Madeleines have this effect of bringing people together in the series. It was because Ichigo offered a madeleine to the sweets spirits on her first day that she met Vanilla and it was because of their apple tea, maccha and chocolate madeleines that the Sweets Princes finally became friends. Let's make some madeleines together!
What is it?
Madeleines are a common cake-like cookie served in French Cafes. Commonly enjoyed with both coffee and tea today, they are traditionally made in a scalloped sea-shell shaped pan and made with a genoise batter that lacks leavening. Very similar to both the genoise cake and the ladyfinger, madeleines are more of a cake but are served as a cookie.
Where can I try it?
You can get madeleines in any French bakery as well as many Asian ones. Coffee shops like Peet's and Starbuck's may also occasionally carry them. They also sell them pre-packaged in many grocery stores but chances are that they're taste preserved because they would have to be to get an extended shelf life. These are SO easy to make that I'd recommend that you try making some yourselves!
These scans are by Cookie Dough.
How do I make it? (according to the official cookbook)
(I'll update this as soon as cookie dough translate these pages. I could spend a few hours translating this... but I'm too stressed about my LSAT to do that. =P )
How do I make it better? (recipe: 101 Cookbooks)
Ingredients:
1.5 sticks unsalted butter
2 tbsp softened unsalted butter (for buttering the pan)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (plus some extra for flouring the pan)
4 large eggs
1 pinch of fine-grain sea salt
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 lemon (for zesting)
1 tsp vanilla extract
powdered sugar and/or chocolate (optional for decoration)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Grease pan with softened butter, dust with flour, tap out excess flour.
3. Create a beurre noisette by melting the butter in a small saucepan and letting it brown a little for a nutty flavor.
4. Whisk four large eggs and sea salt together until it triples for quadruples in volume.
5. Add sugar and continue whisking until thick and ribbony.
6. Add in vanilla extract and lemon zest. Fold.
7. Sift in flour and fold until incorporated.
8. Fold in beurre noisette.
9. Spoon (or use a pastry bag) the batter in to the molds and bake for 12-14 min.
10. Remove immediately from pan to a cooling rack.
11. You may dust it with confectioner's sugar or dip in it chocolate for a nice finish. Fix some coffee or a kettle of water for some tea and you've got a great snack or gift!
How do I make it better? (recipe: 101 Cookbooks)
Ingredients:
1.5 sticks unsalted butter
2 tbsp softened unsalted butter (for buttering the pan)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (plus some extra for flouring the pan)
4 large eggs
1 pinch of fine-grain sea salt
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 lemon (for zesting)
1 tsp vanilla extract
powdered sugar and/or chocolate (optional for decoration)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Grease pan with softened butter, dust with flour, tap out excess flour.
3. Create a beurre noisette by melting the butter in a small saucepan and letting it brown a little for a nutty flavor.
4. Whisk four large eggs and sea salt together until it triples for quadruples in volume.
5. Add sugar and continue whisking until thick and ribbony.
6. Add in vanilla extract and lemon zest. Fold.
7. Sift in flour and fold until incorporated.
8. Fold in beurre noisette.
9. Spoon (or use a pastry bag) the batter in to the molds and bake for 12-14 min.
10. Remove immediately from pan to a cooling rack.
11. You may dust it with confectioner's sugar or dip in it chocolate for a nice finish. Fix some coffee or a kettle of water for some tea and you've got a great snack or gift!
Hints and Tips from the Show:
- When using fruit, you have to take into account the natural moisture and sugar in the fruit.
Hints and tips from the real world:
- Since genuine madeleines use a genoise batter, avoid recipes that have some kind of leavening such as baking powder. The secret to authentic and fluffy madeleines is to whip your eggs well enough so that they hold enough air before adding any other ingredients. The bubbles trapped in the egg proteins should be the only leavening.
- If you want the traditional madeleines, you're going to need a madeleine mold pan available also in mini-sized. You don't have to use a madeleine pan though! Brioche pans and other small metal molds work as well!
- Never mix ingredients in after you whip your eggs. Make sure you fold so as to avoid thinning the batter. You want to maintain those bubbles in the eggs!
- Remove the madeleines from the pan right away and let them cool on a rack so that they're easy to remove from the pan and so that the hot pan doesn't over-brown the shell design.
- If you want the traditional madeleines, you're going to need a madeleine mold pan available also in mini-sized. You don't have to use a madeleine pan though! Brioche pans and other small metal molds work as well!
- Never mix ingredients in after you whip your eggs. Make sure you fold so as to avoid thinning the batter. You want to maintain those bubbles in the eggs!
- Remove the madeleines from the pan right away and let them cool on a rack so that they're easy to remove from the pan and so that the hot pan doesn't over-brown the shell design.
Ideas for variations:
- It's easy to incorporate other flavorings that are also dry ingredients such as cocoa powder, instant coffee, and other drink mixes. Just replace some of the flour!
- You can sprinkle confectioner's sugar on them or dip them in chocolate.
- You can make some tea or chocolate chaud to complete your snack!
- Citrus zests work great in place of the lemon. Try orange!
- I've seen them used as cake decorations... try it for yourself!
- You can sprinkle confectioner's sugar on them or dip them in chocolate.
- You can make some tea or chocolate chaud to complete your snack!
- Citrus zests work great in place of the lemon. Try orange!
- I've seen them used as cake decorations... try it for yourself!
References:
I tried making madelines but the shell side had a lot of noticable holes, they were still delicous.
ReplyDeleteHmm... I haven't had that problem with too many bubbles in batter myself. Perhaps tap out the bubbles from the batter after you put the batter in the molds? Maybe butter and flour the pan better? I honestly don't know.
ReplyDeleteI also made chocolate ones today, wierdly they had no noticeble holes. mysterious
ReplyDelete