Like me and FatShmitty.So I am trying to make this a once weekly type-o'-thing so that I have time to make all these recipes (and put some thought into yummy/ adventurous ones), photograph them and then battle with the blog template. Also so that you-- oh 3 people who look at this blog-- have time (if you like) to make some of the recipes! BUT, Christmas is special. So. Here is the second half of Christmas: the Christmas day dessert.
First: tradition. We've made madeleines on Christmas day every Christmas that I can remember. They are so mild and cake-y and delicious. Yummy served with coffee and impossible to stop after just one.
Ingredients
1 3/4 sticks (14 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus additional for brushing molds
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lemon zest
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/4 cup whole milk
1 1/2 tablespoons mild honey-- i have also seen some recipes that called for flavored honey like lavender or orange blossom. Both sound wonderful to me!
Preparation
Put racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Brush molds with melted butter and sprinkle with flour. Tap the pans over the sink to loosen/ get rid of any excess flour.
Sift together flour and baking powder into a large bowl, then whisk in zest.
Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into another bowl with tip of a paring knife. Add sugar and rub together until vanilla is well dispersed, then whisk in eggs, milk, honey, and remaining 1 3/4 sticks melted butter. Fold into flour mixture until just combined.
Spoon a rounded tablespoon of batter into each mold, filling it about two-thirds full. Bake (with 2 pans on one rack), switching position of pans halfway through baking and rotating, until golden around edges and a wooden pick or skewer inserted into center of a madeleine comes out clean, 10 to 12 minutes total. Keep an eye on them! We burned them most of the time when I was little!
Turn out madeleines onto a rack, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve slightly warm.
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
2 large egg yolks, plus 1 large egg white
1 1/4 cups raspberry jam
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
2 large egg yolks, plus 1 large egg white
1 1/4 cups raspberry jam
Preparation
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Sift flour, baking powder, spices, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment-- I usually do everything by hand, but this recipe actually works best with a mixer, otherwise the dough is pretty sandy in texture and you will have to work to keep it together. Add sugar; mix on medium-low speed until combined. Add butter; mix until incorporated. Add molasses and egg yolks and mix until dough comes together.
Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface/ parchment. Dont use additional flour if the dough is already dry. Roll two-thirds of the dough into a 12-inch round, 1/4 inch thick. Fit into a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom or 4-5 mini tarts. Spread jam over bottom of shell-- you can be generous here. My family's one complaint was that I was too conservative with the jam (I was trying to avoid an overflow); refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes.
Roll out remaining dough between pieces of floured parchment paper to a 12-inch round, 1/4 inch thick. Transfer round with parchment to a baking sheet; refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Cut out shapes from round with whatever shape cookie cutters you like. (You can keep the cutouts, bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. and sprinkle tops with confectioners' sugar and serve with the tart for extra points and yummy treats for the next week!) Transfer round to a baking sheet; refrigerate until cold and firm, about 30 minutes.
Lightly beat egg white and brush over rim of tart shell. Carefully slide dough round over shell; press edges to adhere. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. You can also spread egg white over the top of the dough to make it shiny.
Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling, 50 to 60 minutes (less if you are doing tartlets, just keep an eye on them and plan to bake about half that time). Let cool completely on a wire rack.
Raspberry Jam
Ingredients
4 cups granulated sugar
4 cups raspberries
Preparation
Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface/ parchment. Dont use additional flour if the dough is already dry. Roll two-thirds of the dough into a 12-inch round, 1/4 inch thick. Fit into a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom or 4-5 mini tarts. Spread jam over bottom of shell-- you can be generous here. My family's one complaint was that I was too conservative with the jam (I was trying to avoid an overflow); refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes.
Roll out remaining dough between pieces of floured parchment paper to a 12-inch round, 1/4 inch thick. Transfer round with parchment to a baking sheet; refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Cut out shapes from round with whatever shape cookie cutters you like. (You can keep the cutouts, bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. and sprinkle tops with confectioners' sugar and serve with the tart for extra points and yummy treats for the next week!) Transfer round to a baking sheet; refrigerate until cold and firm, about 30 minutes.
Lightly beat egg white and brush over rim of tart shell. Carefully slide dough round over shell; press edges to adhere. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. You can also spread egg white over the top of the dough to make it shiny.
Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling, 50 to 60 minutes (less if you are doing tartlets, just keep an eye on them and plan to bake about half that time). Let cool completely on a wire rack.
Raspberry Jam
4 cups granulated sugar
4 cups raspberries
Preparation
