OOh La La sweet and delicious Madeleines under the stars

     

     There is a new moon in the sky tonight.Our friends have invited us over for an evening of dining and stargazing. We will take out our telescopes after dinner enjoy a glass of wine and gaze at the constellations, galaxies and nebulae. I’m excited to have been invited to bring a dessert and when I was thinking what to prepare I settled on a sweet treat we could nibble on as we peek at the stars.

I love this pan

      I decided on the delicious French cake confection called Madeleines. They are comprised of a light Genoise cake in the shape of a scallop shell. They will be the perfect size and shape to set out on a table for stargazers to pick up and easily enjoy.

I’ve always loved these light pillows of goodness but I never had my own specialty Madeleine pan. I was delighted to finally receive my very own in Paris on my 50^th birthday. I will always treasure it as a special gift found on a very special day. When I prepare Madeleines for friends I will remember Paris and think of my French ancestors and imagine them making Madeleines for the special people in their lives.  

  
     Most recipes are all about the same

This time I used part of the batter for traditional and part for chocolate representing stars against the night sky.Its also common to add lemon zest or ground almonds to the cake. Still deciding on a chocolate dipping sauce hmmmm

The chocolate batter

1 stick melted unsalted cooled butter

(Prepare and set aside)

          

Sift together

1 cup all purpose flour

pinch of salt

½ tsp baking powder (not soda)

& set aside till later

Sifting

In a mixer cream

3 eggs and

2/3-cup sugar

Till light yellow, fluffy

(and till it has reached

about three times its volume

          

Add

1 tsp vanilla extract

& mix in

          

Slowly fold

The sifted flour mixture in to the egg

mixture.

(Start with a bit and add the rest in slowly)

Use a spatula and don’t over mix

          

 whisk a bit of your batter into the cooled melted butter

 slowly fold   the rest of the butter to the batter

a bit at a time (don’t over mix)

Put batter in the fridge for a half hour or so
& preheat oven to 375 degrees

Place a tablespoon in each well-buttered floured section of the pan and bake for about 10 minutes till

Edges are a bit brown and cakes are springy to the touch.  

TIP OF THE DAY: When asked to bring a dessert to a gathering try something special. It does not have to be expensive or difficult. Play with ideas and fantasies derived from favorite places or special memories. You might be creating a new special memory for those you care about.