Sunday, October 19, 2014

Langues de Chat

Or Cat's Tongues 
by Peg Cochran

I got my first cat when I was around seven years old.  Predictably, since she was orange and white striped, she was named Tiger. Many cats followed.  Somehow a cat always ended up on our doorstep during a howling snow storm and my mother would let them in "just so she could give them something to eat."  Of course they stayed.  Somehow they were also always female and pregnant.

 
I remember one in particular that was a beautiful Persian and had the most adorable kittens--half were balls of fluff, the other two were short-haired.  All these stray cats always had the name of "Puss."  Our dog was Boots so we had Puss and Boots. 
   
Fast forward: Our latest cat, Frazzle, went over the rainbow bridge a couple of
Frazzle with younger brother Reg
months ago.  My stepson found her in a dumpster and she looked as if she'd stuck her paw in an electrical socket so she looked quite "frazzled" hence the name.  According to the vet she was a dilute calico.  She was a strange cat--scaring herself with her own tail and once even chasing herself off the kitchen counter with it!


These cookies are called "langues de chat" or cat's tongues because that is what they resemble.  Cat's tongues are fascinating--they have tiny, backward-facing barbs (papillae) on them which create the rough sensation you feel.  For some more fascinating facts about cats' tongues, visit Interesting Facts About Your Cat's Tongue.
My granddaughter & grand cat Roy


On to the cookies!  The batter is simple to make and only takes minutes.  To pipe out the cookies, either use a pastry bag with a medium star tip, a heavy duty baggie with the corner snipped off or a cookie press.  I used the baggie method.  I am sure they would be more "perfect" if I'd used a pastry bag but they were still delicious!

 
1 stick butter (1/4 pound)
1/2 cup sugar
3 egg whites
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Cream the butter and sugar together, then add the egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add in flour and vanilla and mix well.  Fill a pastry bag with the batter and pipe three inch lines on a parchment covered baking sheet.  Leave plenty of room for the cookies to expand.

Bake in a 400 degree oven *approximately* ten minutes or until golden brown around the edges.  Baking time varies tremendously depending on your oven, the thickness of your cookies, etc. so these are the kind of cookies you need to keep a close eye on while baking!




 Cream butter and sugar until light.














Add egg whites, flour and vanilla and mix thoroughly.












Cookies can be dipped in chocolate--or you can "glue" two together with jam or melted chocolate--or you can eat them plain! 









Cookies are perfect with tea or coffee and a good cozy!  

You can pick up a copy of ICED to DEATH from my Gourmet De-Lite series here.
Or a copy of UNHOLY MATRIMONY from my Lucille Series here.  
Visit my website or my Facebook page.

11 comments:

  1. those look wonderful Peg! I see that your hub left a few so you could photograph LOL. Poor Frazzle--we had a cat like that once too. She came and sat on my chest once in all her nine years...and your grandpeople are adorable! xo

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    1. Roberta, the DO NOT EAT THESE sign worked to keep my husband from devouring all the cookies!

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  2. You sure we weren't separated at birth, Peg? I have nearly the same cat stories (coming Friday), china, napkins, even the table. (And two orange-and-white cats like Roy.) Weird! The cookies sound yummy.

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    1. Too funny, Sheila! The china was my mother-in-law's and the napkins are part of a set of linens my grandmother had embroidered in Italy (apparently by nuns.) I forget the exact name of the kind of cat Roy is--ringtail?--his tail curves around and around. No one wanted him at the shelter because of it but my daughter fell in love with him.

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  3. The cookies look delicious and I loved your story. Growing up, our house was always the one dogs and cats "found" their way to.

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    1. Patricia, we used to joke that "the dog followed my sister home in the car."

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  4. They look delicious-and I love the different things you can do to them-chocolate, jam...

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  5. Roy looks like he's a whopping big boy! I don't want to scare you and Sheila, but I have similar napkins, too. LOL! I'm *very* suspicious of that gloved hand, though. Avoiding fingerprints, eh? This recipe sounds so easy that I can't believe I've never made these. Must try!

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  6. Peg, love the name Frazzle. How sweet. And Roy, wow, how big is he!!! And can't wait to try these cookies. I wonder if a gluten-free mixture will work? I'll let you know.

    Hugs!

    Daryl / Avery

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  7. I named my first cat Tiger, too! He was an orange tabby and I loved him dearly. Great cat stories, Peg, and those cookies are the purr-fect treat to serve to cat-lovers with tea or coffee, so charming. Cheers and have a great week!

    ~ Cleo

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  8. Peg, these are really beautiful and artfully presented. Love the pets shots too. What a fun week this is.

    XOXO

    MJ

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