Madeleines (French)
French madeleines are small cake-like cookies that are baked in special molds, which give them a delicate shell-like shape. The original French madeleine is a small, traditional cake from two communes of the Lorraine region of northeastern France - Liverdun and Commercy. There are several legends that exist in regards to the “creation” of madeleines. These legends oftentimes are centered around a female named Madeleine, who was said to have been at the service of an important person of Lorraine. However, there has never been a consensus of the last name of the baker, nor has the identity of the important or famous person been revealed. Some people believe that the cook or baker was a woman named Madeleine Paulmier who worked for Stanisław Leszczyński, the Duke of Lorraine, during the 18th century. Legend tells that his wife, Maria Leszczyńska, loved the little cakes so much, that she began serving them to the court in Versailles. Since the royal family of France loved these cookies so much, it is no wonder that the love for madeleines spread throughout the region. The first recipe for little cake-like cookies in France with the name madeleine appeared in 1758. Lord Southwell was said to have baked "cakes à la Magdeleine and other small desserts."
4 oz (1 stick) + 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
⅔ cup white sugar
1 cup+ 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, unbleached, divided
2 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 pinch sea salt
1 Tbsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 Tbsp. lemon zest, freshly grated
Garnish:
confectioners' sugar (optional)
Melt the butter in a small sauce pan. If you feel you can get it slightly toasty brown, go right ahead and do so by leaving it to bubble in the pan until it smells toasty and starts to color. Just remember that the butter will turn very quickly from toasty to burnt and that it will continue to color after it is off the heat unless you pour it into a new container. Spoon 3 tablespoons of butter into a small bowl or cup and set aside. Let the rest of the butter cool slightly.
Prepare the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients in separate bowls.In a medium bowl, whisk together one cup of the flour and the sugar, and set aside. In another medium bowl, whisk the two eggs with the vanilla, salt, lemon juice, and lemon zest until the eggs are frothy.
Add the eggs to the flour. Using a spatula, stir until just combined. Add the 4 ounces of melted butter and continue to stir. It may take a minute for the butter to blend into the mixture but do not over mix.
Cover the bowl with a plate (or plastic wrap) and place in the refrigerator to rest at least one hour and up to overnight.
Prepare the pans. Add the remaining one tablespoon of flour to the 3 Tbsp. reserved butter and stir to combine. Using a pastry brush, brush the interiors of the shells with the butter-flour mixture so that they are well coated. Place the pans in the freezer for at least an hour.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4).
Remove the batter from the refrigerator and one pan from the freezer. Fill each well in the madeleine pan with 1 Tbsp. of the batter. Remove the other pan and fill in the same way.
Place both pans on a baking sheet for easy handling and place in the oven. Check after 8 minutes and rotate plans. Check again 5 minutes later. The madeleines should be browning around the edges and puffed up a little in the middle. Using your forefinger, press lightly on the center hump - when the madeleines are finished baking, it should spring back at your touch.
Remove the madeleines from the oven and let cool for 2 minutes. Using a fork, gently loosen the madeleines from their molds and then tip the whole pan out onto a cooling wrack or tea towel. Once cool, dust lightly with powdered sugar and serve. If you are freezing or storing the madeleines, do not dust with the sugar until you are about to serve.
Store cooled madeleines in an airtight container for a few days or freeze them in a double wrapping of plastic wrap for several months. Let the cakes defrost before dusting with sugar.
Makes 24.