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French Fridays with Dorie: Honey-Spiced Madeleines
“In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines lived twelve little girls in two straight lines. In two straight lines they broke their bread and brushed their teeth and went to bed. They smiled at the good and frowned at the bad and sometimes they were very sad. They left the house at half past nine in two straight lines in rain or shine — the smallest one was Madeline”
– Opening lines from Ludwig Bemelmans’ Madeline
I know the madeleine connection is really through Proust, but this is what kept running through my mind as I baked…
I suppose I’m a bit of a hoarder in the kitchen. I have a pantry full of obscure ingredients, in addition to the usual staples. I’m ready to make lots of not yet discovered recipes on the spur of the moment. I also have a variety of cooking tools to be prepared for who knows what.
This is a long winded of way of saying that I have had a madeleine pan for over 20 years, and this week is the first time I’ve ever used it. In fact, I’d only even had a madeleine once before. That was last year when someone told me the madeleines at Starbuck’s were good. Why I’ve had this pan for so long and never actually used it is a mystery.
So, this week, for French Fridays with Dorie, the on-line cooking group I participate in, the recipe was Honey-Spiced Madeleines. What a perfect opportunity! I had all the ingredients, and the proper bakeware, too. Actually, I didn’t have an orange, but I did have a lemon, so I substituted lemon zest for orange.
The batter for the madeleines needs to rest before baking, at least 3 hours. As a convenience, Dorie suggests that you can fill the pan with batter and chill the pan. That’s what I did, chilling it overnight. In the morning, I preheated the oven and baked the madeleines while I ate breakfast. I brought them to work as a treat for my co-workers, who seemed to appreciate them.
When preparing the pan, I decided to brush melted butter onto the pan because I thought I’d get better coverage. I liked the way it worked out. As for getting the thick eggy batter into the pan, I took a tip from Sarah at Frankly Entertaining and piped the batter instead of spooning it. I wasn’t sure whether to smooth the tops or not, so I did some of each. It didn’t seem to make a difference either way.
Dorie calls the madeleines cookies, but I think they are more like little cakes. Having only had madeleines once before, I don’t have a good point of comparison, but I liked Dorie’s version. I liked their simple elegance, and they are lovely with a cup of tea. The flavors of the honey and spices weren’t very strong. (Maybe I should have added more.) I enjoyed these enough to experiment with other flavors, and I definitely won’t wait another 20 years to use that madeleine pan again – unless I end up buying a mini-madeleine to make tinier cakes. I’m tempted.
Usually, if you want the recipe for these French Friday posts, you have to buy the book, Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table. However, Dorie posted the recipe for the madeleines on her site, so you can find it here. Be sure to check out the other bloggers’ thoughts on this recipe at French Fridays with Dorie.
Happy First Day of Autumn!!!!
My Sweet Autumn Clematis welcoming the season
Royal Scones
I don’t really know what’s going on this month. It’s nuts. Work is busy, though that’s normal, and my extra-curricular calendar is out of control. Next weekend, being Memorial Day, will kick off a summer of weekends at the lake, which could either way – forced relaxation or an increase to the mania. Time will tell.
I feel like I’ve barely been cooking or blogging beyond the weekly French Friday challenges, but here’s a quick one. The recent royal wedding left me with a craving for scones. Scones are probably my favorite quick bread. They’re personal-sized, not too sweet, and perfect with a cup of tea for a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack. I put together these almond-cardamom scones, featuring two of my favorite flavors. The recipe is loosely based on the recipe for Cardamom Shortcakes (as in Strawberry Shortcakes) from In the Sweet Kitchen by Regan Daley.
Almond-Cardamom Scones
Inspired by Regan Daley
Makes 1 dozen
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup almond meal
¼ cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cardamom
½ tsp salt
½ cup (1 stick) butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg, beaten
½ cup half-and-half (plus a little more for brushing tops of scones)
Turbinado sugar for sprinkling on top of scones
¼ cup sliced almonds
Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together flour, almond meal, sugar, baking powder, cardamom, and salt a few time to combine. Add the butter, and pulse until the mixture has the texture of coarse cornmeal.
Transfer the flour mixture to a bowl and make a well in the center. Add the egg and half-and-half. Stir until the dough just comes together. It will be sticky.
Divide the dough in half. On a floured surface with floured hands, pat each half into a circle about ¾-inch thick (about 6 inches in diameter). Cut each circle into 6 wedges. Arrange the scones on the lined baking sheet. Brush the tops of each with half-and-half. Sprinkle with sugar. Top with sliced almonds. Press the almonds lightly to make them stick.
Bake for 15-17 minutes, until tops are golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
A Plateful of Happiness 