My family and I just got back from a gloriously temperate holiday. We spent a couple of days in Paris and ate large quantities of highly excellent food there. I was so inspired by afore-mentioned highly excellent food that I bought madeleine pans and lugged them home.
It was quite an adventure getting back to Abu Dhabi. My dad had to leave early to get back to work, so it was my mother, bless her, and us four children trying to make our way through the metro station with our highly impractical suitcases. The metal roller handle broke clean off of mine halfway down a flight of stairs, so we dug out a belt and rolled it along that way. Châtelet is enormously busy, and it was hard making it through there with all of the people who actually knew what they were doing pressing in on all sides, but we made it somehow. When we finally got on the train going to the airport, it was crammed. I was up close and personal with what felt like about eleven people. I consider myself to have approximately four sides, so I have no idea how there were about eleven people touching me at one given time. Ah, the mysteries of life! Anyway, it was a great adventure, and we made it home eventually, which is always good.
As soon as I got home I made madeleines. They were delicious - sweet, lemony, and with delicate little crispy edges. They earned me many professions of familial love from my brothers and sister, which is nice, even though I wouldn't say no if someone offered to wash up my panoply of dishes after me.
Madeleines with Lemon Sugar
From Australian Gourmet Traveller, July 2011
Madeleines
120 gm butter
Lemon zest from 2 lemons
3 eggs, at room temperature
100 gm white sugar
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp honey
175 gm plain flour, sieved
1 tsp baking powder
Lemon Sugar
40 gm icing sugar, sieved
Lemon zest from 1 lemon
Melt the butter in a saucepan set over gentle, low heat. Add the lemon zest and set the butter aside until it is cooled to room temperature but still liquid (2-3 minutes).
Whisk the eggs, sugars, honey, and a pinch of salt until pale and fluffy. Sift over the flour and baking powder and fold through.
Fold in the butter mixture little by little until just incorporated, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate to rest (4 hours-overnight).
Preheat the oven to 180C. Divide mixture between two buttered 12-hole madeleine pans (do not spread it out). Tap the trays firmly on a countertop to release air bubbles. Place the molds on two baking sheets and bake, rotating pans halfway through, until madeleines are golden and cooked through (8-10 minutes). Tap tray to release madeleines.
Meanwhile, for the lemon sugar, combine ingredients in a bowl. Serve madeleines warm and dusted with lemon sugar.
Makes about 24
