The Start of Something Good...

I hope. I've had an interesting time trying to create this blog. I believe myself to be fairly technology savvy. I've taken a lot of computer courses, and being my age, I spend the majority of my time logged onto some sort of electronic device. All things considered, it has taken me a ridiculous amount of time to get this thing up and running. Probably because I'm a mild perfectionist and I want to make sure it resembles a blog I would want to read. My mom will be participating in most of the other postings, but unfortunately, she wasn't around when I made these. Since I live away from home now, we'll have to figure out a way to coordinate pictures and such. So stay tuned for her posts! 


For the first post, I made David Lebovitz's Lemon-Glazed Madeleines. I got a madeleine pan for Christmas and have yet to use it. I've been searching for my inaugural recipe and I stumbled across this one and thought it sounded delightful. The end result was absolutely delicious and it is definitely something I'll make again. You'll need to read his post for all of the details, but essentially, there is a baking powder or no baking powder dilemma going on. Since he called for it in his recipe, I included it. Next time I make them, I might leave it out though. They were extremely puffy and sort of sat awkwardly on a plate. Though texture-wise, the madeleines were beautifully fluffy on the inside. 

Also, I edited the glaze recipe. First off, it only made enough to coat half of the madeleines, and secondly, it was too thin and ended up being absorbed sort of like a sugar syrup by my first batch. 


That being said, I love them. They are buttery and fluffy and the lemon juice in the glaze helps cut the sweetness. The result is a slightly tart yet perfectly sweet treat. I ate three while I was waiting for the glaze to dry :) 


My biggest helpful hint for successfully making this recipe is to butter and flour the pan, even if it is nonstick. I actually used one of each type of pan and ironically, my madeleines stuck more to the nonstick pan. Also, if you use nonstick, be sure to turn your oven down 15 or so degrees. Otherwise, you'll end up with cakes that are burned on the bottom and undercooked on top. The coating on these pans gets hotter in the oven than uncoated metals. And be sure to apply this rule to other types of nonstick pans as well, especially cookie sheets! I'm personally a fan of uncoated pans, but mom prefers the nonstick variety. Both work equally well but whichever type you prefer, always remember to alter the temperature appropriately.


My last piece of advice is to clean up the kitchen as you go. For all of my 22 years, I still haven't learned to follow this suggestion. Every time I cook, I end up with a pile of dishes in the sink and it takes away from the experience. For this recipe, I recommend tidying while the batter is chilling. I, however, did not. So if you'll excuse me, I have some cleaning to do!

Lemon-Glazed Madeleines
Makes 24


Ingredients:
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup (130g) granulated sugar

rounded 1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup (175g) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder (optional)
zest of one small lemon
9 tablespoons (120g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature, plus additional melted butter for preparing the molds

1 1/2 cup (150g) powdered sugar
2 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
2-3 tablespoons water

Brush the madeleine molds with melted butter. Sprinkle with flour and shake to coat evenly. Tap off any excess and put in the fridge or freezer. 

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, whip the eggs, granulated sugar, and salt. (I used the whisk attachment) Whip for about 5 minutes until thickened and frothy. 

Combine the flour and baking powder if using. Spoon into a sifter and sift into the bowl with the egg and sugar mixture, folding it in as you sift. 

Mix the lemon zest with the cooled butter. Fold into the rest, a few spoonfuls at a time. Once the last of the butter is just folded in, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, up to 12.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees (around 405 is using nonstick). Spoon batter into each of the indentations, estimating about 3/4 full. Do not spread the batter. Bake 8-9 minutes until they are just set when you poke them. 

While they are baking, mix the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and water in a small bowl. Once the madeleines are done, flip them out onto a cooling rack. I had a little trouble with this part, so I just ran a knife gently around the edges. Once they have cooled some (mine were barely warm), dip them in the glaze and place back on cooling rack, scallop side up. 

Glazed madeleines are best left uncovered, or loosely wrapped. They can be kept in a covered container up to three days. David does not recommend freezing them because the glaze will melt. 

Recipe adapted from David Lebovitz.