The Signature Cake (and a De-Cluttering Top Tip)

Before this week’s post begins check out my video called Clutter-Free Home: Checking the Mail. In the video I share with you my top tip for dealing with mail and paperwork in an orderly manner. If you are unable to see the embedded video above, click here, look in the sidebar of this blog, or visit my channel: www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur

And now for this week’s post:

The Signature Cake

When I lived in Paris one of the things that greatly impressed me were the homemade desserts we enjoyed on a regular basis. Madame Chic had her arsenal of recipes. Fruit tarts were her specialty- mainly apple in the winter and strawberry in the summer- but she also liked to make crêpes, custards, fruit salads and cake.

Madame Bohemienne had a few dessert recipes she always made as well but my favorite was her flourless chocolate cake. That cake was so moist and delicious… It looked very simple but was a show stopper and the ultimate pièce de résistance at her dinner parties. She told me it was really easy to make and that she didn’t even use a recipe anymore- she had made it so many times the steps and ingredients were engrained in her memory.

Having a signature cake recipe, a simple one that you can make easily and that you can perfect, is a great thing to have.

Since being back in America I have searched high and low for a flourless chocolate cake recipe that rivals that of Madame Bohemienne’s and I have found one that I can now call my own.



This recipe is from the Epicurious website. It’s a delicious recipe and oh so French. The ingredients are very simple, as are the steps (everything is mixed in one bowl- which also cuts down on cleaning time). The ingredients are also common- you will most likely have these things on hand in your home so if you find that you’ve got last minute dinner guests it would be easy to whip one together.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
4 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder plus additional for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375°F and butter an 8-inch round baking pan. Line bottom with a round of wax paper and butter paper. Chop chocolate into small pieces. In a double boiler or metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt chocolate with butter, stirring, until smooth. Remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat and whisk sugar into chocolate mixture. Add eggs and whisk well. Sift 1/2 cup cocoa powder over chocolate mixture and whisk until just combined. Pour batter into pan and bake in middle of oven 25 minutes, or until top has formed a thin crust. Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes and invert onto a serving plate. Dust cake with additional cocoa powder and serve with ice cream if desired. (Cake keeps, after being cooled completely, in an airtight container, 1 week.)

The recipe does require a double boiler like mine pictured below.



If you don’t have one of these you can always use a bowl over a pot of barely simmering water and that should work just fine. Also wax paper is imperative to line the bottom of the pan (and don’t forget to butter underneath and on top of the paper. This allows the cake to come out smoothly…) And finally, it’s not in the recipe, but a small sprinkling of confectioners sugar on top is a nice touch.

I would love to know… Do you have a signature cake?

To see the recipe on the Epicurious website, click here.

Jennifer's book, Lessons from Madame Chic: The Top 20 Things I Learned While Living in Paris, is now available in Paperback, Kindle and Nook.

Subscribe to The Daily Connoisseur on Amazon Kindle

Follow me on Twitter @jenlyneva

On Orchids and Chocolate

On this Valentine's week I thought it would be apt to do a post on romantic things like orchids and chocolates. A while back I did a video called How I Care for my Orchids that got a really big response from viewers. I decided to follow up on that video and show you the different orchid varieties I keep in my home and share with you even more tips for keeping beautiful orchids in this week's video: My Orchids.



If you are unable to see the embedded video above, click here, look in the sidebar of this blog, or visit my channel: www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur



And as for chocolates... I know they can be a bit cliché for Valentine's day but I get them every year for Mr. Connoisseur none the less. I still get a thrill from a box of chocolates and would never turn down an occasion to receive them (I'm making the assumption that he feels the same!) This year his box, pictured above, is from Chocolate Opulence in Santa Monica, who create beautiful and aromatic French-style artisan chocolates that are made in Los Angeles. My favorites are the dark chocolate sea salt caramel (which seems to be a favorite of many people I know), the passion fruit cream and the dark chocolate crème.

I hope you have a lovely and romantic week...

I would love to know... what are your favorite chocolates? And do you keep orchids in your home?

My cymbidium orchid is pictured above as are Mr. Connoisseur's box of Chocolate Opulence.

For more information on Chocolate Opulence visit www.chocolateopulance.com

To see my first video on How I Care for My Orchids click here.

Jennifer's book, Lessons from Madame Chic: The Top 20 Things I Learned While Living in Paris, is now available in Paperback, Kindle and Nook.

