Have I told you all about Paul's fascination with the French language? I took 6 years of French in middle and high school and was a member of the National French Honors Society. I was also told by my French teacher that I spoke French with the worst American accent of anybody she had ever tried to teach. As soon as I finished high school, I decided to avoid the French language for as long as I possibly could. Paul, on the other hand, absolutely loves the French language. His ancestry is French Canadian, and he loved French in high school. He continued French in college, and lived in France for a while after college. He reads French books and listens to French radio for fun. When Charlotte was born, he decided to try to speak to her mainly in French. I wasn't thrilled about it (I thought she wouldn't learn English as quickly), but quickly gave in. Her English is much better than her French, but she does understand many French words and uses some of them appropriately (which, in my unbiased opinion, is very cute!) . I normally skim Dorie's recipe head notes to get right to the instructions. Paul, on the other hand, loves hearing the background of the recipes and the other tidbits about life in France. He was especially interested in this week's header. Funny that with all of their precise expressions, the French steal "weekend" from English!
Anyway, on to the cake. My favorite thing about this being a brown butter cake is that the butter doesn't need to be at room temperature to start. For me, that's often the hardest step of making a cake. I skipped the rum (we were out), and use vanilla paste instead of the vanilla bean. I liked this cake plain, but liked it better with whipped cream and some brandied figs that I canned last year. It was good fresh, but even better toasted. This is a great basic cake, and I'm happy to have it in my repertoire.
Sounds like you didn't need the rum with the brandied figs...that looks like a winning combination to me. I always think it is interesting when I come across an English word the French have adopted. And I always think it is a hoot that in French you need to add/multiply to recite numbers...99 is my favorite...lol! Your cake slice is making me envious that I didn't serve mine as such!
ReplyDeleteI also used vanilla paste…great stuff! Your cake looks beautiful…brandied figs…wow!
ReplyDeleteI love that Paul is teaching Charlotte French! Children are like little sponges…they can pick up so much! My mothers parents were from Lebanon and my grandfather would drive us to school each morning, because they didn’t have buses to the Catholic school. That’s where he taught us to count and speak some Arabic phrases! Some of my fondest memories!
I love that Paul is teaching Charlotte French. My parents were both french and
ReplyDeletespoke it at home. Not one of the 6 children picked up on it and I truly think that is a shame. After I retired, I took a French course at a local college. I enjoyed it but I do not speak it well at all. Too late in the game, I guess. This was a wonderful cake, a definite repeat.
Yes, this cake tasted wonderful dolled up! Your cream and fig topping sounds awesome!
ReplyDeleteBrandied figs - I'll take it!
ReplyDeleteI think that it is fun that Charlotte is learning French :-)
Your fig topping sounds delicious but I like the idea of toasting the cake even more. Glad it was a hit for you.
ReplyDeleteYou did it right by adding fruit and cream on top! Yum!
ReplyDeleteOh brandied figs sound fantastic! I loved the part about the French ;0) too good.
ReplyDeletecheers!
When I looked at the pic of your cake I thought it was topped with prunes! Glad to hear it's brandied figs. Much fancier! Kudos to you for canning your own. I took French for many years in H.S. and college and though I was taught advanced levels, I could never speak it beyond the present tense!
ReplyDeleteJora, your French would be superior to mine - I have never studied it. LOL at the differences between you and Paul when reading the recipes - I just skim for instructions like you. Your cake looks lovely.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post…your french would be better than mine so good job!
ReplyDeleteI love your French stories. I am getting the idea that I need to toast this bread, several people have made this comment. I really would like to try some of those brandied figs, yum.
ReplyDeleteThat's so great that he's teaching her French. She won't have to worry about her accent when she gets older. Half my family is French Canadian, but my accent is still horrible. Love your accompaniments for this cake!
ReplyDeleteWhipped cream and brandied figs must take this over the top! It looks great!
ReplyDeleteWow, brandied figs... yes please! Love your French story. :)
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