Julia Child's Reine De Saba 🎂 Queen of Sheba Cake

 Julia Child's 

Reine De Saba 🎂 Queen of Sheba

Cake

The easy, chocolate-packed cake everyone is baking after watching HBO's new Julia Child series

The first French cake Julia Child ever ate makes a cameo in the first episode of the HBO series "Julia"
By Ashlie D. Stevens   April 4, 2022

After watching the first episode of "Julia," the HBO limited series about the titular Julia Child, I added a few ingredients to my grocery list for the week: several ounces of chocolate, almonds and cream of tartar. Everything else I would need to make Child's Queen of Sheba cake — eggs, butter, cake flour, coffee and sugar — was already on hand in my kitchen pantry. 

That's the appeal of this dessert, which made a special appearance in the series' premiere wherein Child (played by Sarah Lancashire) leverages the cake to win over a group of dismissive male executives at Boston public TV station WGBH. It's so effortless to make that even a child could do it.

 In fact, as Salon's TV critic Melanie McFarland wrote in her review of the series, "The recipe's simplicity also is why I could make that cake in grade school, having copied down the ingredients from a recording of 'The French Chef,' the very show she's pitching."

She continued, "In the same way Lancashire's Julia arms herself with an extra helping of chocolaty persuasion, I made my share of Reine de Sabas for school occasions and church functions, for gifts to neighbors and friends, as general a token of, as Julia might have put it, bonhomie."

But what, exactly, is a Queen of Sheba cake? The Queen of Sheba cake, or Reine de Sabas, has long been a standby in French cooking. Moreover, it was the first French cake that Child ever ate. 

As the Washington Post reported in 1984, it's named after a Biblical figure - a queen who traveled from Sheba to visit King Solomon in order to assess his wisdom and discuss trade. There's some disagreement, though, as to where Sheba was located. Some scholars believe it would have been a region in present-day Yemen, whereas others believe the queen was from Ethiopia.

Regardless, the queen's name came to be associated through time with Black excellence and richness. Beyoncé, for instance, name drops the Queen of Sheba in her "Mood 4 Eva." Earlier, as Faye Levy wrote for The Post, "imaginative French chefs thought of her when creating new, sumptuous chocolate desserts."

The Queen of Sheba cake is distinct from other French cakes like the fraisier or mille feuille — which are airy or intricately layered — because it's fudgy and moist. The bake time is relatively short — Child recommends less than half an hour — and it doesn't require any delicate piping or stacking. That's not to say there aren't variations.

"Some opulent ones are topped with chocolate cream frosting," Levy wrote. "Others are baked in a ring mold and served with whipped cream in the center. Still others are accompanied by a smooth custard sauce. All versions are fine when served plain and are perfect for a festive menu." 

At its core, however, the Queen of Sheba cake is incredibly simple. If you revisit the episode of "The French Chef" in which Child makes the dessert, she says the key to its texture is an easy meringue. It's made by beating egg whites and sugar until "stiff, white peaks" form. They get folded into a mixture of melted chocolate, pulsed almonds and the rest of the cake ingredients for a flavorful batter. (FYI: You can also watch Child make the cake in this excerpt of her video book "First Courses and Desserts" on YouTube.)

In "First Courses and Desserts," Child decorates the cake with "chocolate on chocolate on chocolate on chocolate." When the camera pans to the cake, there are two bubbling glasses of champagne in the background — a nod to how this cake is best shared with the people you love (or the TV producers you're trying to impress).

🎂 INGREDIENTS

• 2  tablespoons dark rum or 2 tablespoons strong coffee
• ¹⁄₂  cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ¹⁄₂  cup granulated sugar
• 3  egg yolks
• 3  egg whites
• ¹⁄₄  teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 pinch salt
• 2  tablespoons granulated sugar
• ¹⁄₃  cup blanched almond (pulverized in blender or food processor with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar)
• ¹⁄₄  teaspoon almond extract
• ¹⁄₂  cup cake flour

DIRECTIONS

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set the oven rack in lower middle level.

