Tag: madeleines

Citrus and jasmine madeleines

My madeleine pan had been calling to me for months claiming it was lonely stacked up against the muffin tins.  So, on an early morning stroll through Dorrie Greenspan’s Baking from My Home to Yours I found some inspiration in her Earl Grey version.

As much as I love earl grey, its had a lot of air time on this blog and I thought it might be nice to give another tea the spotlight.  Years ago when people in the U.S. started drinking green tea, I did too.  There was just one problem–no matter how many mugfuls I downed, I couldn’t seem to acquire a taste for it.  It was too, well, green for my Western palate.  That is until I discovered Trader Joes jasmine green tea.   Who doesn’t love a tea that smells pretty?

This was a fun recipe to experiment with because Dorrie has you steep the tea in melted butter.  It also directs the baker to strain the tea out of the butter with cheesecloth before incorporating the other ingredients.  However, I liked the texture the tea added and so used a mesh strainer so that some of the leaves were left behind.

Much of the loveliness of jasmine tea lies in its fragrance.  So, I was uncertain that the fragrance would translate into flavor when baked.

I shouldn’t have worried.  The jasmine and citrus zest played together really well to create a subtle and unique flavor to the little cakes.

The only problem is that I that I couldn’t figure out a good compliment to serve these with…what kind of tea does one pair with tea flavored cookies?  Coffee?

Mon petit madeleine

As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, I was gifted Thomas Keller and Sebastien Rouxel’s Bouchon Bakery cookbook at the holidays.  After spending several days greedily consuming every page of the hefty tome, I emerged with one question: where to start?  Ever the opportunist, my answer came in the form of shopping.  Specifically, the chance to finally purchase a madeleine pan.

To be honest, while I’ve long wanted to make them, I’d actually eaten a madeleine before I headed off to Sufras to make my purchase.  Luckily,  Sufras has a little cafe and on that day, they had madeleines.  I purchased a few, strictly for research purposes of course.

Like many french treats, the madeleine is an exercise in delayed gratification.  Once the simple ingredients come together, they spend the night in the fridge.  The madeleine pan, coated in butter, spends the night in the freezer.

It’s worth it, I promise.

Each little shell-shaped mold gets a delicate piping of batter.

Et voila!  Gorgeous little tea cakes.

But wait, there’s more.  The original recipe calls for lemon oil.  I happened to be out, but I did have orange oil.   I also had chocolate (really, though, I always have chocolate).  As you’ll discover next week, I already had chocolate and orange on the brain and couldn’t help frosting one-side of each cake with a thin layer of orange infused chocolate.

These are lovely mid-afternoon with a cup of espresso or strong tea.

Thomas Keller, consider this fair warning.  I’m just getting started with you.

Soundtrack

I was in the mood for a little Harry.

Orange and Bittersweet Chocolate Madeleines 

adapted slightly from Bouchon Bakery by Thomas Keller and Sebastien Rouxel

Note–this recipe is really made for utilizing weight-based measurements.  A kitchen scale will make this 1,000 easier.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 C + 3 1/2 TBS (68 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 TSP (2.2 g) baking powder
  • 1/4 TSP (.6 g) Kosher salt
  • 1/4C+ 1 TBS (83 g) eggs (note–using extra large eggs this was almost exactly 2 eggs)
  • 1/4 C + 1 1/4 TSP (55 g) granulated sugar (note–I used superfine)
  • 2.3 Ounces (66 g) unsalted butter at room temp plus more for the pan
  • 2 TSP (9 g) dark brown sugar
  • 1 1/4 TSP (9 g) clover honey
  • 1 to 2 drops orange oil
  • 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  • 12 mold madeleine pan

Ingredients

  1. Sift flour and baking powder together into a medium bowl.  Whisk-in salt.
  2. Combine the eggs and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.  Mix on medium speed for about 60 seconds.
  3. Increase the speed to high and whip for about 4 minutes until the batter lightens in color and doubles in volume.
  4. While whisking, heat butter, brown sugar and honey in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking to dissolve sugar.  Remove from heat.
  5. Remove bowl from the mixer and fold in remaining dry ingredients until just combined.
  6. Pour warm butter mixture over the batter and add orange oil.  Fold until incorporated and batter is smooth.
  7. Cover and allow to rest in fridge over night.  Brush pan with melted butter and place in freezer.
  8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  9. Transfer the batter into a pastry bag or ziplock and snip a corner so that the opening is just over 1/2 inch.
  10. Pipe batter into molds.  Tap the bottom of the pan against the work surface to smooth the tops.
  11. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes until the tops are lightly browned and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
  12. Immediately un-mold and place on a cooling rack.
  13. Once cake are completely cool, melt chocolate in a double boiler or microwave.
  14. Using an off-set knife, gently spread a thin layer of melted chocolate on non-etched sides of cakes.  Allow to harden.