A Valentine Tea...

Dearest Dear Friends of The Tearoom,

Welcome!

Today, it is only you and I having our special Valentine tea in front of the fire.




My mind returns again and again to the theme of today's party...
Fruit, beautiful, sun-ripened, sweet, luscious fruit...
The purples and reds of fruit juice,
the pleasure of the sweet,
the pucker of tart,
the intoxicating madness of that first bite of fully-ripened summer fruit.

Some people get this rush from the first sip of their favorite alcoholic tipple or a drag from their first cigarette of the day. (I myself do not understand this, but I have seen the unguarded look of pleasure on the faces of people indulging in these things, so I know it is true.) But for me, the miracle of my first bite of the fresh produce of the season provides that momentary dizzying high. This one living object, devoting its whole life to being the most perfect version of itself that it can be. What lies sleeping in seeds, in dormant plants, in the Earth at this very moment, just waiting to bring us pleasure?

I dare you to sit on the purple couch in The Tearoom, under the enormous wall decoration of fruit I have placed there for our party today, and not feel just a fleeting moment of this singular pleasure....

Welcome, Dear Friend, to a Valentine's Tea, fairly bursting with life!


Can't you just smell the fragrance coming to us from the ornate tea pot?
It is a tea that I am still just dying to try: Charlotte au Chocolat, from Dammann Frères of Paris
with flavors of sugared almond and chocolate,
with sunflower petals for brightness!
Can't you just taste it as we speak of it?
Can you imagine how really decadent
a cup of this would be with a dabble of cream
and (if you wish), a bit of sugar?
I could drink it all day!

Oh, but My Dear, we have some catching up to do!
It has been such a long time since we have
taken a tour around Paris to see what is new
and just with us for Valentine's Day only!
The House of Dalloyau has a luscious-looking pair of religieuses named Valentine et Valentin (sold only as a pair, not to be separated until shared with you and your love!) A description of them: "My Pulpy Raspberry delicately scented with violet reveals a tender and luscious raspberry heart. My Soft Caramel is sure to thrill with its cream flavored with rum ..."

Here is another of Dalloyau's Valentine treats: the Duo de Macarons Coeur, in raspberry and chocolate/duja (chocolate and hazelnut) flavors!

The House of Laduée surprises us with a tangy, creamy combination in their newest macaron flavor: grapefruit and vanilla!

"From The House of Pierre Hermé, exclusively for Valentine's Day, the Envie macaron, which he describes this way: "Macaron biscuit, vanilla-violet cream and blackcurrants. The "Envie" combination featuring blackcurrant, vanilla and violet was created by Pierre Hermé in 1992. The intense floral note of the violet, tempered by the vanilla, softens the tart bitterness of the blackcurrant."

And a macaron not specifically with Valentine's Day in mind, but only available until the 27th of this month, his new "Jardin Enchanté" with the flavors of rose, lime and touched with the tingle of Espelette pepper! It is the first of his new collection for spring, which I will be following closely. For more information, please click here.

And of course, returning like the dearest of old friends, some of the most lovely things:

A pair of Ispahan heart macarons filled with luscious fresh raspberries, with notes of rose and litchi. If you just can't get enough of this most romantic of flavor combinations, please take a glimpse here for the dizzying array of other forms this one of his Fetish flavors comes in.

Our old friend the Coeur Infiniment Vanille,
made even more complex and beautiful with Monsieur Hermé's signature combination of vanillas grown in
Madagascar, Tahiti and Mexico, looking just as elegant and beautiful as ever...


Because we just can't have enough today, couldn't we just go for something luscious and chocolate? How could we forget when
The House of Fauchon graced us with their Joconde eclairs?


Have had enough sweets today? Here's a visually arresting, beautiful and nutritious salad recipe from Etsy, especially for Valentine's Day! What a great example of the miracles of nature that are available to us each day that are delicious, fascinating and so good for you.

Thank you, Dear Ones, for celebrating Valentine's Day with me today and indulging in some of the most beautiful and delicious that Paris has to offer.



We now look forward to spring and the birth of yet another new shop on Etsy....

(Thank you, as always to Asunder Ephemera, The Picture Palace and The Graphics Fairy for some of the graphics used in the collages.)

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.

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!

Roses in the Snow...

Dearest Friends of The Tearoom,
I sincerely hope you all are having a fun and happy Holiday Season so far. It is quiet for Mr. and I here in The Tearoom, all the better for us.

However, as much as I enjoy a hot cup of tea from the samovar, I have never been that much of a fan of fall and winter. Now, I know that a great many people list this as their favorite time of the year. I, however, have an overwhelming desire to hibernate until I see the first daffodil bloom!

I assumed that it was with hibernation in mind that, of all things, roses persisted in creeping their way into my mind. But now I see that I am not the only one thinking of roses!

First, both the venerable Houses of Ladurée and Pierre Hermé had roses on their minds when creating their newest macaron creations!