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2.    In a saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate in the rum or coffee. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, cut butter into. 

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3.    pieces and cream it. When soft and fluffy, add sugar and beat 1 minute. Beat in egg yolks until well blended. 

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4.    In another bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Beat in cream of tartar and salt and continue beating until soft peaks are formed. Gradually beat in 2 tablespoons sugar and continue beating until stiff, shiny peaks are formed. Blend melted chocolate and coffee or rum into yolk mixture, then add almonds and almond extract.

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5.    Stir a quarter of the egg whites into the chocolate using a rubber spatula. Scoop the rest of the whites over chocolate and, alternating with sprinkles of flour, rapidly and delicately fold in the egg whites. Turn batter into buttered and floured 8-by-1 1/2-inch round cake pan, tilting it in all directions up to the rim all around. Set in preheated oven. Bake 25 minutes. 

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6.    Cake is done when puffed to the top and a toothpick inserted 2 to 3 inches from edge comes out clean. The center should move slightly when the pan is gently shaken. Remove pan to a rack and let cool 15 minutes. Unmold onto rack. Let cool 2 hours before storing or icing.

 🎂  NUTRITION INFO

• Serving Size: 1 (80) g
• Servings Per Recipe: 8

🎂  AMT. PER SERVING % DAILY VALUE

• Calories:  334.7
• Calories from Fat 214 g 64 %
• Total Fat 23.8 g 36 %
• Saturated Fat 12.8 g 63 %
• Cholesterol 92.8 mg 30 %
• Sodium 49.3 mg 2 %
• Total Carbohydrate 28.1 g 9 %
• Dietary Fiber 3.1 g 12 %
• Sugars 16.2 g 64 %
• Protein 6.2 g 12 %

 “This is from Julia Child's first book, The French Chef. 

DrGaellon :  Absolutely delicious. I used a coffee-flavored rum, so I got both flavors in there. I found the original French Chef episode online and watched it; she glazed the cake with a loose butter-based ganache. I used 3 oz semisweet chocolate, another 2 tbsp of the same rum, and 4-5 tbsp butter. I melted the chocolate and rum over a double boiler, then whisked in the butter a pat at a time. I poured it over the top of the cake and coaxed it over the sides with an offset spatula. I then coated the sides with more ground almonds. Once the glaze set up a bit, I transferred the cake from my rack to a serving plate. I found another variation from one of her other cookbooks which suggested making individual cakes by using a supersized muffin tin, which I will try another time. One last tip; if not glazing or frosting the cake, use cocoa powder instead of flour to coat the inside of the pan, that way you don't get white streaks on the surface of the cake.

 

https://www.food.com/recipe/julia-childs-reine-de-saba-queen-of-sheba-cake-240126

 

🎂 Reine De Saba Cake 🎂

(Chocolate Almond Cake)

Jamie & Julia
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https://youtu.be/NLVLY7dxgMs

Recipe:
3 ounces semisweet chocolate,
plus1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
2 tablespoons dark rum or 2 tablespoons strong coffee
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 egg yolks
3 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 pinch salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup blanched almond (pulverized in blender or food processor with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar)
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup cake flour

(Chocolate Almond Cake) | Jamie & Julia
Recipe:
3 ounces semisweet chocolate,
plus1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
2 tablespoons dark rum or 2 tablespoons strong coffee
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 egg yolks
3 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 pinch salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup blanched almond (pulverized in blender or food processor with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar)
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup cake flour

• that one almond that fell at 6:45 like ✌🏽✌🏽
• OK. The I need a Bowl Thing. 1:09 Cracks Me UP.
• you sounded like Julia when you skinned the almond! (4:01) Nice job! 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR8gyS7wt4CmDwJ_JC6KP_g

 

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Queen of Sheba Cake

Prep Time:  20m

Bake/Cook Time:   30m

Yield:   1, 9-inch cake

Looking for an easy to prepare cake with exceptional taste and luxurious texture? Look no further - it's right here. Queen of Sheba Cake is a French classic full of chocolate and almond flavor and topped with a chocolate glaze. Simple, yet sophisticated.