Subscribe to The Daily Connoisseur on Amazon Kindle

Follow me on Twitter @jenlyneva

The Etiquette of the High Quality "NO" (and My Favorite Mascara)

Before this week's post begins, be sure to check out my video where I show you My Favorite Mascara, Chanel Inimitable Intense. If you are unable to see the embedded video, click here, look in the sidebar of this blog, or visit my channel: www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur

And now for this week's post on Etiquette:

The Etiquette of The High Quality No

The other day I was in the grocery store with my daughter. It was close to dinnertime and I had a few things in my basket. I was placing the items on the conveyor belt to pay when a lady in yoga pants came up from behind me and asked if she could go in front of me because she only had one item to pay for. I looked at her, then I looked at my daughter, then I looked at my very pregnant belly and was absolutely appalled that she would even ask such a question.

Yes, the etiquette stickler in me was horrified that she would ask to go in front of a pregnant lady. In my head I had a lot of responses I wanted to say to her that were not very ladylike. Clearly this woman thought her time was more valuable than mine. But I remembered my stance on always taking the high road and decided to avoid any confrontation.

I think I was at such a loss for words, I just said, “OK”, and let her walk in front of me. She then proceeded to pay for her item but because she didn’t have her club card, took several minutes filling out a form for one. By this time my blood was boiling and I chided myself for not giving her a ‘high quality no’.

I first learned about the high quality no from the philosopher Eckhart Tolle. He says there is absolutely nothing wrong with saying no. That no is a perfectly acceptable response to any question. The key is to say the no without anger, judgment, apologies or negative energy.

A high quality no requires no further explanation and if I were to go back in time to deal with that lady again I would simply have said, “No”, and went on with paying for my groceries. I didn’t need to tell her that I was tired, it was almost dinner time, my daughter was hungry, we had to walk home and I was pregnant to boot! I simply needed to say “No” because it was my prerogative to do so.

So as we navigate this tricky world of etiquette and high quality living, let us embrace the high quality no and not commit to doing anything that we don’t feel comfortable with.

Blog and Book News

This past weekend I was featured on Rayna St. Pierre's wonderful blog, Bright Copper Kettles in an author interview. The interview discusses everything from interiors to morning rituals to culture! To see the interview click here.

Until next time I would love to know… how are you at saying “no”?

Jennifer's book, Lessons from Madame Chic: The Top 20 Things I Learned While Living in Paris, is now available in Paperback, Kindle and Nook.

Subscribe to The Daily Connoisseur on Amazon Kindle

Follow me on Twitter @jenlyneva

Look Presentable Always- A Tale (and My Beauty Maintenance Routines)

Before this week's post begins, be sure to check out my video, Beauty Maintenance where I share with you my beauty upkeep secrets on a busy schedule. If you are not able to see the above video, click here, look in the sidebar of this blog, or visit my channel: www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur

... and now for this week's post:

Look Presentable Always- A Tale

(I wrote this post last summer and just came across it in my files realizing I hadn't published it yet. It is a valuable lesson on the many benefits that looking presentable always can provide...)

To dress up or not to dress up, that was the question. Or the choice, rather, that was on my mind one morning. I perused the upcoming events of the day in my head. There were none really. My husband was out of town on a business trip and my main to dos for the day involved housework and being at home with the baby. I could just put on a pair of sweatpants and call it a day… but I did have to go to the dry cleaner later. Hmmm.

Then I guiltily thought about my chapter Look Presentable Always (chapter 8 in Lessons from Madame Chic) and did not want to be a hypocrite. Furthermore, I thought of my favorite films from the 1940s. Did Ginger Rogers hang around the house in sweatpants when she was pining after Fred Astaire? Or what about Hercule Poirot, my favorite detective? He dressed to the nines for no one other than himself and did it every day (and night). And then I thought of Madame Chic, who dressed well every day and when met with doing some housework, simply donned an apron over her day clothes.

The choice was made.

I took a look at my capsule wardrobe and pulled a rather nice outfit out- my sea green linen skirt and navy stripe sailor top. I thought I would conduct an experiment and wear what I would consider a ‘nice outfit’ just for myself around the house- no husband to see me, no plans to see friends later- just for myself to look good.

After I put on my skirt and top I realized that I had to also put on makeup and do my hair otherwise the look did not feel complete. So I did a quick le no makeup look and donned my hair in a high bun (very fashionable right now and great for when you are not having a good hair day!) So there I was, all dressed up with no where to go. My baby girl looked at me and smiled- well at least someone was able to appreciate my effort.

