October 07, 2009

The History of Eggs according to Lauzun


As much as I love food I do not post about it as much as I ought. I came across this from the, sometimes dull, Memoirs of that saucy duc de Lauzun. It marks a ground breaking moment, to him and his party, in the forever interesting history of eggs:

"Yesterday morning, a day for ever memorable in the history of eggs, during breakfast all the implements necessary for the great operation were brought in: a cooking brazier, some new china sent-I believe, by you- some gravy, some salt, some pepper and some eggs, and behold! Mme de Lauzun, at first blushing and tremulous, but then with intrepid courage, breaks the eggs, crushes them in the pan, turns them right and left, over and over, with a precision and success quite unexampled.  Never had we eaten anything so good. The experiment was on a small scale, for there were but six eggs; it is to be repeated to-day on a larger number.  If she is to succeed equally well, it is an undoubted and superior gift."

There you have it. Scrambled eggs, omelets, a superior gift you should be so lucky to hold! The memoirs continue to include that Mme de Lauzun received 6 pretty aprons from her grandmother, decorated with lace for the 'triumph'!  I do not even have 1 pretty apron, but I think I should invest.  Suggestions?

October 05, 2009

Mother of Many

Maria Theresa, although having many children, always remained dedicated to state work, even if this resulted in a lack of 'family time.'  This was no less true when little Maria Antoina was born. There were days when the mother was so busy with work she had no time to see her brood!  As you can imagine this must be incredibly hard on any mother. 

For peace of mind each evening she would have a physician give her a run down on everyone's health of that day. When certain visitors were at court, however, Maria Theresa would have the whole family dine together, a treat for the younger children who did not often get to do so.

October 04, 2009

L'automne


Grévedon, Henri, 1776-1860., French. Les quatre saisons: L'automne

October 01, 2009

A Nice Surprise: Exhibition

What a pleasant surprise! The Morgan Library & Museum has opened their exhibition "Rococo and Revolution: Eighteenth-Century French Drawings" early!!  Be sure to stop by and let us know what you think!

They are open until 5pm today, and reopen at 10:30 Friday morning.