Thursday, February 08, 2007

If It Ain't Broke...

Matt Moran's Madeleines

You know that something is broken when you have to start hitting it to make it work. I first found this out when I was 14. It was 1996 and our television began its slow decline into disrepair. First it would flicker black and white, then green and red, then blue all over. Colour television, this familiar luxury afforded by our generation soon became a distant memory.

Our routine of watching hours of cartoons every afternoon after school soon came to none, as futile attempts were made to convince our parsimonious father to buy us a new TV. It was only until my sister and I became so fed up with the thing and began to beat it violently that we found a way around this problem. Blow after blow to the top of the TV with a closed fist seemed to make the picture get better and better. I guess we thought that no damage could be done, how much more broke could this TV get?

Well, I have now been in denial about the condition of my car radio for quite some time but it looks as if the same fate is inevitable. It never bothered me at first, it became somewhat of a morning ritual having to strike at my car radio like a mad woman to just get it working. A few slaps with an open palm, then if that didn’t work, a fist would be formed and off I went pounding at the thing until some form of resonance would materialise. It’s not pretty, but I have now come to accept that my car radio does need replacing, at least until all the hitting stops working.

Madeleines and Baileys Ice Cream

Which brings me to these madeleines, now do we really need another madeleine recipe? Will the world profit any gain if another madeleine recipe is posted on a blog, perhaps not, but I must say that these madeleines are exceptional and best of all, this recipe works. There’s no need to throw these madeleines out as I think they are just perfect.

I’ve already posted about them
twice before but somehow I can’t seem to bring a halt to this fixation. I don’t know if it’s how they taste or how they look or the fact that they originated from France, but I cannot get enough of these little treats. Last year may have been the year of the cupcake, but I think I have to say that this year could be the year of the madeleine.

I have a tendency to romanticise certain things and I imagine that I have done this very thing to the madeleine to the point of placing them in them in too lofty a pedestal. They are just too delightful and whatever it is about them that I love, yet cannot articulate, then so let them remain on that pedestal. Perhaps it’s that sense of serenity that they elicit; the innocence and simplicity of days gone by. But there is something idealistically rustic about them, like spending a weekend in a summer cottage. I don’t know what it is, but whatever it is, it works for me.

This madeleine recipe is from Matt Moran’s self-titled book that was
released in October last year. He doesn’t really illustrate what these madeleines taste like, unlike his other recipes that are preluded with a short description. I guess most people know what to expect with madeleines; yet I was really intrigued to try them.

Matt Moran's Madeleines

This recipe calls for honey and butter to be melted together, something I have never seen in a madeleine recipe before. What results is a moist cake with a crisp outer edge. Despite the absence of any sort of leavening agent like baking powder, the cake produces a light airy crumb. I guess the inclusion of 4 egg whites aids in the rising part.

Classified as a tea cake by many, typically, madeleines are paired with tea or coffee; although this time I wanted to do it as a dessert. So instead of tea or coffee I decided to pair it with some Bailey’s Ice Cream that I had made earlier. The ice cream’s taste is quite subtle and has a somewhat soothing effect against the sweetness of the madeleines. You can reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe of you don’t want the ice cream to be too sweet although I found that the 100g is quite adequate.

Baileys Ice Cream

Homemade ice cream, unless you have one of those professional grade ice cream churners will never turn out as fluffy as those store-bought ones. Simply put, your home ice cream maker cannot physically churn that much air into the ice cream as the ones you find in your supermarket, so don’t lament at the fact that it doesn’t look as light and airy. It should taste a lot better than those generic brands you find while grocery shopping.

Baileys Ice Cream

The texture is much thicker and creamier and the good thing is that it isn’t full of preservatives, you can pretty much make whatever flavour you fancy and you can eat less of it and feel more satisfied. It's the pleasures of making ice cream yourself!

Enjoy!

Matt Moran’s Madeleine Recipe
from his self-titled
book

Madeleines in the pan

100g unsalted butter
35g honey
100g icing (confectioner’s) sugar
40g almond meal
40g plain all-purpose flour
4 egg whites
butter for greasing
a little caster sugar, optional

Melt the butter and honey in a small saucepan, remove from heat and allow to cool to body temperature.
Combine the icing sugar, almond meal and flour in an electric mixer.
With the motor running at low speed, slowly add the egg whites.
Once all the egg whites are incorporated, gradually add the butter and honey mixture and combine well.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Lightly brush a madeleine tray with butter and sprinkle with caster sugar for a nice crunch.
Half-fill the moulds with the batter and bake for 8-12 minutes, depending on large your madeleines are.
They should be golden brown and well risen.
Immediately turn out the madeleines onto a cooling rack.
Serve while still warm.

Bailey’s Irish Crème Ice Cream
makes 1 litre

500g pure cream
300g full cream milk
4 egg yolks
100g granulated sugar
¼ cup Bailey’s

In a large saucepan set over simmering water (double broiler), whisk cream, milk and egg yolks together.
When the mixture is starting to heat up add the sugar and continuously whisk until dissolved and the mixture has thickened.
This will take about 20 minutes and the custard should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Remove the custard from the heat and mix in the Irish creme liqueur.
Allow the custard to chill in the refrigerator.
When the custard has completely chilled, pour into an ice cream machine and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Store the ice cream in a 1-litre air tight container and freeze.

Madeleines and Baileys Ice Cream

25 comments:

sideshowjo said...

Your pictures coupled with the gorgeous Australian sunlight always makes your bakes look amazing, of course your skills are without saying, bar none! Just a quick question, do you use silicon trays?

