Cheddar Scallion Cornbread Madeleine's

Last night, although it was just my husband and I celebrating Memorial Day, I decided I'd make a fun meal.  So I made some incredibly delicious Asian BBQ Kobe Beef Ribs which I'll be posting in my newsletter next week, Asian Rainbow Slaw, BBQ Baked Beans and Cheddar Scallion Cornbread Madeleine's. To finish off our dinner we had some refreshing iced cold watermelon.

I know it sounds like a lot for just the two of us, but we like leftovers, and I'm sure my son will be popping over in the next day or so and open the refrigerator to see what might be in there that he can nibble on.  Not too much goes to waste in my house.

The meal was superb and while neither of us over indulged we licked our platters clean. 

I especially loved the Cornbread that I put in my Madeleine Pan.  It made for a perfect serving and of course if you wanted more there was plenty to go back to.

Although you can make these in a regular 9x13" pan why not go for the WOW factor and make them in something different?  If you like cornbread you'll love these, and with BBQ season here, they're perfect for large gatherings and easy to pick up.

If you try these please let me know what you think.

Cheddar Scallion Cornbread Madeleine's
Makes about 36 Madeleines or 18 squares


Ingredients:

Nonstick cooking spray or unsalted butter for preparing pan

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch of freshly ground pepper

2 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whole milk

2 cups shredded sharp white Cheddar cheese
1 cup thinly sliced scallions, white and tender green parts

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Spray 36 madeleine molds or one 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray, or grease with butter.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and white pepper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until thickened and smooth. Add the melted butter and whisk until incorporated. Then add the sour cream and milk and whisk until smooth.

Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just until combined. Add the cheese and scallions and mix gently just until evenly incorporated. Do not overmix. Using a spoon, fill each prepared madeleine mold half full with batter. Or, pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the corn bread is golden. Let cool in the madeleine pans or baking pan on a wire rack. Invert the pan onto the rack, or if using a rectangular pan cut into squares and remove from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: This recipe can easily be divided in half.

Enjoy!

Meyer Lemon Madeleine's

Meyer Lemons are a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange.  This unique fruit blends the traditional flavor of a lemon and the sweetness of an orange creating a refreshingly exceptional taste experience.  It's rich, dark and aromatic juice is much sweeter than a conventional lemon.

So when I had 4 of them sitting in my refrigerator I decided I'd better use them for something luscious before they went bad.  I decided that I'd make some Meyer Lemon Madeleines, a light cake-like cookie.   With the addition of the Meyer Lemons, it would give them that extra WOW flavor!  Since I knew I'd still have some unused lemons I also decided to make some Meyer Lemon Curd as well, a favorite of mine.....
 

My first thought was that I'd create a sandwich cookie, using 2 Madeleine's with the Meyer Lemon Curd sandwiched between them.  Unfortunately, that didn't work because of the way the Madeleine's puff up.  I could have sliced the back sides of each cookie so it would be flat, making it easier to make the sandwich, but I didn't want to ruin this wonderful cookie and it's perfect shape.  So instead, I created two separate and devine dishes.  Of course, nothing says I can't dip my Madeleine into the Meyer Lemon Curd.  I mean, afterall, people dip their cookies in milk, why not in lemon curd?

If you've never attempted to make either of these you don't know what you're missing.  The Madeleine's are the perfect cake-like cookie.  You can eat them anytime in my opinion, even for breakfast.  They're not too sweet but just right.  Goldilocks would love them!

Lemon Curd, especially made with Meyer Lemons, is a flavor that is so incredible it's hard to describe. So light, smooth and velvety, it melts in your mouth.   Each taste, excites your palate with it's heavenly lemony/orange flavor making it almost impossible to stop eating.  It's that good!  Eat it plain, spread on toast, in desserts, with berries and pound cake or however you choose to enjoy it.

However, today I'd like to share with you my Meyer Lemon Madeleine recipe.  I'm saving the recipe for the Meyer Lemon Curd since that's something I teach in my culinary classes.  I hope you enjoy these little cake-like cookies.  I don't know anyone that doesn't like them. 

Feel free to substitute oranges or even limes in place of the lemons depending on what you prefer.  They're sure to disappear quickly so you may want to hide a few just for yourself.

Meyer Lemon Madeleine's　
makes 24 cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (I used Meyer Lemons)
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

Directions:

1. Heat butter in small heavy saucepan over medium heat just until very light golden brown and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool until tepid.
2. Mix together flour, baking powder and salt.

3. Beat eggs and sugar in a large bowl until tripled in volume. Lower speed to medium and beat in lemon juice and zest. Fold in flour mixture in three additions. Fold in cooled butter. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until slightly firm.

4. Preheat oven to 375°F. Generously butter two 12-mold madeleine pans. Dust molds with flour.

5. Drop a generous tablespoonful of batter into center of each prepared mold, leaving the batter mounded in the center.

6. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are golden brown and centers spring back when lightly touched.
7. Remove pans from oven and rap each pan sharply against a countertop to release the madeleines. Cool on wire racks.

Plate up and serve. 

Note:  There are two kitchen tools that will make prepping for this recipe a snap.  In fact they are some of the most useful tools in my kitchen.  They are a Microplane for zesting and a juicerfor squeezing the lemons.  You can read my tips for juicing here.

Enjoy!