Joyeux anniversaire, Madame Greenspan. Félicitiations
Today is Dorie’s birthday. October 24th. We tasked two of our Doristas, Liz Berg, That Skinny Chick Can Bake, and Susan Lester, Create Amazing Meals, to organize a virtual celebration worthy of our leader. Also, of note, Dorie’s 11th cookbook, Baking Chez Moi, Recipes From My Paris Home to Your Home Anywhere, arrives in bookstores next week.
Palets de Dames, Lille Style, a frosted tea cookie, from Baking Chez Moi, Recipes from my Paris Home to Your Home Anywhere
Why not be the first to bake from Dorie’s new book, they suggested, before it’s published? We had a Plan. Dorie shared four recipes from Chez Moi so we each made our choice. Cookie-monster than I am, the Palets de Dames, Lille Style, a frosted tea cookie, was my pick. Described as “adorable”, Dorie suggests that “with wide, flat uppers iced in white with rounded bottoms, they look like children’s tops or open parasols.”
With Dorie Greenspan who was the keynote speaker at last year’s IFBC in Seattle.
To that I will add, “and, are doggone delicious”. The palets are easily made, a sugar cookie that’s hand-dipped in icing. I know two 11 and 13-year-olds who can bake these for Christmas. The secret, I discovered, was to make them small. I started large and finally worked down to using a 2-teaspoon capacity cookie scoop. Because I devoured five of these little darlin’s while they were cooling, I packed the rest up and delivered them to the Pitkin County Library crew and The Gant kids. No complaints.
I balanced off my sugar-high with Pacific Cod and Double Carrots, last week’s French Friday’s recipe choice. Dorie’s recipe called for monkfish but any fleshy white fish will work well. What makes this dish a hit is the double carrots sauce. I’m not a fan of cooked carrots and this recipe doubled down on them, using both carrots and carrot juice. Surprisingly, this duo worked, enhancing the fishy taste of the cod. Good enough for dinner guests, that’s for sure.
Pacific Cod with Double Carrots
For her past five birthdays, Dorie has been working on Baking Chez Moi. One can only imagine the work, time and effort that this cookbook represents. Having received an advance copy months ago (thank you, Dorie), I’ve discovered these are plain and simple baked items that I can replicate quite successfully. I know that was Dorie’s goal and, to my mind, she scored. My next effort? Tarte Tropézienne, so named because it was Brigit Bardot’s favorite dessert!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, sweet DORIE and, also, to my many good friends who have October Birthdays – Ellen Fahr, Michelle Morgando, Amalia Sciscento, Cathy O’Connell, Marysue Salmon, my Mother, who would have been 98 years old on October 4th – and, yours truly.
To see what my colleagues chose to bake this week – Cannelés, Chocolate Cream Puffs, and Brown Butter-Peach Tourte – visit our French Fridays link. I have shared links to all the recipes in today’s Posts. As I mention weekly, we are an international cooking group having a blast working our way through Dorie Greenspan’s Around my French Table, more than 300 recipes from my home to yours.
I need to make these cookies this weekend – they look so delicious! Here’s to 4 more years cooking and baking together!!
Wow, I am the first to comment I think. I am so sad you didn’t save one of those little morsels for moi.
I love little tea cookies.
Anyway, and a very happy birthday for your special birthday divisible by 10 and by 5 and by 7. So special you and Smokey.
You look fabulous dahling.
Hugs, TTR
We never would have connected had it not been for Dorie…one of the many blessings that resulted from this group! Your iced cookies ARE adorable! Perfect way to celebrate all the special birthdays. xo
Well then, happy birthday to you too! There is much to celebrate this October and it looks like you baked yourself up a worthy birthday treat. And, tasty though they were, I also had to get rid of the leftovers by sending them off to work with my husband.
Lucky you to already have a copy of the new book. I’m adding it to my Christmas wish list:-)
My sons birthday is today, too! And I didn’t even mention it on my blog post!
I really need to bake these cookies…they look delectable, Mary! Love how smooth the frosting looks!
I am also proud to be a Dorista, and be part of this wonderful group of cooks and bakers! Kudos to us for four years well done!! Cheers!
Your cookies are adorable. The fish was good – I enjoyed it.
Always good to brush off a sugar high with a good dose of protein and carrots!
Happy FFWD Anniversary! And Happy Birthday to Dorie!!!
I’m glad to see you’re still celebrating and that you have so much company. October is a big month for birthdays in my family, too. Your cookies turned out beautifully and I don’t blame you for packing them up and giving them away. That’s what I did, too, because they’re truly addictive.