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

I think it's Madeleine time. They are just such sweet little bites. I think i need to make some more. Beautiful photos, specially like the one looking inside!

Anonymous said...

Haha. I remember too having to bang on one very ancient family TV back in the 80s just to get some decent picture.

The Madeleine recipe seems easy enough but I don't have a Madeleine tray! Hmm, maybe a small muffin tray will work. No?

Patricia Scarpin said...

Jenjen,

These madeleines are so beautiful - I must buy a madeleine pan asap! ;)

Anonymous said...

oh yum ! bailey's ice creammm...

Anonymous said...

Great minds think alike. I made honey madeleines two days ago (all gone already!) but photographed thank God -- post not yet ready! I like to compare the recipe you used and mine (my own creation). It would have been fun to compare textures too! Lovely light photos! And btw, of course we need another madeleine recipe!

Rachel said...

Yummy! I love the melted butter/honey idea.

Brilynn said...

I've been playing around with adding Bailey's to my ice cream recipes but haven't got it worked out quite right yet. I'll have to give yours a try. You also seem to be trying to convince me that I NEED a madeleine pan... I think I really do.

wheresmymind said...

I don't know what is more depressing, the fact that you were 14 when I was a junior in college or the fact thatI've been outta college for 10 years this May! lol

Anonymous said...

I just love the colour and lightness of your pictures. And I agree on the madeleines...

Anonymous said...

I'm freezing right now, and that ice cream still looks great to me! What a great combo... beautiful pictures too.

Anonymous said...

Oh madelines...and Bailey's ice cream...YUM!!!!!!!

Cerebrum said...

More Madeleines, yay! Love the idea of doing honey-flavoured ones...

Anonymous said...

Bailey's ice cream! I'm jotting that down right now! And of course, the madeleines are beautiful too!

Anonymous said...

Hmm... look really lovely and would like to have it now! I wonder is there anyway I can not to use the ice-cream machine to make ice-cream?

Unknown said...

Wow...this batch of photos is sooo gorgeous. And you can never have too many madeleine recipes in my opinion!

Anonymous said...

I will always welcome another recipe for madeleines. They are such adorable little cakes with the best texture and flavor. Your's are gorgeous and that ice cream looks great too.

Susan from Food Blogga said...

After seeing your dainty madeleines, I would say that yes, the world does need another madeleine recipe!

Anonymous said...

Madeleines..they are yummy!!You have a wonderful sense of photography apart from being a great chef. Thanx for sharing both. Cheers!!Jessica

Anonymous said...

Oooh! Honey in madeleines! Sounds wonderful :) Your madeleines look lovely...I have a silicon pan so they always come out quite pale with none of your wonderfully burnished edges...I will have to try again with this butter and honey version...perhaps that will help :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Jenjen - I just can't resist these, they look/sound SO good...

ilingc said...

I heart madeleines! I have made them like three times already in the last two months and each time they don't last long enough to be blogged about.

I once ate 6 of them in a row because they're so addictive and then felt sick for the rest of the afternoon. LOL

Great idea having them with ice cream. I'll have to give that a go the next time I make it. :)

Jen said...

Sideshowjo- Thanks! I have to say that there is something unique about the Australian light that always makes pictures look so vibrant.

And no I don't use silcon trays in that I am simply too cheap to buy them for myself.

Mykitcheninhalfcups- Thanks, I couldn't agree more that it is time for more medeleines. A classic recipe if there ever were one.

Lisa Y- I'm glad I wasn't the only one who had a to go through that with a broken tv.

You could essentially put the batter in a muffin tin, although you wont get the beautiful shell shape that is characteristic of the madeleine.

Patricia Scarpin- I pormise you will get so much use out of it!

Swee- It was definitely delicious!

Bea- I'm glad you agree that we need another madeleine recipe. I would love to try yours sometime. And as always your photos are gorgeous!

Rachel- Me too, it really made the madeleines taste unique.

Brilynn- I also had to play around with the adding the Bailey's as that it also contains cream. Hopefully this recipe works for you.
And yes.. you do need a madleeine tin!!

Wheresmymind- Oh you old fart!

Marieke- Thanks!

Kristen- Thanks! While you are freezing up there we are boiling down here, so the ice cream really came in handy.

Peabody- Ditto to that!

Zarah Maria- the honey in the recipe makes for a really nice moist cake. I love it!

Gilly- Hey nice to see you back! The Bailey's Ice cream is beautiful and I highly recommend it.

Windy- Certainly you can just churn the custard in a metal bowl surrounded by ice or either place the custrad in the freezer and periodically whisk it every thirty minutes.

Anita- Thanks, i'm glad you love them. And it's true, I don't know what I was thinking when I said that everyone is probably sick of madeleine recipes. Clearly they are not.

Natalia- I agree and I know how madeleines can be so addictive, I almost ate a whole tray by myself.

Susan- I'm glad you feel that way!

Jessica- Thanks : )

Joey- I have never tried making them in silicon moulds but I love the burnt edges I get using the tin ones. And if you use a non-stick pan it isn't too hard getting the madleines out.

Keiko- Oh they were definitely hard to resist, they are just so adorable and delicious!

Illingc- I know what you mean about madeleines being so addictive. I admit this recipe has been the most addictive so far.

Altaf said...

They look very delicious. Madeleines are my favourit sweets

chowbelinda said...

Finally get a recipe with rich honey. I really love your idea for melting honey together with butter. I've found several recipes without honey with is not my target. Honey should be the special touch of Madeleine that differentiate it from Financiers and other cookies. :)