Ladurée's newest flavor is their Rose Gingembre (Rose Ginger). It is a collaboration between the patissier and the designer John Galliano, whose new fragrance "Parlez-moi d'Amour (Speak to Me of Love)" includes the essences of rose and ginger.


Next, from the house of Monsieur Hermé is a special collection called "Show Chaud Noël" (Hot Christmas Show) including these flavors:

Rose (flavored with rose and rose petals)
Arabella (milk chocolate, banana, passionfruit & ginger confit)
Infiniment Caramel (salted butter caramel)
Infiniment chocolat (Venezuela Porcelana single origin chocolate)
Crème Brulée (vanilla & bits of caramel)
Mogador (milk chocolate & passionfruit)

I recently became aware of another patisserie, which will surely make our "must visit" list the next time we visit Paris! How can you not think of a rose garden when visiting the site of Maison Boissier? The beautiful soft colors and the flavors! I dare you to tell me that the list of flavors of their guimauves (it is very nearly an insult to call them "marshmallows") does not make you dream!. . .

fleur d’oranger (orange blossom), abricot (apricot), citron (lemon),
fraise (strawberry), framboise (raspberry),
mandarine (mandarine orange), myrtille (blueberry),
noix de coco (coconut), citron vert (lime),
vanille (vanilla), violette (violet).


Oh, and "Les Pétales", petals of chocolate in these divine flavors...
Parfums aux fruits : citron vert (lime), clémentine, fraise (strawberry),
pétale lait et noir (milk and dark chocolate petals)
Parfums aux fleurs : rose, violette, verveine (lemon verbena), lavande, jasmin
grué noir (dark chocolate nibs), caramel thé (caramel tea),
menthe lait et noir (mint with milk and dark chocolate).

So, until I can relish the warmth of spring as life returns once again to the earth, these roses are here to bring their stored sunshine to us! Before we know it, we will all be exchanging sprigs of lily-of-valley once again on May Day!

(How nice that the DaDa Dolls will keep us company while we wait!)

5 Degrees of Inspiration House Party

Welcome Friends and Friends-I-Do-Not-Yet-Know,
Happy Blog Party to you! As a member of the Inspiration Avenue Team, I welcome you!

What inspires me? Anyone who knows me or reads my blog probably has a pretty good idea of a lot of the topics that inspire me, as my artwork or blog give life to most of them. Here are some images of inspiration for me. I hope they do the same for you.

Welcome to the House of My Imagination. All the rooms are decorated with extra glitter and sparkly bits in anticipation of your visit . . .

. . . and so we begin in Room One,
the Dining Hall,
so that you might sample food that inspires me. . .

. . .by taste. . .
(These pastries from Ladurée make me dream! Your first experience with the scentflavors of rose and lily-of-the-valley are something you will never forget!)

. . . by sight . . .
(Madame Joconde Eclairs from Fauchon)
Read my previous post about them here.
What is this lovely-looking item? You might think it was a dessert, but you would not be correct! It is Saint-Honoré Printanier de Légumes from Dalloyau, a tart made of tiny spring vegetables, fresh cheese and fresh flower petals!

. . .by anticipation . . .
I will definitely want to try this Wasabi Macaron the next time I visit the House of Pierre Hermé!

. . . by scent . . .
With which tea may I tempt you? Kusmi's Bourbon Vanilla, redolent of the exotic and beautiful vanilla pod, Caramel, warm and sweet, Spicy Chocolate with warm spicy notes or beautifully floral Violet?


. . . now, on to Room Two,
the Gallery,
so that you might see images that inspire me . . .

(An Ad for the coffee company Lavazza, a large sign with this ad on it was one of the first things I saw when we arrived in Paris at 7 am after not having slept all night!)

(An Ad from Fauchon)

(An Image from the Italian artist Nicoletta Ceccoli)

(An Image from the collection of Les Museés de Strasbourg)


. . . next,
on to Room Three,
the Library,
so that I might share with you
words that inspire me . . .

The Fig Eater, by Jodi Shields
This is a beautiful, dark, hypnotic book, meant to be savored over and over again. To read this book is to live in turn-of-the-century Vienna.

Paris Out of Hand by Karen Elizabeth Gordon, Barbara Hodgson and Nick Bantock (author of the Griffin and Sabine series)
This gorgeous book is a tour guide of Paris, but not Paris as it actually exists. It is a surreal, dadaist tour of the Paris of the Mind. This lovely little jewel box of a book will make you dream of visiting The City of Lights.

. . before we leave the library, I hope you find inspiration in some quotes by my favorite poets and writers . . .

"Poetry is . . . the human soul entire, squeezed like a lemon or a lime, drop by drop, into atomic words" - Langston Hughes

"Very much so. Hopelessly. I just love that time so much. It’s unfragmented and velvety. My mind is very free at night.” - Karen Elizabeth Gordon, when asked if she was a night person.

