Lady Madeleines

I’ve always wanted to try baking madeleines.. they look easy to make, and they are such pretty lil’ cakes in shell shapes. But, regardless of the elegantness of these mini delights, there’s the art of making the perfect madeleine. And I learned that at Chez Prim from her talk on Madeleines.

My sweet lil’ madeleines

She carefully explained her ways of baking the perfect madeleines, after trying tonnes of recipes and techniques. I tried her recipe with just a slight change and I must tell you, it was the best madeleine I’ve ever tasted! For a first timer, I thought.. not bad.. though I need to work on the temperature of my oven to get the madeleines baked more evenly. That’s something I need to figure out myself

Anyway, here’s the recipe

Ingredients:
200 g cake flour
160 g melted butter or beurre noisette ( I’ll explain how to make this in the process )
120 g granulated sugar ( I used only 80g because i didn’t want it to be too sweet )
4 egss + 1 yolk
20 g loose tea
80 g honey

How to make:
1. Prepare the beurre noisette: Melt 240 g butter into pan until the butter turns brownish under medium heat. Once the butter starts to turn just a slight brownish color, IMMEDIATELY remove it from heat to avoid the butter from getting darker too fast. Add in the loose tea leaves and let it set for about 2-3 minutes. Strain the liquid to get exactly 160 g of beurre noisette. The butter loses its weight from the melting process, that’s why u need 240g butter. Set aside.
2. Beat eggs and yolk and sugar under a bain marie ( hot water filled in a bowl and place under the mixing bowl ) until mixture turns into a yellowish syrup.
3. Add in the honey and beat until double or triple in bulk. Take out a cup of the beated eggs and mix it with the beurre noisette.
4. Sift flour and mix with spatula. Don’t overmix. I learned from Martha Stewart that when u’re folding flour into mixture, use the biggest spatula. It’s easier, u won’t overmix, and the batter mix more evenly.
5. Add in the cup of egg mixed with beurre noisette and mix gently. Try to get it to incorperate just enough. Wrap and leave in fridge for a few hours or even overnight ( the least should be an hour )
6. Oil ur madeleine moulds with butter and sift some flour on top. Remove access flour. Spoon out batter and fill 2/3 of each mould. Bake in a preheated oven of 180deg for 12-15 minutes until edges turn brown.

Notice how the colors are uneven

Chez Prim said that nowdays madeleine recipes call for baking soda/baking powder as one of the ingredients. But apparently, during the ol’ days they don’t use it ( of course, since there’s no such thing as baking powder/baking soda in those days ) and this recipe is considered the old fashioned way to make madeleines.

The madeleines tasted good and a great company for evening tea or coffee. I had mine mcm tu aje la tapinyer