Help With French Madeleines...please.

Baking By cakelady2266 Updated 15 Feb 2012 , 5:02am by cakelady2266

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cakelady2266 Posted 14 Feb 2012 , 2:41am
post #1 of 7

This isn't a baked good I'm going to sell in my shop so I'm not looking for any secret recipes to steal. My children love Madeleine for breakfast, which are the kind you purchase in stores. I would love to make them myself but I have been unsuccessful so far (to dense with no hump). I've collected many recipes over the past year or so and before I make another batch I want to get some solid advice.

Most of the recipes I've seen have basically the same ingredients but the techniques vary greatly. Some are beaten 10 minutes or more, some beaten for a few minutes then rested for up to 1 hour, some are refrigerated for up to 3 hours, some piped out with a pastry bag. One recipe called for pouring the batter over 1 tablespoon on butter per mold.

So if anyone knows the secret to this seaming simply delight please share. Otherwise my boys will be getting the ones in the plastic box from Costco.....

6 replies
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scp1127 Posted 14 Feb 2012 , 4:24am
post #2 of 7

I have not made them yet, but the recipe I have to try is Ina Garten's. I am a big fan of her baking and cooking. So far everything I have ever made of hers has been great. Her recipe is on the Food Network site.

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de_montsoreau Posted 14 Feb 2012 , 8:16am
post #3 of 7

I let mine rest for about 20 minutes, that does the trick with the "hump".
Otherwise I find it important that the egg/sugar mixture is really creamy and nearly white in colour before you add the other ingredients and they should be folded in by hand.

HTH, have fun baking them!

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imagenthatnj Posted 14 Feb 2012 , 6:51pm
post #4 of 7

There's an original recipe from Commercy, France. That's the recipe I have from Julia Child and that I've made.

You'll see that the procedure is very, very different from anything you'll find anywhere. Julia Child also had them in Baking with Julia just using a regular genoise batter.

http://hungrysofia.com/2010/08/06/julia-childs-madeleines-de-commercy/

I also want to try this recipe that a woman makes for her French husband, very often. Comes recommended from Bakers Royale (one of my favorite bloggers).

http://www.bakersroyale.com/?s=madeleines

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/madeleines-recipe.html

And I'm also trying the Dorie Greenspan recipe:

http://parispastry.blogspot.com/2010/08/classic-madeleines.html

I have about 6 or 8 more recipes from reputable places that I am planning on putting in a spreadsheet and compare ingredients and procedures, as well as pick up all the tips and tricks and then write my own notes...as soon as I have some time!

*Edited to add that I love the Williams Sonoma Goldtouch pan for this.

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scp1127 Posted 15 Feb 2012 , 2:48am
post #5 of 7

imagen, I can't believe it... I do the spreadsheet too. I didn't think there were others out there. When I'm done, I circle the one I like from each column and try my new recipe. Fortunately, it usually works.

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imagenthatnj Posted 15 Feb 2012 , 3:23am
post #6 of 7

SCP, out of all people out there, I did have a feeling you were also a spreadsheet maker. I feel it's the only way when there are so many different ways to make something.

OP, there's also a great recipe in Gordon Ramsey's book Desserts. Lemon and almond madeleines. And he seems to do it combining the browned butter original method with his own twist. He's very thorough in his explanations, folding the whipped eggs into the flour instead of the other way around. I should try this one, too.

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cakelady2266 Posted 15 Feb 2012 , 5:02am
post #7 of 7

I have the Julia Child recipe I'm going to make this weekend. I also ran across a recipe from Daniel Boulud I plan on trying as well. I'll let everyone know how it goes.

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