Marvellous Madeleines

It seems that this is the week of making baked goods beginning with 'm' chez Rach, so today it was madeleines. And I must say, they were A LOT more of a success than yesterday's culinary disaster! I have to admit, I've yet to taste a madeleine in France, and I've not actually seen a great deal of them in the south, but for those of you that don't know what they are they are little sponge cakes, perfect for snacking on. What really made me want to make them was seeing Rachel Khoo make them on her current television series The Little Paris Kitchen: Cooking with Rachel Khoo which I am just a little obsessed with watching at the moment! One day I will be living somewhere in France, baking to my heart's content...I can dream anyway!

So this recipe is courtesy of Rachel and it's her twist on the classic French madeleine. The light lemony sponge is heavenly and then you bite into it and discover two little hidden treats inside: a burst of lemon curd and a raspberry. Diiiivine. As she rightly says, they're best eaten warm, just out of the oven. And oh my goodness is she right. I ate two in the space of about five minutes and could have kept going. Unfortunately, mine don't look quite like traditional madeleines, as I don't possess a proper mould to bake them in, but really, it doesn't matter too much what they look like, because they taste wonderful! I'm sure I'll be making these little beauties again, because I know this batch won't last long...

Madeleines with Lemon Curd   makes about 24

Ingredients:

For the lemon curd:

1 Lemon (zest and juice)

Pinch of Salt

40g Sugar

45g Butter

2 Egg Yolks

For the madeleines:

3 Eggs

130g Sugar

200g Plain Flour

10g Baking Powder

1 Lemon (zest only)

20g Honey

4tbsp Milk

200g Butter (melted and cooled)

Punnet of Raspberries

Method:

1. Beat the eggs with the sugar until pale and frothy. 
2. Put the flour and baking powder into a separate bowl and add the lemon zest.
3. Mix the honey and milk with the cooled butter, then add to the eggs. 
4. In two batches, fold in the flour. Cover and leave to rest in the fridge for a few hours, or overnight.
5. Meanwhile, make the lemon curd. Put the lemon zest and juice, salt, sugar and butter into a small saucepan and heat gently until the sugar and butter have melted. Remove from the heat.
6. Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl, then add to the pan and whisk vigorously. 
7. Return the pan to a low heat and whisk constantly as the curd starts to thicken. Don’t stop whisking or the eggs will curdle (if the curd starts to boil, take off the heat). Once the curd thickens and releases a bubble or two, remove from the heat and pass the curd through a sieve into a bowl. 
8. Place cling film in direct contact with the curd and refrigerate for at least an hour, preferably overnight.
9. When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 190 degrees. 
10. Butter and flour a 12-shell madeleine tin or cake tin. 
11. Put the lemon curd into a piping bag fitted with a small, pointed nozzle and place in the fridge (I made my own piping bag using a plastic sandwich bag which did the job!).
12. Put a heaped tablespoon of batter into each madeleine shell and press a raspberry deep into the batter.
13. Bake for five minutes and turn the oven off for one minute, then turn the oven on to 160 degrees and bake for a further five minutes. 
14. Place the madeleines on a wire rack and leave for a few minutes until cool enough to handle. 
15. Put the piping nozzle into the mound in each baked madeleine and squirt in a teaspoon’s worth of lemon curd. 
16. Eat straight away and enjoy!

A lot of sugar..

...and a lot of butter..

...makes lemon curd!

Now you see the raspberries...

...now you don't!

The raspberries are still in there somewhere, though, I promise!

Macaron Mayhem

 

What my macarons should have looked like!

Today was the day: I was going to make macarons! Since being in France, I've seen these little delicacies absolutely everywhere in every colour you could possibly imagine, calling out to me and asking to be eaten. Those brightly coloured, meringue-based beauties just staring out from the windows of so many patisseries. But actually, it was only a couple of weeks ago that I tried one for the first time. I was at one of my beloved French markets when I was offered a sample by a rather gorgeous looking French man as it happens. I fell in love (with the macaron, not the man). It was pistachio flavour, but I think any would have been wonderful. Light and crumbly, sticky and crunchy - a perfect little cake that just melts in your mouth. I finally bought one for myself from a Paul in Aix last week and for quite some time now I've been desperate to give them a go. I knew it was quite a challenge, but one that I was definitely up for if it meant that I would be able to recreate these tasty delights whenever I wanted!

It was all going as planned at first. The mixture was coming along nicely and I was even provided with an electric whisk, thanks to my friend Hannah's more modern kitchen, where we were baking. However, what I failed to remember is that she is lacking in baking trays. Of course, this did not phase us and we improvised with cardboard wrapped in greaseproof paper. We'd found a solution and everything was back on track. In went the macarons for about 10 minutes and we took them out to cool. What we'd completely forgotten about though was the fact that baking trays are metal, so heat up far quicker than cardboard and this is actually a vital part of cooking on metal baking trays. So it wasn't surprising when the bottoms of the macarons were nowhere near cooked and still very much soft and gooey. The tops were crispy like they should be, but underneath they just weren't right. It was too late to save them and my poor macarons were a failure. I was more than a little disappointed to say the least. And all because of a stupid baking tray. What can I say? Never try baking without a metal baking tray...the clue's in the name I guess!

Fear not though, I will not let this put me off! Making macarons before I leave France WILL happen and they WILL be just as perfect as shop-bought ones. I'd like to hope so anyway. I tried making another French delicacy this evening instead so let's just pray that they're a bit more of a success...watch this space!