Lavender

I have the most beautiful places to write. When I’m at my writing desk, I look out the window and see two rectangular Lavender beds. In the summer, the buzzing of bees creates a noticeable hum as thousands of them hover over the flowers and sip the sweet nectar. When a gentle breeze wafts through the open windows, the scent of the flowers hangs in the air and reaches my nose. It creates a calm haven as I write, transporting me to the fields of Lavender I remember from traveling to Provence, in Southern France. I have always loved Lavender for its beauty and scent, but I didn’t realize how interesting its history was until I began writing The Suitcase Adventures: Paris-Behind the Peacock Gate.

As I learned more about Lavender, I discovered it has been a natural kind of apothecary for over 2500 years. Ancient herbalists used Lavender for its many medicinal benefits, such as antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. Roman soldiers would take Lavender into the battlefields with them to treat and heal their wounds. I find it interesting that the Latin root “lavare”, which means to wash (where the French verb se laver comes from) is so closely linked to Lavender. Romans used it to scent their baths, hair, beds, and clothes. It was used as a perfume and room freshener as well. The scent of Lavender also repels moths and other insects, which is one of the reasons small pouches of dried Lavender, or sachets, became popular to place in dresser drawers.

The healing properties of Lavender are still used today. The use of Lavender oil is said to provide antioxidant protection, heals cuts and burns, improves acne, and alleviates headaches, migraines, and motion sickness. It is commonly used in aromatherapy and in skin care and bath products. The calming effect of Lavender is known to soothe anxiety, alleviate stress and depression, and relieves insomnia. It’s truly amazing that this beautiful plant has so many effective uses.

Since Lavender is part of the mint family, it is used in cooking, too. It can be found in Herbes de Provence - a mixture of herbs from the region of Provence, and is added to give a unique freshness to cheeses, desserts, drinks, meat, salads, seafoods, and soups . Because of its rich purple color, it is a naturally beautiful adornment in the artistic presentation of foods. You can find some unique recipes that use Lavender here: http://www.lavendersense.com/index.php/Lavender/Recipes

In my upcoming novel, The Suitcase Adventures: Paris-Behind the Peacock Gate, Brianna finds out that her French grandmother, Mamie, owns the Dubois Soap Company. Mamie’s company makes soap from the Lavender fields the family purchased long ago near the town of Èze. Brianna discovers that in the days leading up to the French Revolution, Roland Dubois, her great-great-great-great grandfather, was King Louis XVI’s chief soap maker. He became a confidant to the king and was one of the only people he could trust. As a gift of thanks to Roland for his loyalty, Louis XVI gave Roland land near the town of Èze. Since Roland had the noble name Du Bois, which indicated he was part of the nobility in France, which was under attack by the revolutionaries at the time, he fled Paris and escaped to Èze. It was there that he began planting Lavender on the rolling hills of Provence, and the Dubois Soap Company was born.

Generations later, Mamie still runs the company, owns the Hôtel de la Paix in Paris, and manages the Dubois family fortune. Mamie has conducted herself with the highest of moral and ethical standards…until now, or at least that’s how she feels. When Mamie disappears, Brianna must use what she’s learned about her family, and herself, to save Mamie and the family fortune before it’s too late.

I look forward to sharing another glimpse of Brianna’s adventure with you next month.

À bientôt.

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Le Pain au Chocolat

One of my favorite pastries in France is Le Pain au Chocolat - or Chocolate Croissants. I look forward to un pain au chocolat accompanied by un chocolat (hot chocolate) as the perfect start to my day each time I visit France. Le Pain au Chocolat has an interesting history that seems to be influenced more by the Austrians than the French.

In 1683, the Austrians were under attack by the Ottoman Empire in Vienna. During the siege, a baker was in his kitchen, beginning his daily routine of lighting the ovens to bake the morning bread, when he heard the Turks, tunneling under the walls of the city. To alert the militia, he rang an alarm which allowed them to collapse the tunnels and save the city. To commemorate the Viennese victory, the baker created a crescent-shaped bread - representing the crescent-shaped moon on the Turkish flag - and so the crescent-shaped pastry was born.

Legend has it that another Austrian influenced the making of the croissant in France. Marie Antoinette came to France as a fifteen-year-old Archduchess from Austria. She was the youngest daughter of Empress Maria Theresa and Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor. She was to marry France’s king, Louis XVI, in order to strengthen the relations between France and Austria - two countries who had been long-time enemies. It is said that Marie Antoinette missed her homeland’s “kipfel” - German for crescent - so much that she requested the royal baker to create a French version of it, and so the croissant - French for crescent - came to be. This version of the croissant’s history seems to be more legend than fact.

A version of the story that seems more believable is that of another Austrian, named August Zang. He was an officer in the Austrian artillery who founded a Viennese Bakery in Paris in 1839, 46 years after the French Revolution, where Marie Antoinette met her demise. It is said that he is the one who introduced the “kipfel” to the French, which later inspired the French bakers to create their own tasty version. Whereas the “kipfel” is more like a crescent shaped cookie, the French claim the croissant is a French invention because of its puff pastry texture.

And so, you may ask, why is the pastry we’re learning about today not called un croissant au chocolat? A pain au chocolat differs from a croissant because it has a stick of chocolate cradled inside the layered pastry dough. It is not rolled into a crescent shape, but rolled in a straight line, like a jelly roll. Because the shape of the pastry is not in the form of a crescent, the word crescent - croissant - has been removed from its name, and it is literally translated as “chocolate bread”.

In my upcoming novel, The Suitcase Adventures: Paris-Beyond the Peacock Gate, the main character, Brianna, enjoys a pain au chocolat for breakfast on the morning of her solo trip to Paris. She sits on the backyard patio next to her mom who reassures her that she is ready for the adventure ahead. The warm, buttery croissant oozes delicious chocolate into Brianna’s mouth with each bite. Her fears are held at bay… at least for awhile.

If you would like to make your own pain au chocolat, there is an excellent recipe with photos and a video below that explains all the steps. It’s a relatively easy, but long process. The dough has to be rolled out, then it must rest in the refrigerator several times for many hours to get it ready for the baking stage. Here is the link:

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-chocolate-croissants/

If you would like to make an easy, less traditional, but still delicious, pain au chocolat, you could use refrigerated crescent rolls and baker’s chocolate pieces. Roll out the crescent rolls and separate the dough into triangles, following the perforations. In the center of each triangle, place a small piece of the baker’s chocolate. Roll the triangle beginning with the longest edge towards the pointed edge, and place on a baking sheet. Bake according to the directions on the can, and voilà! You have created your own scrumptious treat. Enjoy!

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