Anyone who knows Marcel Proust or madeleines will connect the two, so I don't have to do join the dots for you. I haven't read the novel. 




 

I tried, but I figure rather than run the marathon, I'd just show up at the finish line with a madeleine in my mouth, er.... half dipped in my cup of tea, and I'd get what the guy was going on, and on, and on........and ON about. And no, I'm not sure I do, but maybe it's because mine taste of pandan and take me to a whole other place ;)


Today I have no backstory, no musings - just a recipe that works (for me anyway) and some tips on how to get this finicky and preciously twee cake (cookie?) right, without selling your soul to the devil.



Before I go on, I'd like to say a big "Thank You" to my blogger buddy Biren. If not for you, these pretty madeleines would probably never have crossed over from my mind, to this page.

all the waaaaaay from Williams Sonoma in Minnesota, my pretty came


Now, let's get down to business! Eggs should be at (relatively warm) room temperature. Butter should not be above slightly warm so batter does not separate. Baking powder is optional but as this is based on the genoise recipe, which rises on elbow grease, traditionally, there is no baking powder. 

eggs, sugar and green goop all whipped into shape by my kitchenAid - shrek mousse


Furthermore, as my KitchenAid takes care of the elbow grease part, I find baking powder unnecessary. But, if you need to beat the batter yourself, you get to use the magic powder and keep your kitchen cred, ok?
 

after the flour and melted butter go in


Rest or chill the batter before baking? DON"T rest or chill the batter? I never do and yes, I still get "le bump". But is a streamlined madeleine any less of a madeleine? I thought it was all in the taste and texture, and if you don't burn anything, you're ahead of the game? Madeleine bumps, macaron feet. *Aiiiyeeeee* Are we talking about food or pregnant celebrities and supermodels!?





Bottom line - chill, rest if you must, it helps with people, maybe it works with batter too. I'd rather not, but if you do, you could wash up while you wait and watch 2 episodes of Frasier (I recommend anything from season 4) or do a solo tango across the living room.



invasion of the radioactive spongecake bugs *arrrgggggghhhhh*


I hate to say it but cake flour is a must for that light as air, did-I-actually-just-eat-one texture. If you can't get cake flour, use a mix of 1/3 cornflour and 2/3 plain flour. Last but not least, unless you enjoy a literal ache in the neck, get madeleine tins with bigger indentations.



houston, i think we have a........... BUMP!?!?

 
I almost lost my mind filling up my tins using a teapsoon. But I am criminally impatient and yes, I did feel like wrapping each one in a swaddling cloth and giving them individual names. Aww! Look at the wee, wittle madeleine babieeeeeeeees!! Who's a pweetty wittle madeleine? Who is? Who is?! You! Yes, you are! Yes, you are!!


Thank you again Biren, for lugging the tins all the way from Minnesota for me. You have no idea how difficult they are to find here! I would still be baking madeleines in their wide as a churchdoor greatgrandma, if not for you...

my 'vintage madeleine tin' picked up at a church sale for $1 - now it's my baulu mould :D


Prep  15 minutes       Cook 10 minutes      Yields 65 - 70 tiny madeleines.

2 Eggs at room temperature
75 g (1/2 cup) sugar       
1 tsp pandan paste
1 tsp pandan essence
A fat pinch salt
75 g (3/4 cup) cake flour (plain or all purpose flour will do but expect a denser texture)   75 g (1/2 cup) butter, melted and cooled

 

Very thoroughly grease 3 x 20 piece madeleine tin. (each tin has 20 depressions) Preheat oven at 190 C (375 F)

Combine eggs, sugar, pandan paste, essence and salt in standmixer bowl and beat at high speed until mixture is thick, creamy and mousse-like. Ribbons should form and hold their shape in bowl when beaters are lifted.

Sift flour over egg mixture, a third at a time, gently folding after each addition. 

Pour in melted butter around edge of batter. Quickly but gently fold butter into batter. Cover batter and set aside for an hour. (I didn't wait an hour, I mean, PLEASE!)

Spoon batter into moulds with a teaspoon. Do not level batter, which should fill each depression to the top but not exceed it. Bake for about 10 minutes or until cakes are golden and spring back when gently prodded with a finger.

Remove from oven and loosen madeleines with the tip of a knife, if they don’t turn out easily. Cool on a rack before dusting generously with icing sugar. Madeleines are at their best eaten the day they're baked as they dry out very quickly.


doing the marcel, tropical style