Madeleines

You gotta love French cookies and cakes, all with their own unique shapes and molds, preparations, provenance, etc.., and maybe none is more iconic than the madeleine. This clamshell shaped butter cake doesn't require many ingredients, but is emblematic of French delicacy. They aren't too difficult to make either. Madeleines: 2 Eggs 100g Sugar 1 Pinch of salt 100g Butter 100g Flour 6g Baking Powder 1 1/2t Vanilla extract Zest of 1 Lemon Preheat your oven to 200C Place the butter in a small pan over medium heat to melt and brown slightly, careful not to burn. You are looking for a light brown color with a nutty smell. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly Then, in a medium sized bowl place the eggs, sugar, and salt and whisk to combine until the mixture lightens in color, about 2 minutes. Pass the flour and baking powder through a sieve to make sure there are no lumps, and incorporate it into the egg mixture in stages, followed by the butter, vanilla, and lemon zest. Alternatively, you could replace the zest with about a teaspoon of matcha powder to make matcha madeleines. Let the batter rest about 20 minutes. If you are using silicone madeleine molds you probably won't need to grease them. If they are metal then brush butter into the molds and dust them with flour. Place a dollop of batter into the molds, about 3/4 of the way up, and bake until golden brown. With my mini madeleine mold it took around 9 minutes, but times may vary. Once baked, demold the cakes and let cool before dusting with powdered sugar. Best when eaten with coffee or tea.