Saturday, October 13, 2007

Making Madeleines


My tea goal for the weekend is a simple one: master the art of making madeleines, those famous teatime treats. I tried two batches last weekend, and although they tasted great (my husband happily ate the rejects), I never ended up with the perfect, shell-shaped little cakes I wanted. If I can't see perfect ridges and a hint of brown around the edges, out they go. And I AM going to learn to make these goodies. ("I think I can, I think I can.")

My recipe comes from the "Invitation to Tea" boxed set from Sharon O'Connor's Music Cooks series. Some weeks ago I found another cookbook/music set from O'Connor, but this one is completely different and includes recipe cards with nice, clear photos and easy-to-read directions. The chamber music CD includes Pachelbel's Canon in D, a fond musical memory which always takes me back to my wedding day.

And for my fellow shoppers, I should mention that I got this tea and music set at a Homegoods store for just $12.99, but last weekend a tearoom had it for $27.95. So check Homegoods and its sister store, T.J. Maxx, if you want a bargain! And now, it's time to start the oven ...

2 comments:

  1. I don't know what your recipe says about buttering the pan, but I was watching Martha a few months ago, and she had a guest on and they were making Madelaine's.
    They guest said that she butter her pan three times with butter, freezing the pan between each buttering.
    I hope this helps!

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  2. Thank you GREATLY for the tip, which I will certainly try! My recipe just said to be sure to thoroughly grease every little nook and cranny of the pan, which I did, but the madeleines still stuck. I'll try it this way and report back!

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