Monday, February 28, 2011

Or Perhaps Something Else?



For those who are not fans of
the blood-orange's brand of creepy sunshine,
I will be happy to share with you some cookies
I received in my in-box this morning
from our friend Monsieur Pierre Hermé!

(The first thing to know is that a sablé is a beautiful butter cookie,
topped in sugar to resemble the sablé, or sand)

May I offer you...

Sablés Infiniment Chocolat
(Infinite Chocolate Sablé)

Sablés Citron
(Lemon Sablé)

Sablés Diamante Vanille
(Diamond Vanilla Sablé)

Sablés Florentins
(sablée dough, garnished with chestnut-blossom honey,
orange confit and slivered almonds)

Sacristains
(Glazed flakey pastry, twisted, crusty and caramelized with sugar.
"A greediness to nibble constantly all day.", to quote him!
Who are we to refuse?)

If you are wandering by his shops,
he offers them in the Coffret Croquant (The Crunching Box)
or
Coffret Craquant (The Cracking Box).
"Miam", as one would say!

And now for your tea to go with them....



Wishing you a warm and delicious day!

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Amazing...




There are many miracles in this world.





Blood oranges are only one of them.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Look Who Is On His Way To Paris!


My very Dear Friend Marie-France in Paris
has been my first customer in my new shop,


Mirabella Morello!


So, as of today, Sweet Little Him, is on his way to our favorite place in the world!
We tried to fit into the box with him,
but it just didn't work!
How very sad!

There are so many more sweet things just waiting to come to you from my new shop! Please click the link above or the new banner in the right hand column to get there! I have just added this new banner and also one that takes you to The Gossamer Tearoom shop. Please, feel free to post these banners if you would like! I just love making new friends! And keep checking back! I am posting new items everyday!

Since we were not able to leave for Paris today *sniff, sniff*,
we will be continuing to practice our French:





(This video comes to us from "French Essence", the beautiful blog by Vicki Archer. Her "Daily Click" can make your day so happy!)

Keep checking back for more news on a new collection of my beautiful silk brooches!

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Won't You Please Come In and Browse?



The following are images from the opening day of my new vintage shop Mirabella Morello, just next door to The Gossamer Tearoom:

















(All the background images I am using are from digital collage sheets from my creative Etsy friend Josie from Charmed Memory Collage.)

Thank you for shopping at Mirabella Morello!
I hope to see you again soon!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Ooooh...What Is This Little Shop Next To The Tearoom?


And so you have just finished your tea and sweets once again at The Tearoom and something catches your eye...

"Down a narrow cobblestone street, in a beloved, ever-ancient, ever-modern city, there are all those sweet little shops that you have to visit everytime you are here. There’s a small bookshop, a tearoom and a tiny shop containing very sweet vintage items. That’s my shop, Mirabella Morello and I am just now parting the lace curtains on the door, letting you know I am open. Welcome!

(I hope you left room in your suitcase. There is much to fall in love with here...)"

Coming (Very) Soon...An Irresistible New Next Door Neighbor for The Gossamer Tearoom shop on Etsy...


Monday, February 14, 2011

Valentine Cream Tea Deluxe


Welcome, Dear Friends of The Tearoom,
It is so very nice to spend time with you again!! A Most Happy Valentine's Day to you all!

Won't you please have a seat? For a lot of us, it is still cold and for some of us, there's a lot of snow where you are (for others like me, a lot more!!). I have hung tapestries around the room to make it cozier for us!



And to remind us that spring is only around the corner, I have placed a fountain with a profusion of violets growing around it, in the middle of The Tearoom!


Today, we are having a traditional British cream tea (with just a few revisions of my own)!

Of course we start with lovely Devonshire scones,with clotted cream and jam. Traditionally, scones are served with either strawberry (or occasionally, raspberry) jam or lemon curd. But who can say no to a bit of Pierre Hermé's Ispahan Confiture instead, his beautifully passionate red jam made of two layers, rose-scented litchi and raspberry, which you mix upon opening the jar? What a romantic combination and entirely appropriate for our Valentine Tea, don't you think?


And we must not have a Valentine's tea that does not include some sort of macarons! Here are some very interesting ones from a patisserie in Paris called Acide. These are fraise/poivre (strawberry/pepper)! Just imagine that sweet, yet slightly hot flavor! I would definitely try these, should we find ourselves in the 17th Arr. in Paris!

From the House of Ladurée comes a religieuse griotte (sour cherry religieuse).

And you must try the Black Forest Cheesecake from the blog Tastes of Mine!

To pair with all of these beautiful red flavors of raspberry, rose, strawberry and cherry, I thought it best to have a black tea, which should also go well with the pepper in the macaron and the chocolate in the cheesecake, perhaps a Ceylon from Kusmi or an Earl Grey with Blue Flower Petals from Monsieur Hermé. Do you take yours with cream?



To end our lovely party, won't you please have some beautiful chocolates from Rococo Chocolates in London? They must be as yummy as they look. One of these must be the favorite you didn't know you had yet...

...Jasmine tea, Manjari Madagascar, lychee rose and raspberry, Irish coffee, sour cherry with dark chocolate, and Jivara marc de champagne, passionfruit and mango, crushed lemon praline with milk chocolate and these four very special flavors, invented just for this collection:

And, because I can never spoil you enough, I have added Acide in Paris and The Cake Opera of Toronto to the ever-growing list of beautiful sweets and teas to peruse in the "Tea and Sweets" links to the right!

Please keep checking back as I have many new projects coming up including the opening of my new vintage shop just down the rue d'Etsy from The Gossamer Tearoom, called Mirabella Morello and new collections of silk brooches just for spring!!


I wish you all A Most Happy Valentine's Day

For a really beautiful description of a proper cream tea, please read Nigel Slater's excellent description in The Guardian, complete with recipes for scones and plum jam.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Surprise Treats for Us!


Dearest Friends of The Tearoom,
The time of the Valentine Tea draws near....

But in searching out only the best treats for our Tea in the Aether, look what I have found! The House of Ladurée has updated their site (at least the French part, so far!). You can spend a great deal of time browsing and dreaming here (just click the package to open it!)!



There are beautiful new charts of religieuses (like the one above), macarons and even a very cute video!

This "carte" above just makes me so happy! We get to see some of the religieuses they have not pictured on the website before. Here are the flavors shown, left to right, top to bottom:
-Rose, Violet, Chocolate
-Caramel, Pistachio, Strawberry
-Sour Cherry, Orange Flower, Raspberry Anise
-Mango Caramel, Passionfruit Pineapple, Apple Cedar Lemon

Hint: (if you don't read French): Anytime you see the phrase "en savoir plus", click the link to see more information.

I am currently scurrying about The Tearoom, from attic to cellar, with multiple projects! You have The Valentine Tea to look forward to, but also, a new Etsy shop! In the meanwhile, don't forget to shop The Gossamer Tearoom shop to "ooooh" and "aaaahhh" over the new brooches to be found there!

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Just to wish you...










Won't you please join me here for tea on Valentine's Day?


Betty