A heart for French Provincial

Let me put it on the record. Here at The Trad Pad we love things French Provincial. This means that Herself and Miss Eagle take a regular fix by visiting Provincial Home Living at Nunawading on a regular basis. Now, what I would really love to purchase there is their large bookcase, the one with the ladder. Ho, hum. Not on the financial or space agenda here at The Trad Pad. But, I usually walk away with a tidbit or two. Herself had to have a bird cage (only ornamental birds at The Trad Pad) and a pair of golden mesh food covers. Miss Eagle came away with a set of three heart-shaped biscuit cutters in their own metal case, some new tea-towels, and three little white hens with which something interesting needs to be done. As you can see below, as if I needed another biscuit cutter. So, I had to bake something that would justify a graduate set of hearts. Using the small and large cutters, I made biscuit pairs with pink icing in the middle and on top and multi-coloured cachous. Won't make them too often because the icing makes them s-o-o sweet. You virtually have to eat them like cakes by slicing them up into smaller pieces! But the biscuit pastry is lovely and the recipe is below. Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups of butter or margarine
• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons of milk
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract
• 4 cups of plain/all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder

Method

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius or 400 degrees Fahrenheit
• Thoroughly cream butter and sugar
• Add egg, milk, vanilla and almond extract
• Beat well
• Stir together flour and baking powder
• Gradually add the creamed mixture, mixing to make a smooth dough.
• Roll out
• Cut into shapes
• Bake for 6 to 8 minutes
• Cool on rack
• Ice