larecherchedelalune

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About

I love croissants. There is no other way of saying it. I love their crispiness on the outside and the soft buttery texture of the middle. I love delicate, €1 croissants from Paris and I love massive $6 croissants from the Mansfield bakery. This blog chronicles my adventures in viennoiserie, chai (my all-time favourite accompaniment to a croissant) and also the other European food I come across on the way. Join me in my recherche de la lune!

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Review: Haute Cuisine

As you guys well know, I devote my life to finding the perfect croissant. However, my desire for understanding (supposedly) French cuisine does not stop here. That is why I found the film Haute Cuisine (2012) especially intriguing as it gave insight into the cultural significance of foods to the French.

 Released in 2012, Haute Cuisine (originaly Les Saveurs du Palais), depicts the story of a renowned chef from Périgord, Hortense Laborie (Catherine Frot). of President, Monsieur Francois Mitterand (Jean d’Ormesson). An indecorous relationship develops between The the President Monsieur Francois Mitterand (Jean d’Ormesson) and Laborie when she is unexpectedly requested to be his personal cook. Laborie appears as a maternal (and a lil bit romantic) partner to the president.

Hortense and the President meet by accident for the first time

This is interesting in the context of Jennifer Davis’ article in which she suggests that the French revolution in tandem with the culinary revolution of the 18th and 19th century lead to more women participating in the culinary world. Despite this however, they were still relegated to the private kitchen as opposed to the public commercial kitchen. Davis suggests that women are often perceived as cooks rather than chefs: “masculinity connoted aristocracy and luxury, while femininity symbolised simplicity and economy” (p.302). This film reinforces this idea, depicting the way in which Miterrand desires a woman to run his private kitchen, seeking a more rustic style of cooking, while the main kitchen is full of men attempting haute cuisine. For Miterrand, and presumably the rest of France, femininity symbolizes simplicity, rusticity, and authenticity, appealing to a sense of nostalgia. Hortense exemplifies this point actively cooking Mitterand cuisine inspired by his home region of Jarnac.

 The jealous main chef from the main kitchen consistently undermines Hortense

Overall, Haute Cuisine succeeds in depicting the life of a strong backboned female chef, in a male dominated cooking world.

 ★★★★ (4 stars)

 Mitterand and Hortense enjoying a glass of wine in her kitchen

See trailer below:

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Recipe: Madeleine

Beside the croissant, the French apparently have other delicious things to dip in my chai!

French Madeleines

The Madeleine is a simple cake made of butter, eggs, sugar and flour and sometimes lemon or vanilla. The cake is soft, fluffy and moist on the inside, while the distinctive shell shape ensures the exterior remains crispy.

 Madeleines hail from the Commercy in the region of Lorraine in France. Surprisingly, this cute little shell shaped cake is not named after everyone’s favourite French orphan. Like all good desserts, Madeleines have a disputed legend. The one to which I am most partial is the story of a young cook, known as Madeleine Paulmier. She baked these little cakes for a party at the Duke Stanislas Leszcyznki’s chateau, when his intendant and cook could not decide on a dessert because they were in a tiff. The Duke loved them and named them after the simple maid who followed her grandmother’s recipe. Soon the little cake conquered the rest of France. As a result, Lorraine is famous nationally for its Madeleines and internationally for that dodgy egg pie.

 Today, the Madeleine has a place beside every French cash register and is often served at children’s birthday parties, or at tea break, when one tremper sa madeleine or soaks their madeleine in a hot drink. The madeleine is a symbol of friendliness and conviviality.

 These little cakes have also made it into literature. The humble Madeleine features in a chapter in Proust’s penultimate novel La Recherche du Temps Perdu (some say I’m following in Proust’s footsteps in my recherche de la croissant), where the Madeleine brings back memories of his childhood. Proust’s reference to Madeleines made their existence known worldwide, highlighting Priscilla Parkhurst Ferguson’s assertion that it is ‘books not cooks’ that create national cuisines.

French Madeleines

(recipe originally from The Kitchn)

Makes 24 madeleines

Ingredients

4 oz (1 stick), plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 2/3 cup white sugar 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus 1 tablespoon, divided 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla Pinch of salt 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon lemon zest Powdered sugar (optional)

Instructions

Melt the butter. Melt the butter in a small sauce pan. If you feel you can get it slightly toasty brown, go right ahead and do so by leaving it to bubble in the pan until it smells toasty and starts to color. Just remember that the butter will turn very quickly from toasty to burnt and that it will continue to color after it is off the heat unless you pour it into a new container. Spoon 3 tablespoons of butter into a small bowl or cup and set aside. Let the rest of the butter cool slightly.

