Madeleine Who?

Madeleines, also know as “French Butter Cakes” are a treat for anyone who likes sweet and lightly cakey cookies (let’s see a show of hands out there! Don’t be shy.)
My inspiration for these little darlings actually came one day a few years back when I was watching “Le Transporteur”, “The Transporter” for us Americans. The woman who was saved in the movie made these little cakes for her hero one morning. At that point I knew I had to find out what these were. It took me 2 weeks just to track down the special molds for them. You can find them online, or were I did at “The Pacific Chef “in Bellingham, WA.

Madeleines hail from Commercy, France. Louis XV named these petite cakes after his father-in-law's pastry chef, Madeleine Paulmier and were soon introduced to the court of Versailles by Louis' wife. Needless to say the swept all of France off it's feet in a short time. It is a mystery to the French, and myself, why these little cakes have never truly caught on here in the states. They are everything you could possibly ask for in a cookie: light, sweet, and distinctively classy!

The Goods
½ cup unsalted browned butter (Browning the butter gives it that great nutty flavor, this is the secret key!)
1 cup cake flour
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt (I love using my Hawaiian Black Lava Sea Salt)
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated white sugar (I substituted the sugar for 1/3 cup honey)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract (straight from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)
1 tsp. orange zest or you can use almond extract (I used Amaretto di Saronno for fun)

The Attack
-Start by browning the butter, but make sure to not let it burn or the milk solids will fall to the bottom and become toasted little granules (Not very tasty). You may also clarify the butter by skimming the solids off the top to get rid of some of the gunk.
-In a small bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder well until blended.
-In the bowl of you electric mixer (I don’t have one so I will my right arm to not break off as I am whipping the eggs and sugar), beat the eggs and sugar at medium high until the mixture has tripled in volume, is a pale yellow color, and forms thick ribbons when the whisk is removed (About 5 minutes). Add the Vanilla extract and the zest or Amaretto and beat to combine.
-Sift the flour mixture into the egg mixture a little at a time to avoid lumps, and fold it in. Be careful to not over mix or the batter will deflate like my hopes of winning the lottery!
-Grease up those Madeleine molds like there’s no tomorrow and throw some flour on them. Tamp off the excess flour. This will help the little devils pop out easier.
-Pipe or spoon the batter into the center of each mold, leaving it mounded in the center to give it that classic “humped” appearance.
- Bake the Madeleines for 11-13 minutes in the oven set to 375 degree (F).
-Remove from the molds from the oven and rap on each pan to loosen the cookies onto a cooling rack.

These treats are fantastic with a hot cup of espresso, chocolate dipped, or just by themselves. Just remember what Mr. Sinclair says, “Always in moderation”.

-Bon Appétit