Biscuits anyone?

[Dave2002]

I think you really meant this one - https://nicoandamysliterarykitchen.w...anns-way-1913/
which has more pictures - https://nicoandamysliterarykitchen.f...es_025tris.jpg. Proust rather than Auden, though there is a quote from Auden as well.

[ardcarp]

'The memory is revived, not so much by the sight and beauty of the madeleine’s shape, but rather by the sense of tasting and touching these cakes, with their distinctive sensuality of curves, deep lines and hidden cavities, and their moist warmth when imbibed with soothing, sleep-inducing and almost hypnotic lime-flower tea, which makes [the narrator] reach places of the mind that he had never thought he could experience before. A simple biscuit could not have reminded us of the fact that "though one cannot always remember exactly why one has been happy, there is no forgetting that one was."

Whoever wrote it...wonderful!!

[Keraulophone]

Proust rather than Auden, though there is a quote from Auden as well.

N.B. the type and position of the quotation marks: " for the Auden and ' for Nico and Amy recalling Proust.

[vinteuil]

N.B. the type and position of the quotation marks: " for the Auden and ' for Nico and Amy recalling Proust.

... indeed - it's a reference to Proust, with an inserted (rather nice, but not really quite capturing the Proustian significance of the moment... ) quote by Auden.

Many thanks, Keraulophone, for that lovely page.

I was a bit sad when (many years ago) I read Painter on Proust, who tried to establish that the actual 'autobiographical' moment for Proust was not madeleines and tilleul but toast and tea, and not Illiers-Combray but his uncle's (?) residence in the Parisian suburbs...

I have since learnt that one shd not take too seriously any 'autobiographical' references to Proust's life in À la recherche du temps perdu - my copy of Painter relegated to a box in the attic. There are so many good artistic reasons (evident from a good reading of the book) why the 'madeleine' and 'tilleul' are more compelling.



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[vinteuil]

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... memories (Proustian or not... ) of my own childhood (a Wiltshire - in my case Devizes - speciality ) -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lardy_cake

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[Keraulophone]

There was a bakery in the Kemptown area of Brighton during the 1970s that made a dense, sticky, moreish lardy cake, which often made its way to the kitchen table at tea time. It can still be found here in Cornwall, though saffron cake is more usual round these parts.

[french frank]

I was a bit sad when (many years ago) I read Painter on Proust, who tried to establish that the actual 'autobiographical' moment for Proust was not madeleines and tilleul but toast and tea, and not Illiers-Combray but his uncle's (?) residence in the Parisian suburbs...

I have since learnt that one shd not take too seriously any 'autobiographical' references to Proust's life in À la recherche du temps perdu - my copy of Painter relegated to a box in the attic. There are so many good artistic reasons (evident from a good reading of the book) why the 'madeleine' and 'tilleul' are more compelling.

A sad fate for Mr Painter, especially if you accept that novelists have the 'aesthetic' truth in mind, rather than the literal …

Anyway, only one recipient for the Garibaldi biscuits ('squashed flies'), I imagine?

[HighlandDougie]

Dougie..I expect you know this, but you need to have lived in France for over 5 years and have level B1 (intermediate) in French before you can even apply for the test of naturalisation. Apparently once over 60, you no longer need to do the language test. I was interested (and delighted) that I got level C1 in comprehension and C2 (Advanced) in oral expression. If your French is not too bad, why not try for the full thing?

Micky

Thanks for the advice - gratefully received. I've lived in France for almost 10 years, am (alas) over 60 but speak reasonably good French (as no-one hereabouts speaks much English, life would be challenging if I couldn't explain that I wanted the satellite dish lined up with the azimuth for Astra 28.2E etc etc). Given that I am being messed around by the Préfecture des Alpes-Maritimes at the moment (not for any bad reason but I think that they are simply overwhelmed with applications/interviews etc), I will need a stiff drink - or three - before thinking about the naturalisation process. Or some music to strengthen my resolve - Rameau sees like a good idea. Anyway, I drink to your success

As to the use of the newly-fashionable lard in baking, the recent experience of grating 150g of the stuff, even straight from the freezer, to make cheese straws (along with 150g of similarly grated butter) was enough to make me swear that I would never make anything again in which it featured as an ingredient. Madeleines, even with the stress of making the perfect beurre brun, are child's play by comparison.

[ardcarp]

.

... memories (Proustian or not... ) of my own childhood (a Wiltshire - in my case Devizes - speciality ) -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lardy_cake

.

...and if you want a truly cholesterol-inducing confection, try the Dripper, commonly found in the Cheltenham/Gloucester area. Defibrillator recommended.

[Dave2002]

There was a bakery in the Kemptown area of Brighton during the 1970s that made a dense, sticky, moreish lardy cake, which often made its way to the kitchen table at tea time. It can still be found here in Cornwall, though saffron cake is more usual round these parts.

No longer the season for them, but before Christmas one can eat lussekatter - https://www.curiouscuisiniere.com/lu...-saffron-buns/

We are coming into semlor season soon - brilliant - but not a biscuit. Most are good, some are superb - https://www.christinascucina.com/sem...ay-buns-semla/

Also a cholesterol-inducing confection like msg 54.

[Bryn]

If you have not caught tonight's Mark Steel's in Town, I highly recommend this Carlisle episode, replete with many biscuit related anecdotes.

[vinteuil]

If you have not caught tonight's Mark Steel's in Town, I highly recommend this Carlisle episode, replete with many biscuit related anecdotes.

... yes, it was (as ever) excellent. He's so good with his audiences.

In my childhood, the biscuits we had : ginger nuts, garibaldi ("squashed flies"), digestives, fig rolls. As an occasional treat, bourbons or plain chocolate digestives. As a rare extra-special treat, florentines.


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[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

If you have not caught tonight's Mark Steel's in Town, I highly recommend this Carlisle episode, replete with many biscuit related anecdotes.

... yes, it was (as ever) excellent. He's so good with his audiences.

- and they with him!

[cloughie]

If you have not caught tonight's Mark Steel's in Town, I highly recommend this Carlisle episode, replete with many biscuit related anecdotes.

Carr’s?

[ardcarp]

No longer the season for them, but before Christmas one can eat lussekatter -

...ah, that's just reminded me of the pepperkaker my sister in Norway makes by the ton. They're like thin crisp ginger biscuits cut into various seasonal shapes by the g-kids....reindeer, stars, Christmas trees, etc. A bit more-ish.

PS Will listen to the Mark Steel programme. Haven't heard the latest series, but he's definitely