Proust Cooking Show Script

Begin with camera in an extreme close-up on one Madeleine

Camera switches to kitchen were Libby stands behind a counter full of ingredients and cooking utensils

Hello everyone! Today I am going to show you how to make Madeleines. Madeleines are type of mini sponge cake that originated in France in the 19^th century and “look as though they had been moulded in the fluted valve of a scallop shell”. Today, Madeleines are still a classic French treat that is now sold around the world.

Screen switches to list of ingredients

Voiceover:

For this recipe, you will need:

2 eggs

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 


1/8 teaspoon salt 


1/3 cup white sugar 


1/2 cup all-purpose flour 


1 tablespoon lemon zest 


1/4 cup butter 


1/3 cup granulated sugar

Camera switches back to view of Libby in kitchen – eye-level shot

Before you start, make sure to preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Libby walks over to oven and twists nob. Then she walks back to the counter.

Ok! The first step is to grease and flour the madeleine molds. To do this just rub some butter into the mold, and sprinkle a thin layer of flour over that.

Libby does this. Camera focuses on her hands and the Madeleine molds – bird’s eye view

Next beat eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest in a bowl on high with an electric mixer for 5 to 10 minutes.

Libby mixes these together. Music plays while she does this. The only the first and last few seconds are shown on camera.

Gradually add in the sugar and continue to use the mixer.

Camera zooms into the bowl to show this process.

Gently fold flour and baking soda into mixture. Do this carefully because we want to keep the fluffiness of the egg mixture. Then fold in the melted butter.

Camera remains focused on bowl.

Now that we have made our dough, we need to form the madeleines. Carefully pour the mixture into the madeleine molds.

Camera is focused on Libby’s hands while doing this.

Libby puts tray in oven and sets timer for 10 minutes.

While the madeleines are baking, I am going to tell you a little about my most recent experience eating a madeleine. The madeleine reminded me so much of my childhood. “This sensation having had on me the effect which love has of filling me with a precious essence. The sight of the little madeleine had recalled nothing to my mind before I tasted it; perhaps because I had so often seen such things in the meantime, without tasting them, on the trays in pastry-cooks' windows, that their image had dissociated itself from those Combray days to take its place among others more recent; perhaps because of those memories, so long abandoned and put out of mind, nothing now survived, everything was scattered; the shapes of things, including that of the little scallop-shell of pastry, so richly sensual under its severe, religious folds, were either obliterated or had been so long dormant as to have lost the power of expansion which would have allowed them to resume their place in my consciousness”. I hope that you all experience a similar feeling when tasting the madeleines you make today.

Timer dings in background

That would be them!

Libby goes to oven and pulls out tray of madeleines and brings the tray to the counter.

These look fantastic! Carefully take the madeleines out of the molds using a fork to help. Let these cool.

Scene dissolves into a bird’s eye image of the madeleines on a nice platter.

And now we have 24 perfect and delicious madeleines! Thank you for watching, and tune in next week to learn how to make Macarons!

Blog Post Reflection - Cox Hall

        The Cox Hall blog post was my favorite post to write so far this semester. I liked that I could interview classmates, and that it was about a place we have all been to and experienced. I actually wrote that blog post in Cox Hall, hoping that my feelings on the environment there would show through in my writing. Both interviewing, and going to Cox Hall myself were various styles of research that I used in writing this blog post. Writing my post in Cox Hall also required me to think critically about which details are the most important to include in an ethnography. I felt that I did a good job of incorporating personal anecdotes with factual information about Cox: “Since the dining hall serves everything from tacos to coffee, the cavernous room has a refreshingly unique smell that is inviting and makes my stomach growl”. This sentence is one such example.

       While I really enjoyed how this blog post turned out, there are still a few things that I would change. I used the same sentence structure for the majority of the blog post. If I were to write a revision of this post, I would try to incorporate more of a variety of sentence lengths instead of only using long sentences. “Cox is the perfect place to go with a large group of friends because of the long tables, but might not be the best place to sit and eat your meal if you are there alone like I was”. This sentence can easily be split into two smaller sentences to really accentuate my point.
      Overall, I really enjoyed writing this blog post because it gave me the change to try out writing in a new genre, practice incorporating research into my writing, and thinking critically about which details to add to my blog post.

Proust excerpt analysis

“The Cookie”, and excerpt from Marcel Proust’s novel Remembrance of Things Past, is an eloquent tale about the wonders of childhood. The story begins with Proust explaining that his life and his existence no longer have any meaning for him. He accepts a cup of tea and a cookie from his mother, which he normally refuses. When he first takes a sip of tea in which he had dunked the cookie, Proust experiences such intense pleasure. “And at once the vicissitudes of life had become indifferent to me, its disasters innocuous, its brevity illusory - this new sensation having had on me the effect which love has of filling me with a precious essence; or rather this essence was not in me it was me” (Proust).

This feeling is that of nostalgia and wonderful memories of the past. The cookie represents the simplicity and ease of childhood as compared to the emotionless present. Proust explains, at the end of his story, that just this one sip of tea allowed him to see the world as if he was a child again, with wonder, curiosity and amazement. “The whole of Combray and its surroundings, taking shape and solidity, sprang into being, town and gardens alike, from my cup of tea” (Proust).

Heading Home Pie

I am going to name my pie Heading Home Pie because that is what is dominating my life right now: thinking about going home to see my family. I am going to line the pan with a thick layer of crust and fill the center with a mixture of crushed cranberries and brown sugar. I am going to put a layer of weaved dough on top to give it that classic and traditional look, perfect for the holidays. Then I will top with a puff of whipped cream and sprinkled with pumpkin seasoning. I want to make my pie Thanksgiving and fall themed in anticipation for the holidays.

My pie is created from my feeling of anticipation and excitement of going home and for the holidays. Fall and the holidays are my favorite times of the year because my whole family comes together to celebrate seeing each other and staying close. It’s during the holidays when I fully appreciate my family and friends for all they have done for me, so I want to make this pie in anticipation of my favorite time.