Honey & Brown Butter Madeleines

and other thoughts on Valentine's Day

Happy early Valentine’s day everyone, and happy birthday to my love, my daughter Frances!

At the bakery this year, we’re making hampers wrapped up in bright pink ribbon for all the lovers around us, and we’re bringing back a few tried and tested classics for everyone to enjoy as well. Madeleines in particular are a favourite of mine to make and eat. As a baker they’re tricky; the chemistry and physics of leavening agents, ice cold pans, and searing hot ovens are as fascinating as they can be frustrating, but to eat it’s their simplicity that makes them such a delight. We use local honey from The London Honey Company and brown butter in ours at Violet.  

Madeleines are special for so many reasons, not least of which is their unique shell shape from baking in specific pans. The pans we use at the bakery are vintage French tins that a customer brought to me in the early days of my market stall – they used to hang on the walls as decoration. Madeleines also have a distinctive dome, the result of eggs and baking powder to leaven the batter combined with a very hot oven.

The batter has to be kept in the fridge overnight for at least twelve hours to get really cold before being piped into an iced pan, buttered and dusted with flour, and put into a 200˚c oven. The shock of the heat is key to creating a light and fluffy texture through steam, but you need the mixture and tin to be cold so that they don’t burn in the oven.

Never be afraid to test a recipe, especially this one. Just bake one or two to get a handle on the recipe and your oven. If it spills over and creates a bill, that’s too full! If they turn too dark before the dome has formed, turn down your oven slightly.

The madeleine recipe below is based on the one published in the Violet Bakery cookbook, but it’s been tweaked over the years. This version is the one we’re making this year.