Lemon Madeleines | My Paris Kitchen

I attended the Food Tank Summit in New York City the other day. The theme this year was food loss and food waste. It’s impossible these days to separate our decisions on what we cook and how we shop, from the attending ecological, ethical and social consequences. Evidently, food is a resource and there’s hunger in the world. We have to look at the significant issue of food waste with clear eyes. Do you know 40% of food in America is wasted? But I can assure you that the making of the lemon madeleines produces close to 0% waste.

This is the second madeleine recipe from David Lebovitz. With that, he has become my madeleines whisperer. His description in My Paris Kitchen on the methods and madness in making madeleines is nuanced and detailed. A must read.

I’ll never be sure whether I’ve gotten them right, no matter how many times I’ve made madeleines. The process is often fraught with “bumpy ride of buttery highs and floury lows.” One thing for sure, I have two reliable, heavy-gauge, non-stick madeleine pans. So, irrespective how they turn out, hump or no hump, these teacakes will, at least, look decent. Madeleines are the favorite teacakes my daughter and I like to bake together.

First, cream together eggs (two at room temperature) and sugar (100 g) in a stand mixer on high-speed until doubled in volume, 3 to 5 minutes. Then stir in the dry ingredients: flour (140 g), baking powder (1 1/2 teaspoon), salt, and vanilla extract. In addition, I put in lemon zest (from one lemon) for a more pronounced citrus flavor I like in my teacakes. After resting the batter for an hour, dribble in the melted butter (115 g) and honey (1 tablespoon) mixture. Rest for another hour. To bake the madeleines, I fill two pans and place them in a 375°F convection oven for about 6-10 minutes.

There is a noteworthy technique to prevent the madeleines from sticking to the molds. If using metal madeleine pans, brush molds with melted butter and dust liberally with flour. Tap to ensure molds are dusted, shaking off excess flour. I like to prepare the pans ahead of time and rest them in the freezer.

Since I have the large and small madeleines to compare, I have to say I prefer the large ones. Due to different pan sizes and made, and bake time in the oven, the large ones have crispier edges that are wonderful to eat. However, these lemon madeleines get softer after a few hours. I used zest from one lemon, I’d need more if I want a stronger citrus flavor. Whatever the size or flavor, madeleines remain the shuddering treats that they are on the table for any occasion!

The humps with the small madeleines are lovely. The large ones have crispier edges.