Tea at Trianon: Pumpkin Monkey Bread

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Pumpkin Monkey Bread

A fun and delicious recipe.

Monkey bread. It’s almost as much fun to say as it is to eat, and with the arrival of autumn, I couldn’t stop thinking about taking my usual recipe and kicking it up a notch with the addition of pumpkin – so, of course, I did. Making monkey bread has always brought with it feelings of nostalgia for me, which makes it one of my favorite sweets to share with family and friends. In fact, the day after I made it, I invited a good friend over so that I could share it with her, along with some apple cider – a lovely way to spend an autumn afternoon, if you ask me! Even though it takes some time to make, most of it is hands-off time – like any yeasted bread, you can leave the dough to rise and go off and do other things while you wait. Make this over the weekend and serve it for breakfast (or brinner, I won’t tell), and share it with a friend! (Read entire post.)