The Silpat® Party

Yesterday, as a favor to my friend, I went to a Sunday afternoon Silpat® party, (think Tupperware meets Mary Kay). Before I headed out the door I told my husband I would be back in an hour and wouldn’t spend a dime. If you don’t know what a Silpat® is, don’t worry, you will. It’s a hot new gourmet trend, from France (of course), that is sweeping the nation. It is heralded in some circles as the second coming in cookware, (for the record the first coming was the non-stick frying pan).

The party was a hoot with women of all ages oohhhhing and aahhhing about the many possibilities of the latest cooking technology while the sparkling sales women convinced us that our lives would never be the same without a Silpat® in our cupboard, (sipping white wine, we were easy targets). Our hostess, who was promised a special gift and discounts from the Demarle company (parent of Silpat®) if her friends ordered products “today, but no pressure,” worked hard in the kitchen demonstrating the ease at which she could crank out gourmet sweet potato fries, fish sticks, meat-loaf and brownies all on the same Silpat® sheet.

“The Silpat® is so much more than a glorified cookie sheet ladies,” implored the sales woman. “You will never look back on this decision with regret, and all products are guaranteed to retain their non-stick quality for life.” Not bad, considering my ten year old cookie sheets look like they’ve been to Iraq and back. It occurred to me as I was noshing on Silpat® brownies and pouring over the glossy Demarle catalog that I would probably enjoy life more if I could make the perfect cookie, as the literature promised. Times are tough, the stock market is in the tank and unemployment is at a record high…but…the perfect cookie? Now there’s something I could spend some time thinking about: Molasses Sprinkles, Mexican Wedding Cookies, Shortbread Thumbprints, and of course the classic Choclate Chip Walnut cookie. The possibilities were endless I told myself. And with that thought, I opened my wallet and wrote a check for $120, (including shipping and handling), for my Silpat® starter kit, including: one large Silpat® non-stick cooking sheet; one Siltray® baking tray (the Silpat® doesn’t work without it); and one Flexipan® non-stick flexible bakware mold.

I will let you know when I perfect the most expensive but perfect peanut butter cookie.