French Madeleines
I can not believe it has been 4 years since I started blogging. Unfortunately, 2016 wasn't a big year for Food and Gladness. Because of my persistent aliments, I wasn't able to be in the kitchen cooking and creating as much as I desired. God has used this time of physical weakness to show me His strength. It has been a difficult transition to rely on His strength instead of me taking control and doing things on my own. I have not perfected this yet, but at least I'm aware and willing to grow. One passage that has been forefront in my mind lately is Psalm 73:26, " My body and my mind may become weak, but God is my strength. He is mine forever!" This verse is a great reminder that no matter the problems you may face, God is always stronger and can handle it.
So today's recipe are Madeleines. They are a light, delicate, and airy French cake. Yes, cake, although they look like cookies. To make these beauties, you'll need a Madeleine pan. I purchased my pan at Williams-Sonoma, but they also carry the pans at Kitchen Conservatory in St. Louis. If you are serious about making these cake, and plan to do so often, I suggest that you purchase 2 pans, in order to make 24 cakes at a time. That may sound like a lot, but believe me, these cakes won't last long in your home.
After making my first batch of Madeleines, I did some research on the French Madeleine recipe. I came to find out that the first recipe I used (Bake from Scratch; the French Issue) was not up to snuff per authentic French standards because it used corn starch. I also encountered incorrect weight to volume measurements re: flour in this and several other recipes in this magazine, so I would not recommend using Bake from Scratch as a resource.
So the quest for a better and authentic recipe lead me to French Moments. With a few small tweaks, like skimming the solids off the browned butter, using '00' flour, and resting the batter in the refrigerator for 15 minutes prior to baking , this recipe seems perfect. I hope you enjoy! Here's to four years of Food and Gladness! (Nov 4, 2016)
INGREDIENTS FOR FRENCH MADELEINES
3 eggs, room temperature
250 grams of '00' flour (about 2 and 1/3 cups)
200 grams of granulated sugar (about 1 cup)
125 grams of unsalted butter (1 stick + 1/2 tablespoon), melted & lightly browned. Skim solids off the melted butter. *will need 1 to 2 add'l Tbsp of butter to brush onto Madeleine pan.
50 grams of milk
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
Zest of 1 lemon
DIRECTIONS FOR FRENCH MADELEINES
In a large mixing bowl, using a hand or stand mixer, mix eggs and sugar together until it lightens and doubles in size (about 3-4 minutes).
Add in vanilla and lemon zest to the egg/sugar mixture. On low speed, lightly mix.
Slowly pour in the melted, slightly cooled butter. Mix on low until smooth.
Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Switch to a hand whisk. Gradually add (in 3 portions) dry ingredients to wet. Gently whisk by hand after each addition. Whisk until dry ingredients are incorporated, but do not over mix to prevent tough dough.
Place batter into refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes to chill.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
If using non-stick pans, lightly butter with a pastry brush. If using metal pans that are not coated, butter and lightly flour pans.
Fill tins with about 1 tablespoon of chilled batter (about 3/4 full). Bake 8-10 minutes. Cakes should dome and spring back when touched.
Allow cakes to cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring onto a cooling rack.
Once cooled, arrange on a plate and sprinkle with confectioners sugar.
Recipe courtesy of FoodandGladness.com
