Proust's Madeleine

You don't need to be a scholar of Marcel Proust to enjoy these delicious cakes! Shaped like a scallop shell, these golden, cake-like pastries were baked as a souvenir for pilgrims passing through the region on their way to Compostela. But in Illiers Combray, it is thanks to the memories of Marcel Proust and his aunt Léonie that the local specialty - the madeleine - gained fame. "And all at once the memory appeared to me," writes Proust, "The taste was that of the little piece of madeleine which on Sunday morning in Combray my aunt Léonie would give to me after dipping it in her tea." Today madeleines can be found in bakeries throughout the region. The perfect gourmet gift to bring back from your vacation in the Eure et Loir.