Tuesdays with Dorie and Madeleines
You might notice for those with Internet Explorer that the big black ugly bar is gone. Thanks Leslie for helping me out!
So today’s post is a Tuesdays With Dorie from two weeks back, when the big black bar appeared. The challenge was Madeleines and this time I was determined to get this right. A few months ago I bought one of those soft, silicone pans. It did not go well. The madeleines did not come out easy and left their skin behind.
So off to Sur La Table to purchase a metal pan. It was sort of funny because the clerk kept saying these are really hard to make. They are so easy to make. I hope you will all give them a try. I am anxious to try a few other flavors and play around a bit.
The group Tuesdays with Dorie was mentioned in the Wall Street Journal. You can check it out here.
Traditional Madeleines
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 stick (6 Tbsp) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Confectioner’s 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, 2-3 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 better form the hump that is characteristic of madeleines.
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, give it a light coating of vegetable cooking spray.
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 11-13 minutes, and minis for 8-10 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 mods 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 pans before baking.
Just before serving, dust the madeleines with confectioner’s sugar.
