Make Madeleines, Make Memories

"Richly sensual under its severe, religious folds".

"That little scallop-shell of pastry, so richly sensual under its severe, religious folds". This is Proust, writing about madeleines, in the book that made these little cake biscuits so iconic.

In Remembrance of Things Past Proust, of course, uses the madeleine to demonstrate what has since been labeled Proustian Memory, or, more formally, Involuntary Memory, the psychology of a cue which evokes an instant and complete recollection of the past. The "episode of the madeleine" dipped in a cup of tea, show the absolute power of taste and smell.

"But when from a long-distant past nothing subsists, after the people are dead, after the things are broken and scattered, taste and smell alone, more fragile but more enduring, more unsubstantial, more persistent, more faithful, remain poised a long time, like souls, remembering, waiting, hoping, amid the ruins of all the rest; and bear unflinchingly, in the tiny and almost impalpable drop of their essence, the vast structure of recollection."

All this from a biscuit?

Madeleines are essentially tiny sponges, but their shell-like shape increases their surface and gives them a delightful texture, at once chewy, crispy, soft and light - yes, "richly sensual".

Great for a picnic

Our recipe for Medelaines is adapted from Eduard du Pomiane, and, no surprise, this great author cook has his own story to tell, even beginning with the phrase "Once upon a time". 

The story takes place in 1551 in France, and it is the tale of the pretty wife of a pastry cook who, when unable to explain the presence of the handsome assistant pastry cook she has employed whilst her husband was on a journey, was faced with her husband's cutlass unless the young man could prove his credentials – in the kitchen.

Perfect for tea

The "false pastry cook, never having made a cake in his life, stood helplessly staring at the flour and the sugar and prepared himself for death."

But, fear not, for Saint Madeleine herself stepped in at this point, making eight beautiful cakes in return for a promise of better behaviour in future. And the young man went on to greatness in the pastry world, for this was none other than Saint Honoré, later to become the patron saint of pastry cooks.

With all this legend and psychology, it seems imperative that the madeleine should be a part of your kitchen life skills, something it helps to know how to cook.

Madeleines are both sensual and simple, quick to cook, lovely on their own for a picnic, or glammed up with clotted cream and jam for a tea party.

Madeleines

120g butter, melted
2 eggs
2 teaspoons cold water
1 teaspoon orange oil (or orange flower water)
120g flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
120g sugar

2 x 12 hole madeleine tins

Preheat the oven to 190ºC.

Melt the butter over a low heat. Use a little melted butter to brush the tins. Separate the eggs. Place the whites in a large mixing bowl, the yolks in a small bowl. Beat the yolks with a fork, and add the water and orange oil.

Sieve the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Add the sugar. Beat in the butter, then the egg yolks. Finally whisk the egg whites until stiff and fold into the batter.

Spoon into the madeleine moulds and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the cakes are beginning to brown, and have risen well.