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January 28, 2010
 

Oh, Madeleine!

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Homemade Madeleines eaten right out of the oven are a divine experience. Once you make your own, you will never doubt why Proust's sentimental remembrances of childhood were provoked by a bite from one of these fragrant little cakes. And you will never stop making them once you see your children's eyes look upon you with swirls of adoration after they have eaten one. Emmy left this morning with a small bag of them under her arm, saying dreamily, "Mommy, I love it when you make Madeleines."

I had been using the recipe from The Gourmet Cookbook. But this morning I tried something new. This recipe is easier and better tasting than the last, and makes the same amount (about 3 doz. small Madeleines). 

Honey Madeleines
-adapted from The Country Cooking of France by Anne Willan

1 c flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 c melted butter, plus more for buttering the molds
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 TBS dark brown sugar
1 overflowing TBS honey
Grated zest of 1 small meyer lemon (or zest of 1/2 a regular lemon)
2 eggs
1 egg yolk

Sift flour and baking power into a bowl. 

In bowl of your stand mixer, add 1/2 c melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, honey, lemon zest, eggs, and egg yolk. Beat, using your whisk attachment (or whisk by hand, if you don't have a mixer) until very smooth. Slowly, add the flour & baking powder mixture and continue to beat for about a minute or so. 

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or (as I did) overnight. 

Preheat the oven to 400F. Brush the molds of your madeleine pan with melted butter. Pop the pan into the freezer for a minute or two to set the butter, then remove the pan and brush with a second coat of butter. Spoon the batter into the molds (don't overfill) and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are brown around the edges and lightly golden on the top. (Note: they will get peaked in the center, which will be very light compared to the rest of the cake.) Turn out on a rack to cool. They are so amazing to eat straight out of the oven!! Dust with powdered sugar if you have a chance before they're all gobbled up. 

Filed under  //   baking   cookies  

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December 12, 2009
 

Baking

My brother-in-law and my sister are both very good cooks. Eating at their house is always a treat. While in the midst of cooking recently I phoned them up--as I often do--to ask a question about something I was making. My sister answered and for some reason I didn't pose the question to her, but asked to speak with Tim. He wasn't at home. I wondered aloud why I always seem to ask him my cooking questions and not her. 

"Because," she piped up, "I don't like to cook." 

"What?" I was shocked. 

"I don't like to cook. I prefer gardening to cooking. But of course I do like to bake."

It did make sense. She's a great baker and had I been baking something I'm sure I would have asked her and not Tim. I have thought about this exchange with my sister often. I love to cook everything, anything, in any and every way; but there is something particularly satisfying about baking. The warmth. The pleasant aromas. The feeling of flour & butter between one's fingers. The blending of sugar and spice. 

There is something especially pleasing about baking for and with children as well. My mother likes to bake and was always happy to let us help her. Growing up, the cookie jar was pretty nearly always filled. The week before Christmas at our house was a veritable cookie factory where we regularly made 7 or 8 different varieties every year. Mom also made loads of pies and cakes and muffins and cupcakes. It is only in recent years that I truly understand what a sweet and abiding gift it is to have a mother who bakes. I hope I can pass it on.

 

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Filed under  //   baking   cookies   scones  

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