Madeleines!

“In an old house in Paris that was covered in vines lived 12 little girls in two straight lines…”
If you’ve never read the children’s book Madeline (1939) by Ludwig Bemelmans you will have no idea what I’m talking about, but that just gives you an excuse to find it at your local library or bookstore. But surprise, surprise this entry is about madeleines and not Madeline.

Madeleines are shell shaped cookies that taste more life a muffin or miniature cake than a cookie. They are a French classics and so last weekend I decided to make some. The first batch didn’t turn out so great, but after adjusting the oven settings they were fine. The madeleines were surprisingly easy to make, minus the difficulties with the oven. All you need are:
1 c. sugar
1 c. butter (melted)
1 c. flour
2 eggs
Mix the ingredients together. (The consistency should have a bit of hold to it, but not too soupy. Adding some water or milk will make the batter less thick.)
Bake at 425 °F for 8-12 min or until golden. And voilà, la madeleine!
(You can also add a bit of vanilla or orange zest if you’d like.)

They’re pretty hard to mess up, even my first batch tasted good, though it wasn’t entirely baked through to the bottom. The French girls nearly died of laughter when they saw my first miserable attempt, but I think I earned their respect after the second batch. I’ll bet even Marcel Proust* would approve of my “petites madeleines.”

As for this weekend, it’s the Pont de l’Ascension (Bridge of Ascension) which is celebrated 40 days after Easter. The reason it is called a bridge is because the holiday occurs on a Thursday, but the French bridge over to the weekend and take off Friday as well. Yay! Four day weekend for me! I’m not traveling this weekend so I’m looking forward to relaxing in Angers. Some friends and I are supposed to have a picnic with baguettes and cheese.

Hoping for some sunshine!

Heidi




*Marcel Proust was a 20th century French writer who was famous for writing about his memories of eating madeleines. In fact, this deliciously simple cookie is often referred to as "la petite madeleine de Proust" (Proust's little madeleine).