Thursday, October 7, 2010

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 50th 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.

3 comments:

Jan Bills said...

Oh, chocolate...heavenly! These look so simple to make I think I could even do it! Thanks Debra!

Vagablonde said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Vagablonde said...

Yes Jan You can do it we wound up dipping the cakes in chocolate !! heaven!!