Reynald's parents brought us two big bags of Madeleines de Commercy (and often send us these in packages). These divine little cakes are coveted at our house. I make a pretty good recipe too, but the "real deal" are these from Commercy which are reputed throughout France as being "it". See this article on Wikipedia for more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madelines
This article does not mention though that they likely were created for Stanislas, the exiled king of Poland, who was living in Lorraine, and then made for the French king as well. See
http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Cakes/Madeleine.htm.
Here is the recipe I use:
MADELEINES
(Makes ~12 and recipe doubles well)
- 1-1/4 cups regular flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar, plus some for dusting
- the grated rind of 1 lemon or 1 orange
- 1 TBS lemon or orange juice
- 6 TBS unslated butter, melted and slightly cooled
Preheat oven to 375 F. Butter a 12 cup madeleine pan. Sift (yes, sift) together the flour and the baking powder.
Using an electric mixer (preferably a stand mixer), beat the eggs and confectioner's sugar for 5 - 7 minutes (even with a standmixer it still takes a while) until thick and creamy and the mixture forms a ribbon when the beaters are lifted. Gently fold in the lemon or orange rind and juice.
Beginning with the flour mixture, alternately fold in the flour and melted butter in several batches. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes, then carefully spoon into the pan. Tap gently to release any air bubbles. e
Bake the madeleines for 12 - 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Tip out on to a wire rack to cool completely and dust with confetioner's sugar (optional) before serving.
Note: if you do not have madeleine pan, you can use a mini-muffin or other such pan. They will still taste great even though they will not be in the traditional shape. Adjust the cooking time as necessary.
