Madeleines

These French petit fours were baked as a last minute gift, just before I met an ex-colleague for lunch. Ever since we had arranged to meet 2 weeks before, I knew I wanted to bake her and her family something. Somehow, work and projects got in the way and I didn't really plan ahead.

Most cakes would have to be prepared minimum a day before. However, as I got home from work the night before, I was too tired to do anything. The next morning when I woke up, 3 hours before I was to leave my home to meet K, I was contemplating to give up the idea or to come out with something fast. As I desperately tried to think hard, I suddenly remembered the new silicon madeleines mold I bought. Madeleines shall be it then! They are relatively easy to be prepared and they get baked within 10-15mins.

The recipe from my French chef calls for the batter to be rested in the chiller over night while most other recipes recommends an hour. Here I had only half hour, which is during the time when the oven gets pre-heated while I had my shower! The madelines turned out nice, though looked rather plain looking. Despite the short time I had, I quickly melt down some chocolate, tempered it and coated the edges of every piece from the first batch, while the second batch was still cooling down.

I must say I was very happy with the result, though I had to postpone my appointment by 15mins.

Madelines - they make nice, delicious little gifts. An extra touch of chocolate make the presentation even more special.

As it turned out, I was caught in the rain when I left my home and had to delay my meeting time by a total of 45 minutes. Despite running in the rain with the box of madelines swaying frantically in my hand, the recipients received them in good conditions, to my great relief.

Another thing to note for madelines other than the batter resting time, they tast best when baked on the day itself. To make in advance, cling wrap them airtight after they have cooled down from baking and keep in chillers. Before serving, let defrost completely to room temperature before removing the wrap to prevent condensation collecting on them. They are best served with tea or coffee as the sponge tends to be on the drier side, being a genoise base cake.