Ingredients

Cake

• 4-ounce bar quality chocolate or 2/3 cup chocolate chips (about 55-60% cocoa)
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, very soft
• 1/2 cup Dixie Crystals Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons Almond liquor, Rum, or orange juice
• 3 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup almond flour*
• 1/2 cup minus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour*
• 4 large egg whites
• 2 tablespoons Dixie Crystals Extra Fine Granulated Sugar

Chocolate Glaze

• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds

• *Spoon & Sweep method: Use a spoon to fill measuring cup with flour until required amount is obtained. Scooping measuring cup directly into flour bag will firmly pack flour resulting in too much flour required for recipe.
  

 Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a spring form pan or line bottom and sides with parchment paper and set aside.1
2. If using chocolate in a bar form cut it to chocolate chip size pieces. Place in a microwave oven proof bowl and heat in 10 second increments until melted. Set aside.2
3. In a bowl large enough to hold all ingredients mix butter until creamy. Add sugar and salt and mix until light and fluffy. Add liquor and once mixed in add melted chocolate.3
4. Add one egg yolk at a time followed by vanilla extract.4
5. Fold in almond flour followed by all-purpose flour.5
6. In a separate bowl whip egg whites and remaining sugar to medium peaks. Gently fold one fourth of egg whites into batter. Add another fourth and once combined add remaining whipped egg whites.6
7. Transfer to prepared pan and place in oven.7
8. Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until center bounces back when lightly pressed with a finger.8
9. For chocolate glaze, bring water to a boil. Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate.9
10. Spread chocolate glaze on cake and quickly place almond slivers around the edge of the cake before the glaze sets.
    

 https://www.dixiecrystals.com/recipes/queen-of-sheba-cake

 🎂 🎂 🎂 🎂 🎂🎂 🎂 🎂 🎂 🎂 🎂 🎂 🎂 🎂

Animals 🐾 Compilation

Dog and Magpie Bird Playing!

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Best Babies and Animals Compilation

[HD]

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Cat and Dolphins
Playing Together!
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NYC 🗽 Stop And Kiss 😘 Program

Mayor Defends NYPD's Controversial

😘  Stop and Kiss 😘  
Program

The outgoing mayor continues to stand by the police's 
routine kissing of New York citizens
VIDEO

The Onion released a new "report" spoofing New York's controversial "Stop and Frisk" laws, replacing the "Frisk" part with something equally invasive.

The spot-on parody features both police footage and tense debate on the subject, culminating in a quote from Commissioner Ray Kelly saying, "This is what post-9/11 police work looks like. Honestly, if we could kiss everyone in New York City, we would."

That's not as nice as it sounds.

Take a look at the clip and make sure to watch to the end for a laugh-out-loud teaser for the upcoming segment.

 Countries Fooled
By  "The Onion"

Conspiracy Theorist Convinces Neil Armstrong That Moon Landing Was Fake

Both The Daily Banab Zamin and The New Nation (two Bangladeshi papers) picked up The Onion's story about Neil Armstrong finally being convinced that the moon landing was staged, not knowing the story was fake.

😀

Congress Threatens To Leave D.C. Unless New Capitol Is Built

The Beijing Evening News printed parts of this article as fact, including a fake Dennis Hastert quote complaining that the Capitol "is no longer suitable for a world-class legislative branch. The sight lines are bad, there aren't enough concession stands or bathrooms, and the parking is miserable." No concession stands? But this is AMERICA.

Gallup Polls: Rural Whites Prefer Ahmadinejad To Obama

Iran: The Fars News Agency published and tweeted this poll saying that rural whites preferred Ahmadinejad to Obama. The same poll also concluded "60 percent of rural whites said they at least respected that Ahmadinejad doesn’t try to hide the fact that he’s Muslim."

