Still very much chuffed by Dorie Greenspan’s Baking From My Home to Yours, I took up recommendations for her recipes, and decided to try out her rendition of traditional madeleines.
You see, madeleines and me go way back. I’ve had them drowning in my teacup each time I walked past a local bakery store, Delifrance. I’ve drooled over the countless number of variations I’ve seen splashed all over the foodblogosphere, truly believing that the web not only transmits information by the bytes and whatnots (cut me some slack here, I’m no techgeek), but also came with an aroma aid, specifically suited for madeleines. Because nothing quite tickles my fancy like the promise of fresh warm madeleine photos. And ever since I started this blog, 100 posts ago, I had been tagging almost every madeleine post I could feast my eyes upon, wishing that I could get my hands on those intricately elusive madeleine moulds. But when push came to shove, or in this case, when I felt like enough was enough, I just had to make them, and the moulds can wait.
I had recently bought two really cute 18cm loaf tins from Daiso, a Japanese $2 store;– and by cute, I meant they were small, and I imagined they would be perfect for a little tea brunch party with dolls and little cups and saucers;– and so, I decided to make mini madeleine loaves! I’ve read reviews about this particular recipe not really making the cut, because of the lack of quintessential significant hump madeleines are known for, but they looked [and smelled] absolutely perfect when baked in these loaf tins. The light golden crust boasted its buttery texture, while the subtle lemon aroma tinged its every slice. There was the slightest hint of crunch with each bite that paved its way to a soft and cakey texture.
I had initially planned to give one loaf away as a gift, but with the many helpings returning to the dining table, they were wiped out easily before the end of the day. My parents loved the lemon tang, and while my mother ate the slices ala carte, my father had his sandwiched with jam, while I had mine for the evening, served with Nutella spread and strawberry preserves. That was of course, after I’ve had my own personal serving of leftover madeleine batter poured into a mini tart shell, with a small dollop of strawberry preserves inside. I just love the strawberry-lemon combination. Doesn’t she look like she’s smiling?
