Francophile Friday: Religieuse Habit

{Religieuse Mint & Violet : ink & watercolour illustration by Shell-Sherree}

Hello, February!  I could hug you ~ though your continued heat and humidity will make for a steamy embrace.  {In the right company, that can be quite a nice thing...} Anyhoo, as January is typically the month for breaking self-defeating habits and creating healthier ones, this little pastry treat is served up as a reminder to keep your eye on the prize now that we're a month down the track.  {It could be a crumby reminder if cutting pastries is one of your goals by reason of insanity.  Let's not go there...}  This pretty morsel is a Religieuse, which means 'nun's habit' because it's said to resemble one.  I chose mint and violet because ~ well, it's a girl's perogative.  And I imagine the nuns would like a change.

And I'm going to be very lazy today and not even vaguely attempt to give you the story about its creation in 1855 by pastry maestro Frascati, because I know a tough act to follow ~ and Adam at Paris Pâtisseries is one witty cookie.  Hop over and have a read, and step away from your cup of tea or coffee before you do.  {Your keyboard and monitor will thank me later.}  When you're ready, let's meet for a five tiered stand of these treats.  Keep your linen napkins at the ready to catch any pastry flakes, as we're glamming it up this time, being our first Parisian get together for 2013 and all. And on that note...

Happy Francophile Friday to you!

PS: Just a little courtesy note that my print store will be closing soon.  If you'd like to partake while you can, please click here to browse.

19 comments

  1. I want to be lazy. Lets be lazy together,

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  2. Take 2: Nuns aren't the only ones to want a change of habit

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  3. This is a new dessert to me. It looks much too delectable and tempting, so it's a good thing I don't have a plate of them before me right now :)

    But to share a five-tiered stand of them with everyone would be delightful. We could lounge about in comfy chairs and sofas, being lazy to our hearts' content.

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  4. I think you've earned a holiday anyway, Margaret!

    Cali ~ talk about a blast from the past. I didn't know you were an Elvis fan. ;)

    Ms M ~ it was new to me, too ~ the macaron phase has caught on here but I haven't spotted these. Now that I've said that, I'll see them everywhere! Hugs to you and Macie.

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  5. Beautiful, as always!
    Its odd to think of February (my birthday month, so I somehow feel it belongs to me) as being warm or steamy - its still winter where I am.

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  6. Nuns should be so lucky.

    Darjeeling, February is yours, just as March is mine.

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  7. Aaah, my fave over-the-top French pastry. Merci, ma belle—and also for the link. Since a picture is worth a thousand words but nary a single calorie, I can devour that beauty with my eyes and not gain an ounce. C'est parfait!

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  8. That doesn't look like a nuns habit to me.
    But if indeed they looked, and tasted, like these, well, I'd probably date a nun.

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  9. When Holly and I were in Paris in October, we saw a man in the 15ème eating a pastry under an awning in the pouring down rain. I could not see it very well but he was almost moaning as he devoured the whole thing. I asked him what it was and where he had found it...

    Holly and I at least shared one and proceeded to do the same. It would never have made it back to the apartment!

    Adam has a very nice job eating all the pastries in Paris! I love his site and have used his lists for my pastry hunt.

    Bises,
    Genie

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  10. I've never heard of this pastry either. I figured its name originated from the religious experience it evoked upon indulging. From Genie's description, perhaps that's not far from the truth. I am looking forward to glamming it up in mint with you in Paris!

    Or will you be wearing your slate dress? It's divine!

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  11. Thanks, Darjeeling ~ it's so lovely to see you again! Happy birthday for whichever day this month you're celebrating.

    Petrea ~ I can't believe yours is just around the corner again. They are already selling hot cross buns in supermarkets here. Could they not at least have the respect to wait until they've finished exploiting Valentine's Day?

    I consider my zero-calorie eye candy a valuable community service, dear Alexa!

    Cafe ~ oh, you're a naughty puppy dog. ;)

    Genie ~ so, did you flip a coin to decide who had the larger piece? I love the way Adam describes it as 'treat yourself to the baby as your dessert's dessert.'

    Susan ~ that's what I thought about the name when I first heard it, too. Sounds like it has an appropriate double meaning. As for our get together, I was going to mint match, but since you love my new dress, so much ... I might trade the gumboots for glass slippers, though, in case Hugh's around. Just temporarily. ;)

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  12. Can have enough good habits.

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  13. That philosophy has a lot going for it, hiker.

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  14. And to think, I could have been eating these the whole time I was in Paris. I'm bummed.
    V

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  15. Dang, V! Something to look forward to for next time...

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  16. Love this drawing! I've never eaten one of these as they always seem so fancy, so maybe I need to just dress up in a pretty mint outfit, flounce into a pastry shop, and get one!

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  17. Katie, I prescribe one of these for your next trip. Doctor's orders!

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  18. I see a ton of little white arms reaching up to hold a hat on top of a pastry top

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  19. I can see your creative mind a mile away, PA.

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Merci, grazie, thank you for joining our conversation lounge. Your smile lights up the room. Even more beautifully than our crystal chandelier. x

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