The search for perfect Madeleine

Madeleine have been on my mind lately...To be exact the delectable Lemon Madeleine I made a couple of year ago. It  was of those reader requested recipe of something they ate at a restaurant, in either Gourmet or Bona Appetit magazine. I remember closing my eyes in bliss, biting into the tender crumbed Madeleine deliciously perfume with lemon zest. You know what is coming right? Yes, you guess it!! I lost the recipe. I cannot remember if it contained honey, if I chilled the dough or did I add baking powder that is frown upon by the purist. So now begins my quest for the perfect Madeleine recipe.


Madeleine remind me of Kuih Bahulu I used to bake particularly for Chinese New Year using a mould belonging to my Grandmother. Kuih Bahulu to me is baked "Kai Tan Koh" literally translated to "Chicken Egg Cake/Cookie." Whatever you call them, when well made, they are delicious. While searching for a picture of Kuih Bahulu to include I found I was not the only person who saw the connection between Kuih Bahulu and Madeleine. Another Malaysian living in California! Coincidentally she wrote the post on Medeka Day 2008. Today is Medeka Day 2012!!!

Here's a picture of Kuih Bahulu mould which is very similar to Grandmother's mold that I used to bake in. Look how pretty those baked Kuih Bahulu looks. Let me tell you, they rival Madeleine in delectability! A shout out to mysimplefood.com. I'll be trying her recipe since...you got it, I lost mine!!

Today's Madeleine recipe is adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine January 2000 (NOT a reader requested one but in its regular pages)

Ingredients
2 large eggs ( set out to come to at room temperature)
2/3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 pinch of salt
1 cup all purpose flour
10 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, cooled slightly
powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 375F. Generously butter and flour pan for large madeleines (about 3 x 1 1/4 inches)

Beat eggs and 2/3 cups of sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer, just until blended. Beat in vanilla, lemon peel and salt. Add flour, beat until just blended  Gradually add cooled melted butter in a steady stream, beating until just blended.

Spoon 1 table soon batter into each indentation in pan. Bake until puff and brown 10-16 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Gently remove from pan.

Dust with powdered sugar.


NB. It comes together fairly quickly. By the time the oven was preheated, I was ready to spoon the batter into the moulds. I used one metal madeleine pan and one silicone madeleine pan.

 One tablespoon of batter in each shell indentation in silicone madeleine pan

The characteristic bump of the madeleine cookie!

 These madeleines came out of the metal madeleine moulds. They were browner than those in the silicone moulds although both were in the oven at the same time, for the same amount of time

"Twins" that came out different! Left- metal mould. Right- silicone mould