PheMomenon has moved!

You should be automatically redirected in 5 seconds.

If not, please visit http://www.phemomenon.com and update your bookmarks and RSS feed.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

TWD: Madeleines

Photobucket

Madeleineshave been an enigma to me. I have still have only ever had the ones that I have made for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie as chosen by Tara of Smells Like Home. I did cave and go buy a pan though, and I'm glad I did. Even though these were kind of floppity-flops in the "bump" department and they overflowed and spread too much, they still tasted awesome and they were fun to make. So, I'm glad I bit the bullet and invested in a pan. I will now commence the trial and error of finding the "best" madeleine recipe for me that will combine what I like to think of as the madeleine trifecta - taste (which seems to be the easiest of the three), shell/scallop definition and the ever elusive bump.

Don't forget to see what all the other TWDer's have been up to this week!

On another note, I wanted to say thank you again to everyone who voted for me for the Tuesdays with Dorie "Our Secret Ingredient" for the Peanut Butter Torte - or really in my case, the candy bars. You all rock! I'm thrilled that you liked what I made and I really, really appreciate the extra bit of "love." Did I mention that you all rock?! Congratulations to Peabody and Donna for being Secret Ingredients too! You are all so amazing!

Also, I wanted to announce that I am very excited that I will now be publishing baking articles over at Blake Makes with the talented group of "Blake Bakers." Tomorrow will by my first post as a Blake Baker and I can't wait to hear what you all think! Make sure to check out Blake Makes every Wednesdays to see what the other Blake Bakers are up to! Also, I wanted to say thank you again to Blake for this opportunity. Now, for my post tomorrow here is a sneak preview - for all the details, you'll need to make sure to check out Blake's blog tomorrow and every Wednesday to find out the Blake Bakers are up to!

Photobucket

In the meantime, here is Dorie's recipe for the Traditional Madeleines (she has several other versions in Baking: From My Home to Yours). The link above though has a picture of Dorie's Madeleines as well.

Traditional Madeleines
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
½ cup sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¾ stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Working in a mixer bowl, or in a large bowl, rub the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the eggs to the bowl. Working with the whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat the eggs and sugar together on medium-high speed until pale, thick and light, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. With a rubber spatula, very gently fold in the dry ingredients, followed by the melted butter. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the batter and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours, or for up to 2 days. This long chill period will help the batter form the hump that is characteristic of madeleines. (For convenience, you can spoon the batter into the madeleine molds, cover and refrigerate, then bake the cookies directly from the fridge; see below for instructions on prepping the pans.)

GETTING READY TO BAKE:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter 12 full-size madeleine molds, or up to 36 mini madeleine molds, dust the insides with flour and tap out the excess. Or, if you have a nonstick pan (or pans), give it a light coating of vegetable cooking spray. If you have a silicone pan, no prep is needed. Place the pan(s) on a baking sheet.

Spoon the batter into the molds, filling each one almost to the top. Don't worry about spreading the batter evenly, the oven's heat will take care of that. Bake large madeleines for 11 to 13 minutes, and minis for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are golden and the tops spring back when touched. Remove the pan(s) from the oven and release the madeleines from the molds by rapping the edge of the pan against the counter. Gently pry any recalcitrant madeleines from the pan using your fingers or a butter knife. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool to just warm or to room temperature.

If you are making minis and have more batter, bake the next batch(es), making certain that you cool, then properly prepare the pan(s) before baking.

Just before serving, dust the madeleines with confectioners' sugar.

makes 12 large or 36 mini cookies

serving: Serve the cookies when they are only slightly warm or when they reach room temperature, with tea or espresso.

storing: Although the batter can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, the madeleines should be eaten soon after they are made. You can keep them overnight in a sealed container, but they really are better on day 1. If you must store them, wrap them airtight and freeze them; they'll keep for up to 2 months.

Other Tuesdays with Dorie:
Florida Pie
Peanut Butter Torte (& Bars)
Fluted Polenta & Ricotta Cake
Bill's Big Carrot Cake
Marshmallows - Dark & White Chocolate

35 comments:

Peabody said...