"And the day came when the risk (it took) to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." - Anais Nin

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage" - Anais Nin

(For further inspiration, please consider reading anything by Colette or Edward Gorey)


. . .and in Room Four,
The Listening Room . . .
. . . I hope you find yourself inspired by the music that currently inspires me . . .

a strange, joyful mix of the following:

almost anything from Joy Division (always "Love Will Tear Us Apart".
Consider this a shout-out. He knows who he is.)

"Sketch for Summer" by Durrutti Column

"Sunshine and Love" by The Happy Mondays

"Six Bells Chime" by Crime and the City Solution

"Fistfull of Tears" by Maxwell

"Song to the Siren" by This Mortal Coil (this came to me as inspiration from V by way of something posted by J.
You inspire me always. I love you so much.)


. . .Finally. . .
in Room Five. . .
the Observatory. . .
Please gaze with me at the Number One Place that has inspired me:
. . .being watched over by our Dear Friend,
Mademoiselle Moon!

Goodbye Dear Friends and New Friends!
Please have fun visiting the other parties being hosted by the other participants of The Inspiration Avenue Blog Party!
May you be inspired!

Betty

Spring, As Definined By Laduree

Spring in Paris is beautiful, made even more so by some of the patisserie houses' spring collections of pastries. In particular, Laduree's two spring and summer flavors are definitely some of the most wonderful things about the warm-weather seasons!

Some excerpts from their press release:


"A Romantic Spring at Ladurée:
Ladurée is celebrating spring with a Château de Versailles theme. A romantic decoration made up of interlaced designs, medallions and flower bouquets with antiquated colours houses the new box of macaroons with various spring flavours and a definite boudoir feel."


"Ladurée is particularly fond of the month of May and pays homage to it each year by creating a limited edition of its famous, irresistibly-flavoured Lilly-of-the-valley macaroons.

. . .Fleeting and traditional at Ladurée, on the occasion of the first of May, this macaroon is filled with a light and creamy white cream,flavoured with a touch of Lilly-of-the-Valley.
- A Creation by Philippe Andrieu -"



"It is with the sun and summer in mind that Pastry Chef Philippe Andrieu devised the new Ladurée macaroon. Its radiant sun-yellow shell encloses an unctuous, Bergamot flavoured cream which is both sweet and bitter. Tangy and sun-drenched, this new flavour macaroon will make the perfect summer treat this year."


The lily-of-the-valley macaron was one of our very favorite flavors, one I describe as a "scentflavor", as they taste just like they smell. Indescribably delicious and unusual.

We so wish we were there to get to try the bergamot flavor! One our favorite teas is Earl Grey and it is the oil of bergamot that is used to give the tea its beautiful perfume-like scent and flavor.

Very Happy Day of Love and Valentines!

(Images: Lisa Kettell of Moonfaires, Majik Design and Asunder Ephemera)

Also, thank you so much to Soul Journal for allowing me to participate in my first-ever blog party!


Dearest Friends,
Wishing you a very most happy day! May you have a day surrounded by beautiful valentines, wrapped in yards of organza and silk ribbons, wreathed in roses and indulging in delicious chocolates, pastries and of course, your favorite cup of tea!  Don't forget that if you are alone today, please treat yourself.  YOU are your Best Valentine Friend!

This is my playlist for the morning:
La Vie en Rose- Louis Armstrong, I'm In the Mood for Love - Bryan Ferry (I love all the violins in this!), Si Tu N'Es Pas La and Guilty - from the Amelie soundtrack, Les Barricades Mysterious and K. 213 - from the Marie Antoinette soundtrack (oooh, harpsichords!), and for the rest of the day, all four disks of Lullabies to Violaine by the Cocteau Twins!

So, in honor of this special day, here is my fantasy French pastry indulgence for our Heureux Saint-Valentin!:

The Rose Religieuse from Ladurée:

This is composed of a small and a large cream puff, the small is filled with pastry cream scented with rose water and the large is filled with the same rose cream and a small layer of raspberry puree.  The whole thing is covered in royal icing, also scented with rose and joined with buttercream.  

The next is on my wish list for our next trip to Paris.  This is the Coeur Infiniment Vanille (Infinite Vanilla Heart):

This is one of Pierre Hermé's beautiful cakes, made in a heart shape for this special day. Every part of this cake is made with vanilla from three sources: Mexico, Madagascar and Tahiti.

And finally, heart-shaped pâtes de fruits from Hediard:
Mr. V and I fell in love with pâtes de fruits from Pierre Hermé (his variety called "Celeste" made of layers of passionfruit, strawberry and rhubarb), but these were so beautiful we would have to try them too! Pâtes de fruits are made by cooking down large amounts of fresh fruit until it is a thick jelly consistancy (much more concentrated than jam or jelly) and then cutting into squares (or in this case hearts). They are the most perfect essence of the fruit captured for enjoyment long after the fruit has left the trees, bushes and brambles.

Wishing you a beautiful day!

Betty