I’m so looking forward to receiving my copy of Baking Chez Moi and gearing up for more years of blogging together. Laurie made a wise choice when she seconded you and Betsy and I think you’ve become a wonderful community-builder for our group. And you leave great comments.
I hope we get to meet someday, too.
These cookies are delightful (management liked them!); safer to have them in smaller sizes! Good job! The fish and the double carrots look FAG! I enjoyed the carrot sauce too!
i meant to type FAB!
ps: Happy Birthday Mary!
These cookies are delightful (management liked them!); safer to have them in smaller sizes! Good job! The fish and the double carrots look FAG! I enjoyed the carrot sauce too!
Happy Birthday Mary!
Your delicious looking cookies made me think of Goldilocks and the bears – a size for everyone. I’ll take a big one please! 🙂
That’s a great photo of you and Dorie!
Your cookies look fantastic Mary and that Tart Tropezienne looks incredible! I can’t wait to get my copy of the book.
(I’m not a fan of carrots either and I also was surprised at how much I enjoyed the fish dish!)
Happy birthday weekend again, dear Mary. Thank you so much for your kind words of encouragement. I know we will bake up many successes with Baking Chez Moi – the thought of getting my bakers’ wings scares me and excites me at the same time. How wonderful that you got an advanced copy! I can’t wait for the email from Amazon announcing its delivery on Tuesday.
The palets look divine – the perfect treat to share with a group. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the monkfish and carrots but I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Beautiful cookies, Mary! Thank you for the birthday wishes and wishing you the same.
well I know (in no uncertain terms) that your baking efforts are always appreciated with those you share with cuz I can hear the resounding “mmmmm’s” from here!! you are so sweet, Mary!! It’s been great to share all of our baking and cooking adventures together over the years and how exciting that we have still so much time together!! Happy Trifecta Celebration, Mary!
Yep, these are totally addictive! I’m SO jealous that you got an advanced copy! I can’t wait to get mine when I see Dorie on the 5th!
Your comment on my post almost made me cry! You are so special to both of us and we keep talking about what we’re going to do when we get to see you again! Thank you for reaching out to John – it really meant a lot to him.
Have a lovely weekend! xoxo
Loved this entire post- the sentiments, the photos and of course, your cooking results ! I loved that I was there when your photo with Dorie was taken – I remember that event like it was yesterday and had a phenomenal time with my Mom and all the Doristas. Really something else. But then, this whole 4 year adventure has been, no ? You have been a really amazing part of our community who rallies the troops with your positive energy, enthusiasm and generosity. I am looking forward to cooking BCM along with you and hitting up that cookie recipe next !!
When Tricia signed us up for this “blogging thing” I was very apprehensive. But, guess what, it has given me something
to think about, plan, and enjoy. We have made such wonderful online friends, and the ones we actually met in Seattle,
including Dorie and her wonderful husband Michael, was beyond anything I expected. It has been quite an adventure.
As for breakfast in bed, why the heck not, you only live once and I intend to enjoy it all.
This was a lovely way to celebrate the birthday, anniversary and the new book. I am looking forward to more
delicious recipes and continuing this journey with all the Doristas.
Thanks for the cookie compliment. You are right, cooking with the group is a blast. I didn’t realize you were a cookie monster, so am I as well as my family. I liked the picture with you and Dorie, such fun. You and my son have something in common, he dislikes cooked carrots too. I serve them raw until he changes his mind again. Happy baking.
I hope your birthday was FABULOUS! I love the cookies you made. Your granddaughters are going to love making these. I’ve been enjoying them with my tea. Wish you were here so we could share them while we celebrate together. Sharing the admin of FFWD with you over the past couple of years has been a gift! I can’t imagine not knowing you.
Happy Birthday, Miss Mary.
You were on my mind all throughout my vacation this past week – every time, I passed a Smokey the Bear statues, I thought of Miss Mary. Some rangers were taking Jr. Rangers through Grand Canyon NP and I could totally see you doing that… and of course, when we had to make our flight connection through Las Vegas, I knew that was another Mary haunt. Mountains + the West = Mary Hirsch in my mind…
Here’s to a new adventure, this time on the baking front. Cheers.
The cookies look delicious! I thought about making these but decided to save them for later. I can’t wait for my book to arrive so I can see what all we will be baking! I loved the carrots in the fish and carrot recipe. I’ve make it several times. I’m looking forward to more cooking, baking, and blogging with you Mary!