The best ones I have made so far were from David Lebowitz
http://www.culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com/2008/01/15/betcha-cant-eat-just-one/

Tasty little suckers.
Looks forward to reading your Blake Makes article.

Gretchen Noelle said...

Very nice job on the madeleines. can't wait for your piece tomorrow!

noskos said...

Great looking madeleines!!

Engineer Baker said...

Good luck with that ever elusive bump :)

Carrie said...

oooo a blake bakes writer. Can't wait! Beautiful Madeleines.

Carrie

Lori said...

the madeleines look so dazzling. There such a sophisticated cookie.

ostwestwind said...

Bumps are possible, I saw and got them :-), I opt for an French recipe

Ulrike from Küchenlatein

Katie B. said...

Gorgeous madeleines! What an awesome quest to be on - make sure you let us know which are your favorite!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations, and I think your madeleines look great!

The Kitchen Vixen said...

Your madeleins look great, but I actually came by to tell you that your black and white cookie recipe was fantastic! I made them last night and they were fabulous, and this is coming from a New Yorker; born and raised;)

marae said...

the madeleine's look wonderful, i love that golden brown color on them. i went alternate and did brownie...now i am tempted to try madeleine's!

Heather B said...

Yours look so perfect! I wish I would have had a madeleine pan...yours are so pretty!

Melissa said...

These look great! Congrats on the Blake Makes gig!

Anonymous said...

Your blog always makes me happy! It's so fun to think that I get to be a Blake Baker with you (talk about all star company with the likes of you, I feel all humbled!). Your madelines are so cute!

Gabi said...

Lovely job as usual Holly- I'll check you out on your new gig!- where do you get the energy?! ;)

Sharon said...

I went with an alternate recipe, but seeing all these wonderful madelines makes me want to try them sometime.

mimi said...

beautiful madeleines, they look great! and congrats with the blake makes, it's going to be fun!

Anonymous said...

So pretty! And congrats on your first Blake Makes piece. Awesome!

Anonymous said...

Your Madelines look fabulous!

CB said...

Maddies look lovely. Congrats on your Blake Bakes venture. I can't wait to read!
Clara @ I♥food4thought

Christine said...

I look forward to reading your posts on Blake Bakes! Congratulations! Your madeleines are beautiful and all of your photos amaze me!

steph- whisk/spoon said...

congrats on OSI and the new writing gig! your madeleines look perfectly lovely!

Cheryl said...

I've never heard of Blakes Bakes, but I'm going to check it out!

Garrett said...

That traditional bump has been giving a lot of people some problems. They still look lovely without! And a delayed comment, your candy bars were such a great idea...I'm going to have to try to make the torte, just to have an idea of what they taste like.

LyB said...

I'm so glad I have my madeleine pans too, now I can try all the different variations! Yours look beautiful and I can't wait to see what you came up with for Blake Makes! :)

BAKE-EN said...

I love your blog. Here's a link to my favorite madeleine recipe

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/MADELEINES-234680

Manggy said...

Nice work Holly! I am head-over-heels over that tart, though! :D```

Anonymous said...

Madeleines look yummy! :)
P.S. I'm also a Blake Baker :)

April said...

Great looking madeleine's. I am looking forward to reading your Blake Makes post tomorrow!

Anne said...

Great job- I'm excited to see your post!

Cecilia said...

Gorgeous madelines! If you find that perfect recipe, please share because I love madelines. Also, congratulations on your new writing post

Jaime said...

your madeleines look great!

is that a chocolate chess pie?

Jenny said...

Your Madeleines look very pretty, almost elegant.

Jayne said...

Lovely job with your madeleines!

Susan @ SGCC said...

Your madeleines look great, hump or not. I have to go check out Blake's site too. That Tart Noire is one of my absolute favorite things in the book. I'm drooling ove yours!

Blog Widget by LinkWithin