exquisite pleasures… madeleines
I wanted to do something special to mark this special date…. who would have thought that five years ago just around the holidays I was digging for some recipes that I stumbled to a site called Pinoy cook. After exchanging some emails and having sent the web owner (Thank you Sassy) some photos she encouraged me to write. Little did I know after that moment, I would be blogging my culinary experiments and travels since then.
Madeleines came to my mind , not just because of the buttery , lemony taste that bring sheer delights but because I really love the scalloped shaped of these dainty treats.
Also because I have not tackled myself to bake some and with the thought of my moulds just gathering dust, why not challenge myself to bake some to mark my 5th year of my web life.
The moment the French crew mate saw my moulds she immediately knew what I was up to. I have thought madeleines were complicated. I was pretty much surprised how easy they are to bake.
For the recipe I usedDavid Lebovitz’s Lemon Glazed Madeleine.
So easy to follow but I suggest do use a good quality of butter.
The crew could not contain their excitement…. then the French one asked: “Do we have nutella?”
Oh nutella… I told her wait till this boat goes back to France and I will buy her tons of nutella. Hmm, told her to wait, I dashed to make some ganache. Those Valhorna can’t just sit there with out being used.
So I made half of the madeleines dipped in chocolate while the other half I coated them with lemon glaze. Perfect for a wet rainy day here in Florida.
While having tea and dipping the spongy madeleines ,my mind drifted to France…. it was in France I first tasted madeleines.
Nice, France
I feel I had my Proustian moment…
She (Marcel’s mother) 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 …
Sunrise as we entered Ft Lauderdale, Florida after 4 days of passage from St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands.
So indeed my blog has travelled with my belly… It all started in a cold winter in Yorkshire, UK when I was digging recipes. One website then link after link opened me to the world of web blogs.
And encouraged me much more my passions of finding pleasures on food, photography and kitchen experiments. Other than that, it led to some great friendships and welcoming homes who have hosted me on my travels.
This web site indeed has been a diary of my life, my marriage that ended to the birth of my nephew, this has marked my life in UK, Norway, France , Italy, USA, mostly Greece and to other places I have traveled. As one web friend said this site is: “great photos, yummy food and breath taking locations” (Thank you Ara)
For such day the madeleines indeed are exquisite pleasures to such exquisite life.
congratulations, friend! and yes, thanks for sharing your great food, and for taking us with you in your travels through your wonderful lenses!
Wonderful post Sha and congratulations on 5 years! My goodness seems like yesterday I chanced upon your blog through Marketman…you were in between Norway and Greece and I had just finished working in both Scandinavia (Finland) and Greece, and having loved both places I immediately was draw to your blog…and your wonderful photos and story-telling kept me coming back 🙂 Looking forward to more years!
Thanks for making me hungry and for some of the best travel photography on the net, Shal. You are the best!
A toast to the next 5 years!
Your exquisite madeleines account, as well as your exquisite use of stunning photography, has impressed me to the max. It’s a pity your partner did not notice how talented you are. Congratulations!
Happy Blogversary Sha! I sure have enjoyed sharing the wanderlust with you these past five years. Connie was also my inspiration for starting a food blog! She was so gracious when I first emailed her about a recipe, I was soon food blogging too and met interesting bloggers like you and the rest of the Pinoy food bloggers crew.
Thanks for the journey!
happy anniversary inday shalimar! here’s wishing you many many more years of delicious food and splendid photos ahead…cheers!