Kim Jong-Un Named The Onion's Sexiest Man Alive For 2012 

N Korea: By now everyone knows that the People's Daily published a 55-page photo spread of Kim Jong-Un because they believed that the Onion had seriously named him the "The Sexiest Man Alive." The Onion updated their article, chiding the paper by joking "exemplary reportage, comrades."

Denmark Introduces Harrowing New Tourism Ads Directed By Lars Von Trier

The Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera and the Norwegian paper Adresseavisen ran clips of this video as news.

Nation's Soccer Fan Becoming Insufferable

The French soccer website Sofoote.com published a photo and article about the only American soccer fan Brad Janovic under the headline "La solitude du supporter ricain."

New Anti-Smoking Ads Warn Teens 'It's Gay To Smoke'

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=HjsSVCLxcZ4

USA Today says the website Russia.ru believed that this was an honest video. 

The Onion a satirical news site released a hilarious "report" that spoofed New York's controversial "Stop and Frisk" laws.

Renamed "Stop and Kiss," the report stated that New York City officers are able to kiss any and everyone on the street as part of their jobs.

Hilarious, right? 

Cue everyone on the Internet who apparently  

didn't realize that the video was a joke.
 

Amazingly, a lot of people believe the piece is real, as Gothamist pointed out. They’re commenting on YouTube, voicing their outrage and confusion:

1.  NY got some shit going on with this stop-and-KISS program. Who in the TF thought of that wild ass shit????
2. I may be Late .. but What is This NYPD STOP AND KISS PROGRAM WTF???
3. I'm really confused about the NYPD stop and kiss program....
4. New York wild af. Police doing a stop and kiss program. Lmao.
5.  WTF NYPD GAY TALKING BOUT STOP AND KISS
6.  that stop and kiss program police in NY are doing is beyond my mental understanding. i still cant get my head around it, wtf is that?

Calm down, y'all. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/05/stop-and-kiss-responses_n_4392220.html

...and some comments from those who got the joke:

1. Absolutely hysterical, thanks for the laugh. 
2. It's nice to see New Yorkers kiss off the departing mayor's policies with humor.
3. Nothing unusual. Go to any leather bar and you'll see 'cops' kissing guys all the time. :)
4. ..and Indians and construction workers .  
5. I have no problem with it.. just watch the hands. 
6. I so picture Roseanne Roseannadanna when I see this 
   
7. I wonder if the FDNY will roll out a new campaign ....stop, drop, and blow 
8. I swear i thought this was real for 2 seconds! you never know what these cops can do.
9.  As long as there is a strict "No tongues" policy.
10.  Try it, might get you out of a ticket .
11.  Seriously, if men don't want to get kissed by the police, they shouldn't be dressed like that.
12.  Now that's a policy I can get behind....
13.  Or in front of...I'm versatile.
14. I'm going up to NYC next week. Let's hope the stop-and-kiss is still in effect. I'll be armed with some chap stick, just in case. 
15. I want to invoke a citizen's stop and kiss on all the beautiful women walking in NYC. 
16. So in further news, I'll be moving to NYC within the next 20 minutes. 
    
17. Yes, the end is killer. Now, I have to take a cold shower. 

   

Literally Unbelievable
Stories from The Onion as interpreted by Facebook

literallyunbelievable.org

Duccio di Buoninsegna 🎨 Maestà

Duccio di Buoninsegna

(c.1255–1260 – c.1318–1319)

Duccio was an Italian painter active in Siena, Tuscany, in the late 13th and early 14th century. He was hired throughout his life to complete many important works in government and religious buildings around Italy. Duccio is credited with creating the painting styles of Trecento and the Sienese school, and also contributed significantly to the Sienese Gothic style.

