Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Tuesdays with Dorie - Traditional Madeleines

My first Tuesdays with Dorie Challenge! I ordered the book 2 weeks ago, but apparently I didn't get the speediest shipping. So here we are with my first recipe, Madeleines. I don't have a pan for this, and am not a fan of uni-taskers as my kitchen is tiny, so I made do. What did I use, you may ask. Tartlet pans. I use these all the time to make little tarts, shaped cookies, as cookie cutters, etc so I don't consider them a uni-tasker. Plus, they are much easier to store than a big pan. Anywhos, back to the madeleines. They taste great, they puffed up nicely and look to have a bump on the flat side, so I think they came out well, even if not in the traditional shape. The lemony flavor is subtle but nice, and they are very tender.

Traditional Madeleines

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
½ cup sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¾ stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Working in a mixer bowl, or in a large bowl, rub the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the eggs to the bowl. Working with the whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat the eggs and sugar together on medium-high speed until pale, thick and light, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. With a rubber spatula, very gently fold in the dry ingredients, followed by the melted butter. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the batter and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours, or for up to 2 days. This long chill period will help the batter form the hump that is characteristic of madeleines. (For convenience, you can spoon the batter into the madeleine molds, cover and refrigerate, then bake the cookies directly from the fridge; see below for instructions on prepping the pans.)

GETTING READY TO BAKE: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter 12 full-size madeleine molds, or up to 36 mini madeleine molds, dust the insides with flour and tap out the excess. Or, if you have a nonstick pan (or pans), give it a light coating of vegetable cooking spray. If you have a silicone pan, no prep is needed. Place the pan(s) on a baking sheet.

Spoon the batter into the molds, filling each one almost to the top. Don't worry about spreading the batter evenly, the oven's heat will take care of that. Bake large madeleines for 11 to 13 minutes, and minis for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are golden and the tops spring back when touched. Remove the pan(s) from the oven and release the madeleines from the molds by rapping the edge of the pan against the counter. Gently pry any recalcitrant madeleines from the pan using your fingers or a butter knife. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool to just warm or to room temperature.

If you are making minis and have more batter, bake the next batch(es), making certain that you cool, then properly prepare the pan(s) before baking.

Just before serving, dust the madeleines with confectioners' sugar.

makes 12 large or 36 mini cookies

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was really considering buying a madeleine pan. It had left my mind that unitaskers should be avoided. Thank you for bringing me back to reality!

Garrett said...

I actually love the way these came out with the untraditional shape. They definitely look unique, and still golden brown and delicious!

Bumblebutton said...

They look yummy, and just the right color. Welcome to TWD--you surely fit right in!

Melissa said...

Welcome! They look so cute!

noskos said...

Welcome to TWD! Your "madeleins" look yummy!

CB said...

Cute madeleine tarts! Welcome to TWD!
Clara @ I♥food4thought

Anonymous said...

The tartlette pan was a great idea! They look adorable!

mimi said...

welcome to TWD! your madeleine tartlets look great!

Cheryl said...

I love the shape! Very nice!

PheMom said...

I really like how yours turned out. I usually agree about unitaskers, but I decided that since the flavor possibilities and portability of the traditional pan made it worth the investment for me (finally). I really like how your mini tartlets turned out though too (unfortunately I still don't have mini tart pans either - grrr). Great job!!

Jaime said...

i love how you improvised!! those are SO cute!!!

Gretchen Noelle said...

What fun madeleines in a tarlet form! Great job on these!!

Anonymous said...

Welcome to TWD! And good thinking – the tartlettes are gorgeous!

ostwestwind said...

Great tartet-shaped madeleines, welcome to TWD

Ulrike from Küchenlatein

Anonymous said...

Congrats on your first Tuesday! Welcome!

Thistlemoon said...

Those look great! I am with you on the unitasker thing. I usually just make do with whatever is around!

Welcome to The Foodie Blogroll! :)

The Kitchen Vixen said...

Your madeleine tarts are so pretty! I love how they turned out;)

Mari said...

Welcome aboard!

Jayne said...

Those are so pretty! Like little flowers. Welcome to TWD!

LyB said...

Love your idea of mini tart pans, it makes for some very chic madeleines! :)

Anonymous said...

They turned out so cute in that pan of yours - custom made, love it!