As the founder of Gateaux Mama attests, the true challenge in making a Madeleine is getting the bump

For a floral touch, add dried lavender to your batter before baking

Published August 3, 2019 4:30PM (EDT)

 (Skyhorse Publishing)
(Skyhorse Publishing)

Excerpted with permission from  My Paris Market Cookbook: A Culinary Tour of French Flavors and Seasonal Recipes by Emily Dilling. Copyright 2019 by Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. Also available at Barnes & Noble and your local bookstore.

My Paris Market Cookbook takes readers on a tour of Paris’s growing artisanal and craft food scene, including coverage of the latest developments and new generation of chefs and artisans who are indelibly changing the food climate. Visits to markets with local farmers, coffee roasters, and craft brewers offer insight into the exciting development of local food movements in the city of lights and its surrounding region. Complete with seasonal recipes inspired by local products, farmers, chefs, restaurants, and cafés, My Paris Market Cookbook brings the experience of shopping for, and cooking with fresh, locally grown food into readers’ homes and kitchens.

A guide for a new generation of culinary travelers, My Paris Market Cookbook provides curious cooks and avid Francophiles with a unique itinerary for rediscovering the city, including tips on how to find the best off-the-beaten-path natural wine bars, craft breweries, urban gardens, and farm-to-table cafés and restaurants. It’s the perfect handbook for travelers, food lovers, or anyone visiting or living in France—and those of us who just want to cook and eat like a Parisian!

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As Gateaux Mama founder Melanie Vaz will attest, the true challenge in making a Madeleine is “getting the bump.” This talented local baker kindly guided me in the quest to make the perfect madeleine. A combination of patience while chilling the dough and kicking the temperature up a notch for the last few minutes led us to this recipe, which delivers golden, lemony madeleines, complete with their signature humped back. For a floral touch, add dried lavender to your batter before baking. 

You’ll need nonstick madeleine molds for this recipe, which you can find in most Paris cookware shops (page 60) or a well-equipped cooking store near you. A piping bag is helpful when filling the molds, but not obligatory.

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RECIPE: LEMON ZEST MADELEINES / MADELEINES

Ingredients:

Makes about a dozen madeleines

  • ¾ stick (75 grams) butter + 1
  • tablespoon
  • ¾ cup (85 grams) sifted flour
  • ¾ tablespoon double acting
  • baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • ½ cup (100 grams) sugar
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 medium eggs
  • 1 teaspoon dried lavender (optional)

Preparation:

Chill madeleine molds in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°F (210°C). Melt butter and let cool. Remove chilled madeleine molds and use the tablespoon of melted butter to brush, coating evenly. Dust with flour and tap to remove excess, leaving a thin layer. Return madeleine molds to refrigerator. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a hand mixer, combine sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice. Beat in eggs one by one and continue to mix for another 2–3 minutes, until batter is a pale yellow. Fold in dry ingredients (including lavender, if using), followed by the rest of the melted butter. Transfer batter to a piping bag, if using; otherwise, cover in a bowl and let chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Pipe (or spoon) batter into each individual mold, filling up only about ⅔ of the way. Lightly tap the mold to evenly distribute batter and remove air bubbles. Place in the refrigerator to chill for another 30–60 minutes. Bake in oven for 11–13 minutes, until golden brown. Remove immediately from molds by gently tapping until they fall out. Let cool on a cooling rack until warm or at room temperature.


By Emily Dilling

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