Maestà with Twenty Angels and Nineteen Saints  + detail below

22 November 2015     -      22 April 2008 

 

Larger Version at the End of Posting (Or Click on Photo for Larger Version)

Biography
Although much is still unconfirmed about Duccio and his life, there is more documentation of him and his life than of other Italian painters of his time. It is known that he was born and died in the city of Siena, and was also mostly active in the surrounding region of Tuscany. Other details of his early life and family are as uncertain, as much else in his history.

One avenue to reconstructing Duccio's biography are the traces of him in archives that list when he ran up debts or incurred fines. Some records say he was married with 7 children. The relative abundance of archival mentions has led historians to believe that he had difficulties managing his life and his money.

Another route to filling in Duccio's biography are by analyzing the works that can be attributed to him with certainty. Information can be obtained by analyzing his style, the date and location of the works, and more. Due to gaps where Duccio's name goes unmentioned in the Sienese records for years at a time, scholars speculate he may have traveled to Paris, Assisi and Rome.

Nevertheless, his artistic talents were enough to overshadow his lack of organization as a citizen, and he became famous in his own lifetime. In the 14th century Duccio became one of the most favored and radical painters in Siena.

Style

Duccio's known works are on wood panel, painted in egg tempera and embellished with gold leaf. Differently from his contemporaries and artists before him, Duccio was a master of tempera and managed to conquer the medium with delicacy and precision. There is no clear evidence that Duccio painted frescoes.

Duccio's style was similar to Byzantine art in some ways, with its gold backgrounds and familiar religious scenes, however it was also different and more experimental. Duccio began to break down the sharp lines of Byzantine art, and soften the figures. He used modeling (playing with light and dark colors) to reveal the figures underneath the heavy drapery; hands, faces, and feet became more rounded and three-dimensional. Duccio's paintings are inviting and warm with color. His pieces consisted of many delicate details and were sometimes inlaid with jewels or ornamental fabrics. Duccio was also noted for his complex organization of space. He organized his characters specifically and purposefully. In his "Rucellai Madonna" (c. 1285) the viewer can see all of these qualities at play.

Duccio was also one of the first painters to put figures in architectural settings, as he began to explore and investigate depth and space. He also had a refined attention to emotion not seen in other painters at this time. The characters interact tenderly with each other; it is no longer Christ and the Virgin, it is mother and child. He flirts with naturalism, but his paintings are still awe inspiring. Duccio's figures seem to be otherworldly or heavenly, consisting of beautiful colors, soft hair, gracefulness and fabrics not available to mere humans.

He influenced many other painters, most notably Simone Martini, and the brothers Ambrogio and Pietro Lorenzetti.

History
The painting was installed in the cathedral of Siena on 9 June 1311. One person who witnessed this event wrote:
« And on that day when it was brought into the cathedral, all workshops remained closed, and the bishop commanded a great host of devoted priests and monks to file past in solemn procession. This was accompanied by all the high officers of the Commune and by all the people; all honorable citizens of Siena surrounded said panel with candles held in their hands, and women and children followed humbly behind. They accompanied the panel amidst the glorious pealing of bells after a solemn procession on the Piazza del Campo into the very cathedral; and all this out of reverence for the costly panel… The poor received many alms, and we prayed to the Holy Mother of God, our patron saint, that she might in her infinite mercy preserve this our city of Siena from every misfortune, traitor or enemy. »
Besides the Virgin Mary and the Baby Jesus, saints depicted in the painting include John the Evangelist (to the left of the throne); Saint Paul; Catherine of Alexandria; John the Baptist (to the right of the throne); Saint Peter; and Saint Agnes.^[3] In the foreground are Siena’s various patron saints: Saint Ansanus; Saint Sabinus; Saint Crescentius; and Saint Victor.
Creating this altarpiece assembled from many wood panels bonded together before painting was an arduous undertaking. The work was not only large, the central panel was 7 by 13 feet, but it had to be painted on both sides since it could be seen from all directions when installed on the main altar at the centre of the sanctuary.
The altarpiece remained in place until 1711, when it was dismantled in order to distribute the pieces between two altars. The five-metre high construction was dismantled and sawn up, and the paintings damaged in the process. Partial restoration took place in 1956. The dismantling also led to pieces going astray, either being sold, or simply unaccounted for. Extant remains of the altarpiece not at Siena are divided among several other museums.