Prepare the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients in separate bowls. In a medium bowl, whisk together one cup of the flour and the sugar, and set aside. In another medium bowl, whisk the two eggs with the vanilla, salt, lemon juice, and lemon zest until the eggs are frothy.

Combine the dry and wet ingredients. Add the eggs to the flour. Using a spatula, stir until just combined. Add the 4 ounces of melted butter and continue to stir. It may take a minute for the butter to blend into the mixture but do not over mix.

Rest the batter. Cover the bowl with a plate (or plastic wrap) and place in the refrigerator to rest at least one hour and up to overnight.

Prepare the pans. Add the remaining one tablespoon of flour to the 3 tablespoons reserved butter and stir to combine. Using a pastry brush, brush the interiors of the shells with the butter-flour mixture so that they are well coated. Place the pans in the freezer for at least an hour.

Preheat the oven and fill pans. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the batter from the refrigerator and one pan from the freezer. Fill each well in the madeleine pan with 1 tablespoon of the batter. Remove the other pan and fill in the same way.

Bake the madeleines. Place both pans on a baking sheet for easy handling and place in the oven. Check after 8 minutes and rotate plans. Check again 5 minutes later. The madeleines should be browning around the edges and puffed up a little in the middle. Using your forefinger, press lightly on the center hump -- when the madeleines are finished baking, it should spring back at your touch.

Cool and dust with sugar. Remove the madeleines from the oven and let cool for 2 minutes. Using a fork, gently loosen the madeleines from their molds and then tip the whole pan out onto a cooling wrack or tea towel. Once cool, dust lightly with powdered sugar and serve. If you are freezing or storing the madeleines, do not dust with the sugar until you are about to serve.

To store. Store cooled madeleines in an airtight container for a few days or freeze them in a double wrapping of plastic wrap for several months. Let the cakes defrost before dusting with sugar.

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Recipe: Horchata de Chufa

I love me some chai with my croissant, and Horchata de Chufa is the perfect summer equivalent!

I first heard the word Horchata when I borrowed Vampire Weekend’s album ‘Contra’ from the public library in Mount Waverly in 2010. The first track on their second album is called Horchata, and while there is no extended mention to Horchata, other than drinking it in December and its ability to rhyme with ‘balaclava’, ‘aranciata’ and ‘Masada’, it has since fascinated me.

 Spanish Horchata usually uses soaked chufa or ‘tigernuts’ in English, combined with water, sometimes lemon, and delicious spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg. It is always served cold

Chufa originally grew in Egypt, and there is some evidence to suggest that the Egyptians made some form of Chufa milk. Arab traders brought it to Spain in the 7th century and the province of Valencia proved to be perfect climate and fertile ground to grow this tuber, resulting in the Horchata Spain is famous for today.

 The legend goes that a peasant girl offered some horchata de chufa to an Aragonese king. It was to his liking and he demanded the name of the drink, she answered that it was chufa milk. He replied "Açò no és llet, açò és or, xata" or “this is not milk, this is gold, girl!” Obviously he had little experience with milk and gold.

 Horchata has many derivatives, particularly in South America (potentially the Horchata to which Vampire weekend refer). Perhaps the most famous is the Mexican horchata de arroz, in which the tiger nuts are replaced with rice.

 Horchata has made somewhat of an impact in English speaking nations too, with the rise in paleo and other specialty diets, Horchata offers a healthy raw alternative to milk and sometimes even ice cream.

 The story of the migration of the Chufa and subsequently of Horchata is particularly interesting in the light of ‘authenticity’ in cuisine. Horchata is perceived as being an ‘authentic’ Spanish drink, however it was first drunk in Egypt, not Spain. Moreover it has subsequently migrated to South America and it is considered an authentic Mexican/Salvadorian/Nicaraguan etc. drink, despite it Spanish and Egyptian heritage. For me this highlights the way in which ‘authentic’ cuisine is dynamic and culturally and historically contextual – thus the notion of ‘authentic’ cuisine is a social construct rather than an absolutist notion.

 Horchata de Chufa

Recipe originally from https://www.tienda.com/products/chufa-nuts-nt-15.html

Makes 1 litre

 Ingredients 250 grams chufa nuts 1 litre of water 1 cinnamon stick (optional) 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel (optional) About 1 cup of sugar

 Instructions

Soak the chufa nuts in water for 24 hours.

