Tea at Trianon: Thyme Scones

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, May 15, 2021

Thyme Scones

From Victoria:

Deeply caramelized dried figs pair with creamy goat cheese to create undeniably delicious scones with flawless texture. Each scone is bejeweled with chewy Valley Fig Growers’ California Figs and studded with toasted walnuts, taking the sweet and savory experience to the next level. The secret to the perfect crumb? Figs, dried at their prime, add intense fruitiness to scones without incorporating the variable moisture of fresh fruit. This leads to light and fluffy scones that are picture-perfect every time. The thyme-infused glaze gently drizzled on top of each scone creates a dreamy finishing touch.

Located in the fertile San Joaquin Valley, Valley Fig Growers’ grower-owned cooperative has been packing delicious, nutritious California Figs since 1959. The best figs come from California, where fertile soil, hot and dry summers, and cool and wet winters produce delicious fruit with a high nutritional content. Valley Fig Growers’ California dried figs are always GMO-free and grown and processed in California, making you reach for these dried figs again and again. (Read more.)