I started out as I usually do, walking the dog and feeding the baby. I went up to the office and paid bills and did some filing and administrative work. It was all going well. I actually felt rather sophisticated doing my daily tasks in such a nice outfit! Then I started doing housework. I had to empty the dishwasher and fill it up with the dirty dishes in the sink. I had second thoughts about what I was wearing. Should I change? I didn’t want to ruin my outfit… I’m not used to cleaning in anything other than old clothes that I don’t care about. But then I remembered that Madame Chic always cleaned her house in her best clothes- she just wore an apron over them. So, I decided to stick it out. The apron worked out great and there was no dirt on my clothing. Then I tackled my hall closet. The big to-do for the day was to de-clutter it, which took about an hour. I did break a sweat but kept my apron on and in the end still looked quite nice.

When it came time to leave the house, I simply left and baby and I went to the dry cleaner, the grocery store and the local bakery. Was it my imagination or were people being extra friendly with me?

When I got home I got a call from a friend I hadn’t seen in ages- she was only a couple of minutes away from my home and wanted to see if I was around. She came over and it was lovely – we had a cup of tea and caught up and I didn’t have to apologize for my appearance!

In short, making the decision to only use the best I have and wear a nice outfit vs. a frumpy, 'comfortable' outfit was a stellar choice. We never know what our days have in store for us and it is much more fun to go through them looking fabulous. If my friend came over and I was a frumpy mess I would not have been happy. But regardless of whether I saw my friend or my husband or anyone, for that matter, dressing nicely felt good for me- and in the end that’s all that matters.

Book News

The Hostess of the Humble Bungalow is hosting a giveaway for a copy of Lessons from Madame Chic this week. Stop by the hostess' beautiful blog to enter!

So until next time... I would love to hear your thoughts on this week's topics: beauty maintenance and looking presentable always...

Jennifer's book, Lessons from Madame Chic: The Top 20 Things I Learned While Living in Paris, is now available in Paperback, Kindle and Nook.

Subscribe to The Daily Connoisseur on Amazon Kindle

Follow me on Twitter @jenlyneva

My Favorite Deodorant and Other Beauty News

A daily connoisseur seeks the best in every category of life and yes, that includes deodorant! After using drug store deodorants for much of my teens and early twenties I always felt disappointed and unsatisfied. I never liked the chemical composition, the artificial fragrance and the white flaky mess that was usually left behind after an application. Also drug store deodorants don’t tend to react well to my body chemistry and I would end up emitting a strange, metallic scent when I wore them.

Yet when I tried all natural deodorants from the natural grocery stores I never felt they were very efficient. For a few years I have used the Superbly Efficient Anti-Perspirant and Deodorant Cream from Kiehl’s. This is a really nice product that goes on like a cream to the underarm area. But I am happy to say that I’ve found a deodorant that I like even more: Benedetta The Best Deodorant.



Yes, the name has a lot to live up to. After all if you claim to be the best then you better deliver! Benedetta is an all natural skincare line that takes a holistic approach to beauty- the ingredients in their products are all organic and biodynamic. I discovered them at their new boutique in the Santa Monica Place Market by my home (which, by the way, I love).

So after spotting their star product, The Best Deodorant, I had to buy it and try it out. The deodorant goes on as a spray. You only need one or two sprays under each arm. The scent is lavender. The deodorant does not contain aluminum, propylene glycol or parabens so it keeps you odor free safely.

I am completely hooked. I love it and wanted to share it with you. The only downside is it is a bit pricey. The large deodorant is $20 for 2.6 fluid ounces. But because it is a concentrated formula a little really does go a long way. I bought mine well over a month ago, have used it every day since, and still have a lot left.

To learn more about my new favorite deodorant watch the above video. If you are unable to see the embedded video, click here, look in the sidebar of this blog, or visit my channel: www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur

To learn more about Benedetta click here.

To see their Best Deodorant click here.

In other beauty news, I was reading Maria Menounos’ book The EveryGirl’s Guide to Life and was interested by her suggestions for face towels. A while back when I posted about my skincare routine I mentioned that I always use a separate face towel when drying off my face. I usually change this towel twice a week. But Menounos suggests that you change your face towel every time you wash your face! I suppose it makes sense (to keep bacteria at bay) and I have tried it out this week although now I have much more laundry and my skincare neurosis has been taken to the next level!