In a blender, grind the nuts, water, cinnamon, sugar and lemon until you have an even, smooth mixture

Set it settle for a half an hour

Press the paste through a strainer to obtain fresh horchata

Refrigerate for at least an hour

Add ice or finish in the freezer for 20 minutes until slightly slushy

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Fitzroy Croissant Search

An intriguing synthesis of public housing, Asian takeaway joints, hipster cafés, and local designers, Brunswick street is the original home of the migrant. Despite the remarkable gentrification of the past 20 years, European inspired and fused cafés blend right in.

For me, Brunswick Street is home. I grew up here, spending an immeasurable number of weekends rummaging through tubs at Clear It, buying fabric in the Fabric store and enjoying cheese and tomato croissants and a chai (nothing’s changed) at Slowpoke espresso. And perhaps, due to an unawareness of my own heritage, I adopted the Fitzroy way of life as my own (despite living a few suburbs north). Unsurprisingly this draws up the importance of food and culture to identity. I embraced a Fitzroy sensibility for my identity.

 It is interesting to see the way in which migrant food cultures are adopted and interpreted by a Fitzroy audience. Alimentari (see below), for example, has entirely embraced a Fitzroy cultural identity, matching the other cafes in style, food, staff, décor and manner, renouncing its Mediterranean identity. At Bon Ap’ however, a bit further up the hill, red, white and blue feature heavily in the decoration, the staff speak French, Serge Gainsbourg plays in the background, arguably managing to hold on to its French roots (whether this is authentic or not, je sais pas).

 Nevertheless, Brunswick Street provides interesting and vibrant shops hidden inside earlier 20th century buildings, each bursting with their own unique personality while unified under the Fitzroy ambience.

 So once again, we return to the croissant search. Here I have identified three key Brunswick street cafés to visit for your croissant. Read the reviews below.

Alimentari

251 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy VIC 3065

Mo-Su 8-6

Established as a place to house the two owner’s Lebanese and Italian heritage, Alimentari has become a Fitzroy landmark. Serving up salads, sandwiches and pastries, this little deli come institution offers a new take on the Fitzroy café.

Kanye was on the speakers as I sampled their croissants. The croissants appear to be made offsite, as they do not seem to have the facilities to bake on premises. Placed precariously on a vintage tea saucer, the croissant delivered more in terms of style than taste. A little bit drier than I usually like my croissants, and relatively similar to the other croissants available from surrounding cafes. While I did enjoy my croissant and chai, Alimentari flourishes more in the realm of lunch on-the-go than French pastries.

Croissant while taking notes for this blog post

Lune Croissanterie

119 Rose St, Fitzroy VIC 3065 Th-Fr & Mo 7:30-3:30, Sa-Su 8:00-3:30

Although not technically on Brunswick Street, Lune’s croissant are so remarkable they deserve to be included. Tucked inside a converted warehouse, Lune turns croissants into an exact science – or art, depending on your perspective. The scientists are enclosed in a huge glass lab in the centre of the warehouse, framing their experiments.

And, man, do these croissant deliver. Served simply on a plate, the outside is incredibly crumby while the inside remains soft and buttery. The perfect combination.

Unfortunately however, Lune does not yet serve chai, so I was forced to pair this perfect croissant with a hot chocolate, which was incredibly rich. Despite this, Lune is worth the slightly inconvenient hours and odd seating arrangements and currently holds my award for best croissant in Melbourne!

After studying the croissant in France, the owners decided to bring their skills back to Melbourne, which was readily received. 

Bon Ap’

193 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy VIC 3065 Tu-Su 10-late, Mo Closed

Bon Ap’ has a special place in my heart because it reminds me so fondly of my Winter trip to Paris in 2016. Started by a couple of French boys in 2016, Bon Ap’ delivers French style meals throughout the day. Moving from a croissant or ratatouille in the morning, to escargot for lunch and moules au cidre (mussels cooked in normandy cider) in the evening, Bon Ap’ is French around the clock. The staff spoke in French to each other while Serge Gainsbourg and Brigette Bardot serenaded me as I enjoyed my croissant and chai (very French!).

While not meeting the scientific standards of Lune, Bon Ap’ had a sense of tradition on their side. This croissant was incredibly simple and delicious. It reminded me of the croissants I had enjoyed in France. This croissant was just a croissant in all of its glory. Perfect for those longing to return to France.