The Maestà, or Maestà of Duccio is an altarpiece composed of many individual paintings commissioned by the city of Siena in 1308 from the artist Duccio di Buoninsegna. The front panels make up a large enthroned Madonna and Child with saints and angels, and a predella of the Childhood of Christ with prophets. The reverse has the rest of a combined cycle of the Life of the Virgin and the Life of Christ in a total of forty-three small scenes; several panels are now dispersed or lost. The base of the panel has an inscription that reads (in translation): "Holy Mother of God, be thou the cause of peace for Siena and life to Duccio because he painted thee thus."  Though it took a generation for its effect truly to be felt, Duccio's Maestà set Italian painting on a course leading away from the hieratic representations of Byzantine art towards more direct presentations of reality.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duccio

Axolotls 🐟 Have The Best Smiles😊

Axolotls
😊 Have The Best Smiles  😊

Axolotls are Masters of Regeneration

Meet the Axolotl, a Mexican Salamander that scientists and the internet alike love for their amazing ability to regenerate limbs, and probably for that derpy smile.

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😊   😍  😊

This little animal might have the world's cutest smile

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 😍     😍    😍

Axolotl
My little Pet Alien

👇    📺    👇😍   😊  😍😊  😍  😊
Cool Cute Aquarium Mexican Salamander

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Axolotl also known as Mexican salamander or Mexican walking fish, is a neotenic salamander, closely related to the tiger salamander.

Although the axolotl is colloquially known as a "walking fish", it is not a fish, but an amphibian.

The species originates from numerous lakes, such as Lake Xochimilcounderlying Mexico City.

Axolotls are unusual among amphibians in that theyreach adulthood without undergoing metamorphosis.

Instead of developing lungs and taking to land, the adults remain aquatic and gilled.

A sexually mature adult axolotl, at age 18–24 months, ranges in length from 15–45 cm,

although a size close to 23 cm is most common and greater than 30 cm is rare.

Their heads are wide, and their eyes are lidless.  Their limbs are underdeveloped and possess long, thin digits. Males are identified by their swollen cloacae lined with papillae, while females are noticeable for their wider bodies full of eggs.  Three pairs of external gill stalks originate behind their heads and are used to move oxygenated water. The external gill rami are lined with filaments to increase surface area for gas exchange. Four gill slits lined with gill rakers are hidden underneath the external gills.  Axolotls have barely visible vestigial teeth, which would have developed during metamorphosis.

The primary method of feeding is by suction, during which their rakers interlock to close the gill slits. External gills are used for respiration, although buccal pumping may also be used to provide oxygen to their lungs. Axolotls have four different colours, including two mutant colors. The two normal colors are "wildtype" and melanoid. The two mutant colors are leucistic (pale pink with black eyes)

and albino (golden, tan or pale pink with pink eyes).

😊   😍  😊
 All about Keeping Axolotls
Mexican walking fish
(best not to keep these on gravel)

Though some people have Axolotls successfully on gravel for years. Please be warned that it can be a problem. You are better with a fine sand or a large pebble

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Studying more pet ads on Craigslist last night I came across an ad selling Axolotls.  What are Axolotls you say?  

Just the cutest little happiest Mexican salamander you have ever seen!  They live up to 10 years, are relatively simple to take care of, and look awesome.  Also, they were $10-$25, buy two get one free.  Bonus, these ones had the gene that makes them glow under black lights.  Double awesome. THEN I read that they regenerate limbs!  

Could they get any more fascinating?  Of course then I had to research them more and found out that yes, those are external gills, they are native to Mexico swamps and were a staple in the Aztec diet. 

http://life-of-la.blogspot.com/2014_06_01_archive.html

 

😊😍😊

Meet my Axolotls

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