P
French · Commercy, Lorraine
Madeleines
Madeleines are shell-shaped French butter cakes — small, golden, slightly crispy on the exterior, tender and cake-like within. The characteristic hump (la bosse) on the back of the madeleine is not an accident — it is the result of the batter resting cold, then hitting a very hot oven. The hump indicates that the cold rested batter hit sufficient heat to rise rapidly before the surface set.
‹Swipe for the next dish›
I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
100 g
unsalted butter
clarified, cooled slightly
Your own market
100 g
all-purpose flour
Your own market
2
large eggs
room temperature
Your own market
85 g
caster sugar
Your own market
5 ml
honey
Origin · New ZealandPurely Artisan Foods · San Diego →
2 g
baking powder
Your own market
1 pinch
fine sea salt
Your own market
5 ml
fresh lemon juice
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tsp
lemon zest
finely grated
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
II
The Method
1
Whisk eggs and caster sugar in heatproof bowl set over simmering water, whisking constantly, for 5 minutes until pale, thick, and ribbon-like (45–50°C); remove from heat.
2
Whisk in honey and lemon juice; let cool 2 minutes.
3
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together; fold gently into egg mixture in three additions using rubber spatula.
4
Fold in lemon zest; slowly fold in cooled clarified butter until just combined, being careful not to deflate foam.
From the canon — Whole butter contains three components: water (16%), milk solids (4%), and fat (80%). Clarified Butter (Beurre Clarifié) and Brown Butter (Beurre Noisette) →
5
Brush madeleine molds liberally with butter; place on baking sheet; fill each cavity three-quarters full with batter.
6
Bake in preheated 200°C oven for 12–14 minutes until golden brown and a skewer inserted in center comes out clean.
7
Invert molds immediately onto cooling rack; madeleines should release cleanly.
8
Serve warm or at room temperature, dusted with icing sugar if desired; best consumed within 6 hours of baking.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Where it lives or dies. The moment where madeleines live or die is the cold-to-hot transition — the batter should be ice cold when it goes into the oven. If the batter has warmed from resting at room temperature, the hump will not form. Work quickly: spoon the cold batter into the cold mould, into the hot oven within 60 seconds. The thermal shock between the cold batter and the hot oven surface is the mechanism that creates the hump.
Pillar V
Cross-cuisine parallels are part of membership.
The dishes this one teaches you, across the cuisines — on every recipe.
Enter · from $49 a year
VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Agave spirit
From British Columbia
Wine
Without alcohol
GT's Synergy Organic Kombucha — Gingerade
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Non-alcoholic
Why each one works is part of membership — Enter · from $49 a year →
The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
Enter · from $49 a year