Tea at Trianon: Floral Seasonings

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

Thursday, April 14, 2016

Floral Seasonings

From Victoria:

Compound butters—known for their ease and versatility—can be fully customized to fit any menu or occasion. For our version, whipped butter becomes a creamy canvas for featuring a variety of peppercorns mixed with finely chopped chives, shallot, garlic, and oregano. Pressed into the velvety log, a smattering of radish flowers, society garlic, and oyster leaf lends accents reminiscent of the ingredients for which the buds are named.

Smoothed across pumpernickel bread for delectable Tea Sandwiches, the softened spread holds cucumber topped with radishes, smoked salmon, and microarugula. A garnish of oyster leaf completes the presentation. This perennial herb, also called oyster plant or sea bluebell, is grown throughout North America and leaves a hint of seafood on the palate.

Captured at their peak of beauty and preserved in ice, delicate blooms appear unaffected by time or gravity. The secret to success is pouring water into a mould a little at a time and freezing in stages—a technique that can also be used to create other frosty centerpieces. (Read more.)