Thursday, December 17, 2009

Savory Madeleines

You know how food people are. We could talk about ideas for cooking and baking all day. An exchange on Twitter with Nurit from 1 Family Friendly Food led to an email conversation which ended up being about baking madeleines. Neither of us had ever baked them, and we wished we could have spent an afternoon baking together, but since we live many miles apart, we did a virtual bake-along. I had an idea about trying a savory madeleine, and Nurit wanted to try a sweet variety. See her blog for delicious orange madeleines. My quest for savory madeleines led me to Martha where I found her recipe that could be made into three different flavors. I opted to bake just two of those flavors and ended up with sage madeleines and sun-dried tomato madeleines.

I don't know why I was so worried about baking these. For some reason, I thought there was something tricky about getting the cakey cookies to be shaped properly, or to get them to come out of the pan. I know that for some, the hump on the top of the madeleine is a requirement, but these only formed a small hump which deflated a little as they cooled. I might just blame that on them being made with cornmeal and having chopped herbs or tomatoes in them. Other than there being not much of a hump, the shape came out fine. I buttered the pans well before spooning in the batter even though the pans I used are non-stick, and there was no problem removing them. In fact, they slid right out easier than anything I've ever baked. This really was a simple recipe all around. Flour, cornmeal, baking soda, salt, and a little sugar were whisked together in a medium bowl. Milk, eggs, and slightly browned, melted butter were incorporated. Then, the batter was divided into two parts in separate bowls although the original recipe suggests three parts. To one part, finely chopped sage was added, and to the other, finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes were added. Then, it's suggested that the madeleine cups be filled only three-fourths full. I was a bit heavy handed, and filled mine pretty much completely. Happily, there was no overflowing, and they turned out fine.

My favorite of the two was the sage. As soon as I tasted one, I thought how great these would be with a hearty, winter soup. They would also make nice items for an appetizer spread or cheese course. Now that I know how quick and simple this recipe is, I'm already thinking about different herbs or nuts or vegetables to try mixing into them next time.





28 comments:

  1. Savory Madeleines sounds like a great idea! I definetely have to try it :) Do you recommend the recipe you used or not so much?

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  2. Lisa, they look so good and tasty, cannot wait to give them a try. I love the savory twist

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  3. Nurit: I do recommend this recipe. They're light and lovely. I might add some grated cheese to the batter next time.

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  4. I've never tried savory madeleines beore!! They look delicious!

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  5. I never made a savory madeleines. Sounds wonderful Lisa!

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  6. Delicious! I love savory Madeleines!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  7. Savory is good especially since I love these cookies. They came out really lovely and perfectly shaped.

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  8. Lisa, these savoury madeleines are perfectly baked and yes, I would probably also add some cheese over!

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  9. These look wonderful, and your pictures are fab. I'd love to try a savoury madeleine.
    Have a super weekend daaaaaaaahling.
    *kisses* HH

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  10. Clever you! I bet there are a lot of surprised faces when they bite into these. Never had one and never have seen a recipe for them. I think the addition of some cheese would be super!

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  11. What an elegant way to serve corn meal! They sound wonderful!

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  12. For YEARS I've been resisting the urge to buy madeleine pans.

    Why, oh why are you doing this to me now?


    (great recipe, I guess I should thank you.... :-)

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  13. I've made savory madeleines similar to these before (with sage as well) and they were a hit at the party I took them to. People love these! I highly recommend. :-)

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  14. congratulations, lisa--you've just revealed the very first savory madeleines i've ever seen. i didn't even consider it a possibility, but they're splendid!

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  15. My husband and I drive over to Spain to buy Madelaines but I have never seen savory ones - what a fantastic idea. I prefer savory to sweet so these will be perfect

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  16. I love the idea of savory madeleines! They're beautiful and I love the sage flavor!

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  17. The first time I ever had a savory madeleine was at Manresa restaurant in Los Gatos. They begin the meal with savory, olive madeleines, and end the meal with sweet ones. It's a way to bring the meal full circle.

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  18. Great idea! Madeleines are always so pretty to look at.

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  19. Lisa these madeleines look really awesome, I love the shape, I dont have these shapes, look lovely! gloria

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  20. What a great twist on traditional madeleines - they look delicious! I really want to get a madeleine pan.

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  21. I have seen savoury madeleines once before on flickr and thought it was brilliant at the time too! I am not sure how big the 'hump' is supposed to be but I love how they look! Gorgeous!

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  22. yours look perfect, as everything you bake :)
    I've also always eyed the Madeleine recipes in all the food magazines with suspicion. Never had the guts to try. Then again, I'm not a hot shot as it comes to cookies at all.
    And adding the sage and tomatoes seems absolutely inspired to me :)

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  23. Wow! I do know and totally relate to how two foodies can get together and discuss food detail endlesslsy :-)
    I have never tackled madeleines but, I am rethinking that position after seeing these beautiful treats. So beautiful.

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  24. You blogs are so getting me on the baking band wagon...these sound so tasty and I too like the flavor combination! I am also with Velva, could go on forever... I did my Great Outdoor post...I was looking for a fellow Texan to take a photo of their store front, but oh well...busy busy busy season right?

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  25. I'm so glad you made these. I love savory cookies and can't wait to try these!

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  26. Both of those look terrific. I bought a silicone madeleine pan a couple of years ago and it is a true flop. I haven't used it since. Now I need to go buy a real one. I always love the idea of savory!

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  27. I love, love, love madeleines. I often make them for desserts but I also have a fantastic blue corn madeleine recipe that I bake at the holidays. These savory ones look like a lot of fun for a party - yet another addition for my Super Bowl menu.

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