Madeleine Raspberry Shortcakes

My daughter and I made up these yummy summery treats by starting with a traditional idea, changing it, and assembling the ingredients in the quickest, easiest way.

The original idea was to make a strawberry shortcake for dessert. At the store I got inspired to do a twist on the traditional when I saw these little, luscious Madeleine cakes and some beautifully ripe, red raspberries. Instead of assembling it all on a plate as I originally intended, my daughter simply picked up a Madeleine, scooped on some whipped cream, and placed raspberries on top.

What could be simpler? They’re pretty, delicious, easy to eat by hand, and a great combination of tart fruit, creamy goodness, and buttery cake. You could use blueberries too to make a festive and colorful 4th of July sweet. Bon appetit!

Foodzie: Taste Something Different

I’ve recently subscribed to the Foodzie Tasting Club, featuring monthly deliveries of new and different edibles hand-picked by foodies based in San Francisco. I heard about Foodzie from Brit Morin on Google+ and decided to try it out.

Each month Foodize sends an email to subscribers with a link to choose one of three tasting boxes. It costs $29.95 a month including shipping. Foodzie focuses on artisanal small food makers, and creates themes around the tasting boxes to tie the items together.

My first delivery was the Brooklyn Tasting Box, which featured items from urban artisan food providers in that fine city. I enjoyed trying:

- Rosemary Onion Crackers (tasty and light)

- Organic Dried Mangoes (good but I like Sigona’s better)

- The King Candy Bar (named after Elvis)

- Beer Truffles (my husband loved them)

- Bacon Fat Old Bay Peanuts (oh yeah, these were surprisingly delicious)

- Farmhand Granola (good but not great)

My second delivery was a Sweet and Savory Snack Box offering another set of new and fun edibles to try:

- Sparkling Yerba Mate Classic Gold drink (interesting- I’d been curious about yerba mate)

- Syrian Pepitas (naturally savory and crunchy, a healthy munchie)

- Organic Dried Plums (much much better than typical prunes)

- Bumble Chocolate and Peanut Sesame Candy (not so great- I like Chinese sesame candies better)

- Parmesan Rosemary Microwave Popcorn (yum, you add the flavorings after popping and shake everything in the bag)

My latest delivery was a Portland, OR Tasting Box including:

- Artisanal Spanish Salami (wow- packs an intense flavor punch with nutmeg and cloves)

- Dry Roasted Salted Hazelnuts (yum, the best hazelnuts I’ve had)

- Marionberry Pate de Fruit (delish gelled burst of berriness)

- Red Raspberry Soda (refreshing sparkling juice soda)

- Chocolate Coconut Cookie (raw vegan cookie was better than I expected, with a soft texture and date-coconut-chocolate taste)

I’ve enjoyed trying all these new artisanal food products from small producers, and look forward to discovering many more in future tasting boxes. If you want an easy way to try new, flavorful food items delivered to your door, join the Foodzie club.