Daily rounds no more: Eccles Cakes

At breakfast, we all have our habits. Despite the pleasure to find our favorite products every day, I remain convinced that messing up these habits is the best way to never get bored. I am far from having tried everything on morning delicacies, but I can say that Eccles Cakes are no more part of the list. 

I've been cooking (truth)

By the look of the blog, it seems like I haven't been cooking for a while: wrong! Actually, I've been quite busy these last weeks, mostly doing jobs that didn't get me any money (and that's not about to change yet). Parts of them were for myself, like re-designing my professional website, my logo, developing a font based on it and designing business cards. You can see a bit of it above. I guess nobody's suprised I work under Alphabakery's name. I just can't seem to escape typography and baking.

Last drip of Easter dough

I have said before that I'm often surprised to see it's sometimes the ugliest preparations or those that seem to have failed, that others like most. But the funny thing is, it's mostly men who make this remark. I guess you don't necessarily need to spend hours putting up incredible recipes to please them, and sometimes even being a little wilder and offhand can make a good cake spicy. 

Bubbly Rabbits

There is something incredibly childish with a cookie cutter. Initially, we want one because we need all the cookies to be perfectly identical, because it's more serious, more luxurious, more je-ne-sais-quoi, but one thing is sure: we want it done right. And we want it done quickly. But put one into my hands, and I want to press it, squash it everywhere, even outside the dough. I want to cut out pieces of land, coat it with paint and dab it onto the walls… in short, I want to multiply figures just like only rabbits can do.

Squared droplets

My future is appearing on the horizon in small colored dots. They vibrate like flaming stickers who would commit their whole being to Seurat.

By the Hedge of the Window

Sun was shining, strong and hot against my face. Morning was calling. Or afternoon, maybe. I wasn't sure anymore. I rubbed my hands against my forehead and down to my chin.

Where was I? I didn't want to open my eyes to know it. I wanted to know it before I did. I tried to feel everything my body was touching. A soft mattress, cushions, big and full, and a cover. A single one. A thin layer that didn't cover my feet. But they weren't cold. They probably were sunbathing.

Peanut-Beak masks

Dreamy visions invade me while I finish my journal in the park. My handwriting is changing. My fingers are frozen. But it's beautiful. The freshness in the air, geese, ducks, moorhens, riders of the evening. But mostly, yes, more importantly, calm. Two pigeons are struggling on the roof of branches and hide the breathing of a commuter train that rides a little further behind me.

Candid Blossoms

He looked at the sky, his lips tight but slightly raised in the corners and his nostrils flared. For a moment he stood motionless, watching the white sky puncutated with thin frothy layers, until a tear formed in the hollow of his right eye. His eyes blinked wildly and shut. Then a glowing smile formed around his mouth while he raised his hands against his closed eyelids. A moment later I heard him exhale deeply.

The Honeycomb Queen

As promised, here is the second batch of declined cookies from the recipe made in the previous post. Being a diligent student, I made my list of possible things to represent is a crispy version. And as I had a beautiful collection of decorating stuff by my side, I knew it was possible to do almost everything. But I found that the list of animals represented was a bit short. Chicks, rabbits, fishes... Either it's a bright yellow, fluffy but mild, or it's shiny and moves in masses. But isn't there an option to put everything together? No, maybe not, but it's at this exact moment that I thought about bees.

Creation of Bells

Easter has now passed and biscuits were taken away with it. Now, remains only some chocolates and decorations that have not had the chance to be used. But there will be a good opportunity for them. There is always room for a little color. Therefore, the few following messages will be devoted to preparations for Easter's feast.

Birdy Bunkers

Despite my great production for Jonsi's concert, I had to stop before I used all the dough and put the remaining in the freezer, certain that soon there would be a good opportunity to bake it. It's not even a week later that it happened, since there was my father's birthday. What's better than a loving Alphabaked! box for that special day? I admit that it arrived a little late, but it's the advantage of biscuits : they are dry already, so they last longer (if you don't eat them straightaway).

°O Bubbles O°

Two weeks ago, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the final rehearsals of Jonsì, the terribly talented singer from the Icelandic band Sigur Ròs. Now I start writing, I realize I'm not going to get out it with a few lines, because the images in my head are still bright. It will however have to be. I'll put in this message only what is about the biscuits I made for the occasion. I will write an upcoming topic on another creation I realised for the evening. 

Carnations for you, xx

This is not surprising that the date for National Day changes from country to country. It also could not be more logical, since it is almost always (at least I think) in relation to a historical fact. In France, it's July 14th, the day that marks the end of absolute monarchy, and the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille. 

Fudgy-Yamas

I think some recipes are truly cursed. This for example. You see, instead of the text you are reading, there was another much more interesting. But once I had composed the whole message on the Internet, and despite the fact that I had saved it, something tripped. There was a progression about me being sure that this recipe would work well. I said when I felt confident and I had much hope for the result, and chose the best ingredients to be sure I - and others - would enjoy the experience. 

Douggy Dots

The Alphabaked! project continues with new small batches of biscuits! This time, I present you Douggy Dots! Especially created for the birthday of my friend Christophe, Douggy Dots are tiny crunchy squares, stuffed with candied pineapple for an exotic taste, and covered with a rum and pineapple liquor royal icing (who will loosen tongues of lead) and topped with a colored chocolate drop we call Smarties in France (that will make round bellies gaze longingly). Small exotic pixels to posterize a personal message! Yeppy!

Honey, my Rosebuds!

Following a short stay in Paris, which allowed me to see a handful of friends over a glass of tea and cake, I realized with great pleasure that almost everyone came on this blog. Comments are not indicative of the passage, but they are now accessible to all, no need to register. So go ahead! Among those with whom I spent some time was Charlotte, who asked me right away if I was cooking with flowers. After a moment's reflection, I realized I never had. A plan was immediately built in my head : I'd be working on a recipe as soon as I got back and would send it to her.

Dear spicy Good-Fellows

message for Christmas of 2009 :

For the first time this year, I decided to make gingerbread fellows, with a recipe as traditional as possible. I wanted them to implode with spices and to have the funniest shape I could master. The recipe that was the most attractive to me was the one in La cuisine des Fées, by Christine Ferber, and despite the fact tha the dough has to rest for an extremely long time, I must say they have nothing like those I have tasted before. The taste of spice blends perfectly with orange zest, and honey gives them a barely sticky texture that melts against the puck.

Jingling Christmas balls

message for Christmas of 2009 :

For a second batch of stilish biscuits I used a recipe that could maintain a fairly clear color, like a blank canvas ready to be interpreted by the painter. The comparison is a bit strong, because I do not pretend to make art here, especially when my goal with these crunchy painted biscuits was to find an occupation for my youngest and impatient cousin! Of course, it's impossible to keep his attention during such long hours of design, so I took over until the end! I don't complain at all. I loved doing that.

Stained glass window biscuits

message for Christmas of 2009 :

I found perfect cookies to put a small Christmas tree with golden thread to keep them high. But that's a shame to leave them in there because they are really good, very dry and crispy, yet softer after a few days of waiting. In addition, it's quite cheap, doesn't take place in the house once the holidays have passed. The best point : every year you can renew these. This recipe comes from many websites, but I found it on the great page held by Jasmine.