Christmas is upon us and the smells of winter spice blends, and oranges fill the air - inspired by these flavours, I tried putting them together in this madeleines recipe and I was really happy with the final result.
Watch how to make them below:
Yields: 8
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Baking Time: 15 minutes
Oven Temperature: preheat to 190°C, bake at 180°C
EQUIPMENT
1-2 madeleine pans
INGREDIENTS
60g butter, melted
60g plain flour (10% protein)
50g caster sugar
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1 egg, medium, room temp*
5g honey
1 orange, zested
1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
120g white chocolate, finely chopped
+ extra butter and plain flour for lining the pan
*room temp = around 20°C
METHOD
Preheat oven
Preheat the oven to 190°C (fan oven).
Step 1
Take your madeleine pan and brush each hole with a thin layer of softened or melted butter. Then sift over a thin layer of plain flour. Tap the pan on the worktop to knock off any excess flour and set the pan in the fridge to keep cool.
Step 2
Melt 60g butter in a pan or in the microwave and set aside to cool slightly.
Step 3
To a large mixing bowl, sift in the dry ingredients: 60g flour, 50g sugar, ½ tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp ground ginger and ¼ tsp ground cinnamon. Give it a good stir before adding in the zest of one orange.
Step 4
Add a lightly beaten egg to the dry ingredients along with 5g honey and 1 tsp vanilla. Gently whisk this together until everything is combined into a very thick batter.
Step 5
At this point we can add our now cooled melted butter and stir it in until smooth.
Step 6
Transfer the batter to a piping bag or a jug and take out the madeleine pan. Fill each hole around 80-90% full.
Step 7
Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C (fan oven) and bake immediately on the middle rack of the oven for 10-12 minutes.
Step 8
While the madeleines are cooling, clean out the pan (or grab another one).
Step 9
To temper the white chocolate, separate the 120g white chocolate into thirds or quarters depending on the size of your chocolate (thirds for smaller pieces, quarters for larger pieces). So you should have either 30g and 90g portions or 40g and 80g.
Step 10
Melt the 80g/90g portion in the microwave in small bursts, thoroughly stirring between - we want to melt it with as little heating as possible to prevent overheating it. I usually start with 30 seconds, then reduce the time slightly each turn.
Step 11
Once the chocolate has melted, add in the 30g/40g portion of seeding chocolate and stir until it has also melted.
Step 12
Working quickly, especially in a cold environment, add around 1 tsp or 10g of tempered chocolate to a hole in the pan, spread it out a little, then take a madeleine and press it into the chocolate until you see the chocolate overflow around the edges. Repeat this step for all madeleines.
Step 13
Tempered chocolate will set at room temperature but if you want to speed it up, pop it into the fridge. When the tempered chocolate has fully set, it will contract and slide off the pan without any resistance. If the chocolate seems to be stuck, just keep it in the fridge for a bit longer.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can I use chocolate chips for tempering?
It depends. Usually, chocolate chips have added ingredients that make them a little more heat resistance which helps them maintain their shape after baking; something desirable for chocolate chip cookies or muffins. However, this property would make things a bit more difficult for melting and tempering. It is normally recommended to use a block of chocolate, intended for melting, and chop it finely for an easier time melting and seeding. That being said, if you watched my video for this recipe you'll have noticed that I used chips but in this case, these chips were meant for melting with tempering instructions provided on the packaging.
