Honey Madeleines - Les Madelienes de Commercy au Miel -

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Honey Madeleines - Les Madelienes de Commercy au Miel

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By Anne Willan

Posted December 3rd, 2008

This article is reprinted with permission from The Country Cooking of France, by Anne Willan, (2007, Chronicle Books)

The Country Cooking of France

Servings:	4-6
Author Notes:	Madeleines come in a palette of flavors, ranging from traditional lemon zest to orange flower water, familiar vanilla, fashionable green tea, and my favorite, honey. I have even come across savory herb or cheese versions. The sign of a fine madeleine, is a little bump, created by leaving the batter to chill and stiffen for at least 2 hours, and by baking in a hot oven. The batter has a tendency to stick to the traditional shell-shaped metal molds, so they should be buttered twice. The cakes also turn out fine in nonstick silicone molds, but they will never color to a crisp golden brown. For a Proustian moment, savor a madeleine as he did, with a cup of tisane (page 364 of French Country Cooking).
Ingredients:	1 cup/125 g flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 cup/110 g butter, melted, more for the molds 1/2 cup/100 g granulated sugar 1 tablespoon/15 g brown sugar 1 heaping tablespoon honey grated zest of 1/2 lemon 2 eggs 1 egg yolk metal madelience plaques with 18 medium molds
Instructions:	Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, honey, lemon zest, eggs, and egg yolk. Whisk the ingredients by hand or with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until very smooth, 1 t 2 minutes. Gradually add the flour mixture and continue whisking for 1 minute. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours and up to 8 hours. Brush the molds with melted butter, chill in the freezer until set, and butter a second time. Heat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Spoon the batter into the molds, filling them almost to the rim. Bake the madeleines until they are puffed, golden brown, and just starting to pull from the sides of the molds, 8 to 10 minutes. Note that the peaked centers will be lighter than the rest of the cakes. Turn them out onto a rack to cool. They are best eaten warm from the oven, though they may be stored in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days.