Earl Grey Honey Madelines

It's hard to believe the summer went by so fast. I still have a couple weeks left until school, but I start soccer next week, and from there, the hours of free time begin to shrink. The summer always goes by in a flash, but it still takes me by surprise. I got to work on this blog a lot, which has been a gift. I'm glad I could continue to develop and understand my interests. I think that's really important. Once you figure out that you love to do something, it will only continue to become more fun, and the product will be better. However, I am still a teenager, and enjoy things like seeing friends and..Getting my license! I've been putting it off for a while. I'm not that into driving, and I could have gotten it a while ago if I'd really cared about it, but I just didn't get around to it. But now I'm seeing the perks of not having to take the bus everywhere. Driving is pretty scary when you think about it. It's a big responsibility to keep yourself and other people safe. But that's part of getting older, as is figuring out who you are and what you like. This year of school is pretty big in terms of really starting to make decisions about the future. This blog has really helped me figure out what I want to do, so thanks to everyone who encouraged me along the way. These madelines weren't really inspired by anything in particular, other than trying to get a recipe right. I've been working on tea-infused madelines and was having some issues with texture, and getting "the lump". I once read on David Lebovitz's blog that true Parisian madelines have a little "hump." I finally got that down, and success after many fails is always nice.



Earl Grey Honey Madelines

5 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons loose Earl Grey tea
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/3 cup +2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a small saucepan, melt butter completely. Add tea leafs and cover with tin foil for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl and mix thoroughly.

Using a stand mixer, beat eggs and sugar until thick and slightly lighter in color. Do not over-whip. Add honey and vanilla, and beat for 1 additional minute.

Gently fold the dry ingredients into the mixture.

Strain the butter through a fine sieve to clarify the butter and remove tea leafs. Then fold in the the butter. Drop a teaspoon of the tea leafs that were in the butter into the batter and mix.

Cover the batter with saran wrap and chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

After chilled, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Brush a madeline tin with butter and lightly flour. Drop about 1 tablespoon of the batter into each mold. It will spread in the oven. Bake madelines about 7-9 minutes, depending on your oven. They should be golden brown around the edges and a large lump should form in the middle of the cake.

Remove from tin shortly after they are out of the oven. Cool for at least 1 hour before serving.
Read more...

Simple Orange and Almond Madelines

Have you ever stuck your nose in a bottle of almond extract? Yum...I think that is one of the best smells. If you've had amaretti you know what I'm talking about. Madelines are sort of controversial: cake or cookie? I'm definitely on the cake side. What defines a cookie, to me, is it has a relatively crunchy exterior, and madelines are all cake. Although, a good madeline does have an ever so slightly crunchy, buttery top. Hmmm. Well, they taste good, so that's all that really matters. I've been doing a lot of orange recipes lately because I bought too many one day and had nothing to do with them. I good cook wastes nothing, so I decided to have a heavy orange theme this week. On another note, I will be in New York starting Friday, so no new baking posts until I get back! I will probably put up some pictures of some of the sweets I ate there, but nothing I made. I had some extra time today and made these simple madelines, using my excess orange and that amazing almond flavor.



Madelines

170 g clarified butter*
2 eggs
200 g sugar
1 cup sifted cake flour
1 tablespoon brandy
1 teaspoon almond extract
Zest of one orange

*To clarify the butter, melt and let it cool. A white foam will rise to the surface. Using a shallow spoon, remove the foam as best you can. It will keep your madelines from browning too much in the oven.

Melt and allow your clarified butter to cool. On top of a double broiler, heat eggs and sugar, until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and transfer to a medium bowl. Whisk until thick, light, and creamy. When cooled, sift in the cake flour, a little at a time. Once flour is incorporated, stream in the melted butter, then the brandy, the almond extract, and the orange zest. Scoop a scant tablespoon of batter into each mold of a greased and floured madeline pan. Transfer to the freezer for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and bake until the tops of your madelines are golden brown, about 12 minutes.
Read more...