Madeleines

Incredibly airy madeleines with crispy edge.

My patience has paid off at last. Reluctant to part with big bucks for a madeleine tray from Totts, I waited for months until Daiso came in with their new shipment of madeleine pans. At $2 for a made-in-Japan pan good for making 5 madeleines, it was well worth the wait.

I first knew of the French heritage of these tiny bites from Marcel Proust's memory of the madeleines in 'Swann's Way'.  I remembered my mum making the nonya equivalent in a cast iron pan and baking over charcoal fire in the passage way outside our one-room flat. It was nostalgia all over again and I could almost go back to the 'good old days' as the fragrance of plump  madeleines came wafting from  the kitchen.

Verdict : The madeleines , humps and all, were incredibly airy with crispy edges when eaten fresh that  I could not believe they came right out of my oven. I consider it a personal best and hope it was not beginner's luck. Needless to say, madeleines  are here to stay in this household from henceforth and I might just try to dazzle my friends with these at the next gathering.

Slightly adapted from joyofbaking(dot)com

How can I cool the madeleines and not end up with crease marks ? Any ideas ?

Makes 25 madeleines.

Ingredients :

113 grams unsalted butter, melted

130 grams all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs, at room temperature

90 grams granulated sugar( 110 g if you prefer it sweeter )

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Method :

Melt butter and leave to cool. Add lemon. Stir.

Mix flour, baking powder, salt in a bowl. Whisk to combine.

Beat eggs and sugar at medium-high speed until volume triples, about 6 minutes.

Sift dry ingredients over eggs, in 3 batches, folding in the flour with every batch.

Scoop a spoonful of batter and mix with the melted butter. In 3 batches, pour butter mix into the mixing bowl, folding in with every batch.

Chill for an hour or more, to firm up batter.

Preheat oven to 190C

Grease madeleine pans and dust with flour. Shake off excess flour.

Scoop batter into pan, 2/3 full for every madeleine.

Bake at 9-10 minutes until edges are slightly scorched but the center is pale and the

the hump is springy when pressed.

Invert the pan and tap out the madeleines. Cool well before storing.

Keeps for 2-3 days without chilling.