Thursday, September 22, 2011

FFwD: Honey-Spiced Madeleines

Would a madeleine by any other shape taste as sweet?

A few weeks ago, I asked if we needed to buy a special pan to make madeleines, or if a cupcake tray would do. I kind of expected a cut and dry consensus one way or the other, but it turned out that people had pretty strong opinions on the matter, arguing for each side.

More curious than ever, I decided to buy a madeleine pan and stage my own experiment, baking some in the madeleine pan and some in a cupcake try, to see what the difference was.
The contenders enter the ring.
I hate to say this, because part of me really hoped that there would be some impressive difference between the two (if for no reason other than to justify the space the pan is now occupying in my too-cluttered cabinet), but there wasn't.

The texture of each was identical. At their thickest point, they were basically the same size. I'd read somewhere that the madeleine tray's purpose was to make the thinner ends crisp up a bit. That sounded like a reasonable justification for it to me, but it turned out that the sides of the cupcake-shaped ones were equally crisp. I thought maybe the ridges on the madeleine tray would crisp as well, but they didn't.

As far as I'm concerned, the difference is purely aesthetic, well-established tradition or not.
Playing with my food.
Now, on to the recipe itself. I feel like Honey-Spiced Madeleines (pg 408) is a misnomer for the end result. Maybe I zested a particularly pungent orange, but it overwhelmed any other flavor. Orange should have been in the title somewhere. I couldn't taste ginger, cinnamon, cloves, or honey. Unfortunately, though I like the fruit, orange is my least favorite flavor in baked goods. Because of the title, I expected it to be a back-note, but it wasn't. If I'd known that, I would have tried the recipe for Classic Madeleines that Dorie provides in the sidebar instead. I may yet.

Conclusion: Just okay. I tried them on their own and dunked in coffee, and did not enjoy the cloying orange flavor either way. Charlie likes them, though.
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26 comments:

  1. UnknownSeptember 22, 2011 at 2:55 PM

    Ei, you already know? Many congrats on winning, but I couldn't find your email address to write you about it. Can you please drop me a line with your mailing address? Thanks!

    Now about your madeleines, you're right about the orange flavor, it WAS overpowering. If the rosewater wasn't there, the orange would probably be all I tasted. The spices seemed to 'drown' in the mix somewhere. Ahh...I see you also have a cabinet problem! LOL.

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  2. Cher RockwellSeptember 22, 2011 at 3:05 PM

    These were nice, but not my favorite madeline recipe to date (I ended up using a lemon because I forgot to buy an orange).
    In her book, Baking, Dorie has a recipe for Earl Grey Madelines that are loved very much in our house.
    Love that you tried it both ways (but those pans are just too fun to ignore)

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  3. MarieSeptember 22, 2011 at 6:25 PM

    I must have had a wimpy orange--it was definitely not overpowering. I didn't really taste the honey either. I think I would have called them cinnamon madeleines based on the predominant flavor. Hey--wonder what they'd taste like as a sauce for chicken mixed with creme fraiche. :-)

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  4. StephSeptember 22, 2011 at 7:49 PM

    I thought mine had a nice hint of orange, but not too predominant (even though I used the zest from the entire orange.) These went over very well in my house. Glad to know that a cupcake tin works just as well!

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  5. Trevor Sis BoomSeptember 22, 2011 at 9:41 PM

    You can bake a bundt cake in a cupcake tin too but you don't end up with a bundt cake. Aesthetics count in baking. I do hope you make the classic version though. It got to be a classic for a reason!

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  6. AnonymousSeptember 23, 2011 at 1:52 AM

    Great experiment! I wondered if the pan would make a difference and, since I don't own the proper pan, I'm happy to hear that it does not. As for the taste, I forgot to buy an orange and thus ended up using lemon zest which was not an overwhelming flavor. That said though, these were not my favorites either.

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  7. AnonymousSeptember 23, 2011 at 4:30 AM

    I like that you did your pan vs. no pan experiment because I was wondering the same thing! Great post!

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  8. AdrianaSeptember 23, 2011 at 6:07 AM

    Loved your little pan face-off. Now I am convinced that I can keep pulling these off in my mini-bundt pan. I definitely agree with including orange in the title. Wonderful all around for me! I hope the classic ones turn out to your liking.

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  9. Frankly EntertainingSeptember 23, 2011 at 6:15 AM

    I think I might try the reverse of your experiment and make muffins in the madeleine pan. I need to find a way to use the specialty pan more!

