SWEET LITTLE THINGS

Hello my sweet readers, 

I really don't have the heart to talk about a happy friday. I'm sad, I'm helpless, I have the feeling that whatever I say here, on my site, will be in vain. I feel like I've lost someone. Although I didn't know these men, and I didn't read Charlie Hedbo, I feel shaken by grief, more for the gesture, the horror and the incomprehension, than the death of these people in itself... It's obviously an immense loss, for the families, for their friends, for their colleagues, for freedom, but it raises an unknown and violent feeling in me. I felt like I was on September 11, I wasn't very old in 2001, I was 13, but I remember that day very well, I remember the shock, and falling asleep with a huge headache in front of those images that were on a television loop. Well, 2 days ago, I turned 13 again, and that strange feeling of unease, that inexplicable sadness, came and bruised me all over again.  

And then all of a sudden, like many people I think, I understood the preciousness of freedom of the press, the freedom to express oneself freely. Until then, it was abstract to me, taken for granted, just a republican symbol that seemed normal to me, that I'd discovered in history class and had tucked away in a corner of my head ever since. And then, with all the violence we know, these barbarians wanted to silence these free spirits. All they took from them were their pencils. Their ideas, their drawings, their texts, remain and will continue to exist. So today, I hope this newspaper will come out next Wednesday. I hope that we will all soon be able to heal this invisible wound and feel lighter. Even if these men are arrested, it won't plug the gaping hole they've just opened... I just hope it shines a light on their bullshit and that no one sets them up as heroes. I hope people will be smart enough not to confuse the two. I hope that no one in the political landscape is rubbing their hands together to profit from this cataclysm. I hope we remain united, because personally I feel proud of this France. 

Today I could have posted a look, but I don't really feel like talking about clothes, I'd rather talk about sweets. In any case, any topic would seem to be of the utmost futility. But besides that, I know I have to keep going, keep working, keep the store going, keep everyone eating. So, as my Lili used to say to me, let's take refuge in beauty, let's make beautiful things, let's get out our pencils, uncork our pens, unpack our sewing machines, etc. Let's make beautiful things, let's make beauty rub off on others... I'd like to give you a little sweetness. With a recipe for an afternoon snack, a pear and lychee compote with a meringue on top, I give you a big kiss.

To make this recipe you need:

• - 3 pears, 
• - 20 lychees, 
• - 1 vanilla pod,
• - 3 egg whites,
• - 150 grams sugar,
• - muffin cases.

To begin, remove the eggs from the fridge - they need to be at room temperature before beating. Meanwhile, peel the pears and cut them into small cubes, then do the same with the lychees. Note that if you choose lychees on a branch, the stones will be smaller. Place the fruit in a saucepan with a small amount of water, and set over low heat. Stir gently for about 20 minutes. Once your fruit is cooked, mash it with a fork, or in your blender if you don't like chunks. Leave to cool completely. Separate the whites from the yolks - be careful, there must be no yolk in the whites. Start whisking the whites and gradually add the sugar. Whip to a glossy meringue and pipe into a piping bag. Spoon 2 tablespoons of compote into muffin cases, then add meringue on top. Bake for 2 hours at 90°C. Enjoy. A big kiss.