Sheila Malovany-Chevallier is a typical Parisian expat, one who lives a fascinating life. She and her husband, Bill, reside in a bohemian artist’s apartment in the Latin Quarter during the week, and in the countryside, near Dijon, on weekends. Spending her work time teaching English at the Institute d’Etudes Politiques, and doing a new translation of Simone de Beauvoir’s Second Sex, she would seem unlikely to have time to cook. But not only have she and her writing partner, Constance Borde, also an American living in Paris, written several American cookbooks in French, with all the Jewish recipes with which Sheila grew up, but when she is invited to dinner, she makes a point of bringing every hostess an elegantly packaged sweet she has made herself. These ginger cookie clusters are one of her and my favorites.

　　

Ingredients

40 to 60 cookie clusters

　　1/2 cup sugar

　　1 stick unsalted butter or pareve margarine

　　1 tablespoon honey

　　1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

　　1 teaspoon baking powder

　　Pinch of salt

　　1 heaping teaspoon ground cardamom

　　3/4 cup finely chopped candied ginger

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

　　

Step 2

Put the sugar, butter, and honey in a saucepan and heat. When the sugar is melted and well mixed, stir in the flour, baking powder, salt, cardamom, and candied ginger. Remove from the heat, and cool for a few minutes.

　　

Step 3

Drop teaspoons of the batter onto the baking sheets. Flatten them slightly, so that they resemble small disks. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until they are golden. They will harden as they cool, so do not overcook.

　　Quiches, Kugels, and Couscous