia, their minister honored Mrs. Jarvis and all mothers with a special Mother's Day service. 

Anna Jarvis began writing to congressmen, asking them to set aside a day to honor mothers. In 1910, the governor of West Virginia proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day and a year later every state celebrated it.

Greetings

What is the first thing you do when you meet someone? Greet each other.
One thing that a traveler to another country notices is that the rules for greeting are very complicated, and can be quite different than the way it is at home.
Greetings are used worldwide, but types of greeting, and the usages of them, can be very different depending on the culture of the ones greeting each other. 

How do people greet one another around the world? A kiss, a hug, a handshake, a bow: one of these, or something different, could be the proper way to greet someone depending on their country and culture. 

One common French greeting is a light handshake. Another common greeting is a kiss on the left cheek followed by a kiss on the right cheek. Depending on the situation or the people greeting, the kiss may be just a touching of cheeks or a real smack.

 

The very difficult part of greeting someone in France is the kiss on the cheek. Why? Because the number of kisses differ from a person to another depending of which area they came from. But knowing how many kisses is a dilemma even for the French. Two? Three? Four?

So if you plan to visit France (I really hope you will!) and to spare you any humiliation, here's a map to help you know how many kisses on the cheek you need to do.

“If you are invited to a dinner party with people you don’t know, you’ll shake their hands when you arrive. At the end of the evening, you might kiss them but it’s probably better to hold out your hand and see what happens,” says Constance Rietzler

In US, sometimes just a smile accompanies the greeting, a firm handshake is a common greeting between males, and happens (less commonly) between a male and a female. Women tend to shake hands with one another only if it is their first time meeting, or if it is a business situation. Female friends often greet with a hug.

If you learn the proper way to greet someone in another culture, including understanding body language, you may be pleasantly surprised at how well you will be received when traveling to another country. Greetings are often people's first impressions of one another, so learning how to greet someone appropriately is important in making a good first impression.

Joyeuses Pâques / Happy Easter

In France we celebrate Easter too but it is not the Easter Bunny who brings eggs but Flying Bells.

France celebrates Easter with great enthusiasm. Shops are decorated with chocolate rabbits, chickens, bells and fish. Children wake up on the Easter Sunday morning in search of Easter eggs (les oeufs de Paques) around their house and garden. French people also have a three day long weekend to allow Easter to be celebrated properly with their families.
Cloches volantes or flying bells are another important part of the Easter traditions of France. French believe that on Good Friday, all the church bells in France fly to the Vatican in Rome and return on Easter Sunday morning filled with lots of chocolate and eggs. In keeping with the tradition, French church bells do not ring from Good Friday to Easter Sunday morning. 

The egg is a symbol of new life and give eggs at Easter or as a gift to celebrate the arrival of spring is a tradition established since hundreds of years.

During the reign of Louis XIV, a tradition evolved where the King was entitled to the largest egg laid during the week preceding Easter Sunday. On Easter, colored eggs painted with gold leaf were blessed. Then, the king would ceremoniously distribute the eggs to his courtisans and valets.















Easter is directly follow by 1st of April which is the day of Poisson d'Avril or April Fish (April fool). A day everything can't be taken seriously because there is a high probability it is a joke.
In France, unsuspecting victims have a paper fish stuck to their back and when they eventually discover it they are called Poisson d’Avril.  It is a prank mainly played by school children. Oh yes, I have done that and of course the big price was to put one on your teachers' back...

The French media also takes part, so if you watch the French news, be careful of what you believe!

French breakfast

Worldwide nutritional experts have agreed to say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And when I see how my son is hungry in the morning, I have to agree with them. But wherever you live, breakfast prepare you for the long day to come, it helps your concentration, your problem-solving skills and your eye-hand coordination.
But let's see what you find on a French traditional breakfast plate.


A French traditional breakfast starts with a hot drink: coffee (much stronger than the one you can find in US) or café au lait (coffee with milk), tea or hot chocolate. It is served with our traditional worldwide known TARTINES: sliced Baguettes with jam and/or butter. For me it's "and butter" and dipped in my coffee, yummy! 

During special days such as Sundays, families often eat freshly-baked croissants or pains au chocolat that are bought from local bakeries. The usual serving is 2 croissants per person. Croissants are often eaten plain, with jam, or dipped in coffee bowls. However if you want to be truly French NEVER eat a croissant with butter, because French people never do that.

Croissant

                                                                                                                                                              Pain au chocolat

Talking about about all of this make me realize how much I miss going to my local bakery to buy my fresh baguettes or any other kind of bread every day. And as a "Parisienne" I miss getting my breakfast on the terrace of a café in Paris or just an expresso.

Which bread am I going to buy today?