Book News
Writer Cindy La Ferle writes about Lessons from Madame Chic in her article this week called Facebook Party Pooper. In the article she brings up some great points on privacy, social media and an air of mystery. To see the article click here or visit www.laferle.com. Thank you Cindy!

So, this week I would love to know two things… what is your favorite deodorant? And what are your thoughts on face towels?

Jennifer's book, Lessons from Madame Chic: The Top 20 Things I Learned While Living in Paris, is now available in Paperback, Kindle and Nook.

Subscribe to The Daily Connoisseur on Amazon Kindle

Follow me on Twitter @jenlyneva

My Fitness Routine

The new year always brings about inspirational ideas about getting our lives together- clearing clutter, eating healthful foods and getting fit are possibly the three main resolutions come January 1st. I recently had a request from YouTube viewer Gracia89 asking about my health and fitness routine and thought that this new year was an apt time to address the subject.

For those of you that have read my book, Lessons from Madame Chic, it probably will come as no surprise to you that fitness for me has nothing to do with weighing myself, counting calories or ‘feeling the burn’. I like to take a more holistic approach to fitness. For me, being physically fit means being of sound mind and body- being at peace, feeling healthy and most importantly not feeling stressed.

That is why the exercises I choose to do tend to have a moving meditation feel to them. I like yoga, qi gong and tai chi. Those exercises can be practiced at a gym, a studio or at home with a dvd. Along with those structured classes I also incorporate exercise into every day of my life as a lifestyle choice. Doing so has kept me fit and healthy my entire life.

To learn more about my fitness routine, watch the above video. If you are unable to see the embedded video click here, look in the sidebar of this blog, or visit my channel: www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur

Thank you to Gracia 89 for making this request.

Book News

A really great in-depth article was written by Irvine Traveller in the Hub Pages about Lessons from Madame Chic this past weekend. I love to hear what different people get out of the book and which lessons resonate with them. To check out the article, click here.

Also, Lessons from Madame Chic was mentioned on English blog, That's What Wendy Said. The book provided her with the inspiration to never leave her house looking like a 'shlub' (her words not mine!) :) To check out Wendy's blog, click here.

I would love to know… what is your fitness routine?

Jennifer's book, Lessons from Madame Chic: The Top 20 Things I Learned While Living in Paris, is now available in Paperback, Kindle and Nook.

Subscribe to The Daily Connoisseur on Amazon Kindle

Follow me on Twitter @jenlyneva

Groom Like a Parisian and Other Weekend Reading

I hope you are all having a lovely weekend. This special Saturday post brings blog and book news as well as other great weekend reads.

Groom Like a Parisian
I will be writing a small series of blog posts for the company Foreign IQ. Foreign IQ is a really innovative subscription based company that fully prepares you for any foreign destination you might journey to. (And not just France! They can prepare you to travel to a plethora of foreign countries...) I had the pleasure of test driving their site for the France program and was really impressed by the amount of information available- everything from how to order at a restaurant, to how to communicate to shop keepers, to understanding slang. I wish this company had been around before I went to Paris! The first blog post I have written for them is called Groom like a Parisian and highlights my tips for fitting in in Paris, beauty wise. To see the post click here. To learn more about Foreign IQ click here or visit www.foreigniq.com

Blog and Book News

Lessons from Madame Chic has once again been featured on several websites this past week:

An author interview I did with the amazing artist Fifi Flowers on her blog Reading is Fashionable can be seen by clicking here. Fifi is also doing a giveaway for a signed copy of Lessons from Madame Chic so if you would like to win one, be sure to visit and leave a comment. And if you aren’t already acquainted with Fifi’s beautiful Parisian inspired artwork, checkout her artist blog here.

Also, Kate from Une Vie Chic, Jess at Jessica Steinberg, Kim at Northern California Style and Jane at From Magpie to Minimalist all wrote about Lessons from Madame Chic! So check out their fabulous blogs…

In blog news, Melissa from Melissa's 100 has written about The Daily Connoisseur and shares her interview with me where I give advice on dealing with negativity. To see the article click here.

And lastly, The Daily Connoisseur was featured on The Displaced Nation under their top ten expat and travel posts. To see that article click here.

Thank you to all of these great publications for supporting The Daily Connoisseur!

Stay tuned for Monday's post and video where I share with you my fitness routine...

Jennifer's book, Lessons from Madame Chic: The Top 20 Things I Learned While Living in Paris, is now available in Paperback, Kindle and Nook.

Subscribe to The Daily Connoisseur on Amazon Kindle

Follow me on Twitter @jenlyneva