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  10. KathySeptember 23, 2011 at 7:42 AM

    Madeleines are traditionally baked in shell shaped pans. That's what make them madeleines. Yours look so pretty!

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  11. Amy and LoriSeptember 23, 2011 at 8:12 AM

    I did find the orange a bit strong as well, however enjoyed them with tea.

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  12. SoupAddictSeptember 23, 2011 at 9:25 AM

    I baked my in a tea cake pan (and out of respect for the madeleine purists, renamed my entry as tea cakes). I didn't find the orange overwhelming, but as far as the spices go, all I could really taste was the ginger.

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  13. SusanSeptember 23, 2011 at 10:53 AM

    I love that you tried this experiment - I wondered about spending almost $30 on a new baking pan, too. In the end, it's worth it because you can impress your friends with your French baking prowess - and no one needs to know how easy they are to make!

    I'm anxious to try some of the other flavors called out by fellow Doristas - maybe you'll like one of those better.

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  14. BetsySeptember 23, 2011 at 11:26 AM

    I zested a lemon instead of an orange. The lemon wasn't overpowering, but the honey and spice flavors weren't as pronounced as I expected either. I want to try the Earl Gray madeleines that Cher mentioned. That's my tea of choice. I think the cookies baked in the specialty pan make an especially lovely presentation, even if mini-muffins taste the same.

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  15. susanSeptember 23, 2011 at 1:10 PM

    such a great recipe to bring in the weekend! looks great

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  16. luciacaraSeptember 23, 2011 at 1:31 PM

    Thanks for doing the experiment! I don't have a madeleine pan & don't plan to get one. I do want to try this recipe (skipped this week's FFwD) so will try a mini-muffin tin sometime.

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  17. CakelawSeptember 23, 2011 at 1:57 PM

    That's a great experiment with an interesting result. I am with you all the way on your assessment of the madeleines, but you did a beautiful job with them - more than can be said for me.

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  18. AnonymousSeptember 23, 2011 at 3:18 PM

    I didn't taste an overpowering orange flavor in mine... but then I thought my flavors were balanced quite nicely and I even added an extra dash of cloves...also, I accidentally put in two teaspoons of vanilla, which seemed to mellow out all the flavors a bit. The classic ones are pretty darn good though too! :)

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  19. Liz That Skinny Chick Can BakeSeptember 23, 2011 at 5:57 PM

    Great idea to compare pans...but sorry your orange zest overpowered the other spices. They look perfect~

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  20. ElaineSeptember 23, 2011 at 6:02 PM

    How fun that you experimented! The orange in mine wasn't overwhelming at all, so it probably does vary depending on the type of orange. I am looking forward to trying the classic version.

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  21. AnonymousSeptember 24, 2011 at 12:42 AM

    I made mine in a mini-muffin pan, too. Just didn't have it in me to run out to the store to buy a madeleine pan - my cupboards overfloweth!

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  22. Confessions of a Culinary DivaSeptember 24, 2011 at 11:30 AM

    I also found the orange to be predominate - especially when it was baking, our kitchen smelled like orange blossoms.

    I was thinking that I would have liked to try some almond in place of orange next time.

    Interesting that the two had the same texture - good to know!

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  23. Andrea at Nummy KitchenSeptember 25, 2011 at 7:59 AM

    Ei, thanks for the welcome back to ffwd! This is also my first visit to your site and I think it's wonderful! I am always trying to purge some cookbooks that just take up space and have no interesting recipe, so I'll be excited to follow along on your reviews.

    Sorry your madeleines weren't a new favorite! Interesting comments on the pan "face-off" -- I have never baked madeleines in a mini muffin tin but I know it is a very popular substitute. Now I know if I run out of room in my madeleine tin I can put the rest if the batter in a mini muffin tin without worry to texture changes :)

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  24. yvetteSeptember 25, 2011 at 1:45 PM

    Sorry you didn't enjoy so much maybe you should try another flavor... chocolate thats always good.

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  25. AnonymousSeptember 27, 2011 at 10:14 AM

    Just an update... I made the original madeleine recipe today from Dorie's Baking book and loved them! Fresh out of the oven they were light, fluffy, and delicious. Makes me wonder if I might have overcooked the spiced ones a bit because these didn't just taste better, they also had a lighter consistency.

    Oh well, in any case I am not planning to run out and buy the pan since they seem to work just fine in my muffin tin. But I definitely think you should give them a try.

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  26. EiSeptember 27, 2011 at 10:28 AM

    Oh good! I was thinking last night about trying the original recipe, so I'm glad to hear it has your endorsement.

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