The Madeleine is a little buttery cake that originates from Commercy and Liverdun in northeastern France. These areas are close to Verdun, where we are offering our new World War I history tours. The name 'Madeleine' came from the first name of the lady of Commercy, who invented this French-style mini-muffin.

Quick Video of Emilie making Madeleines

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ39449kSiM theme:dark color:red provider:youtube]

 

The famous French author Marcel Proust wrote a long nostalgic passage in 'Swann's Way' about his childhood memories of dunking his madeleine into a cup of tea and putting it into his mouth: “No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate, than a shudder ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me.” 

These are simple, elegant little cakes, and this is my recipe for making 18 little Madeleines.

Madeleine cakes

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 eggs
  • 100g flour
  • 100g melted butter
  • 1 table spoon of baking soda
  • 75g sugar
  • 3 teaspoons of milk
  • lemon zest
  • some orange blossom water

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F

Step 2: Start mixing the flour, baking soda and the eggs a little, followed shortly by the sugar, butter and milk, and continue to mix.

Step 3: Add the lemon zest and orange blossom water.

Step 4: Put the mixture in the molds and wait for 10 minutes before putting in the oven (an Amazon link in case you need the mold)

Step 5: Leave in the oven for about 8 minutes. Put a knife in a Madeleine to make sure it is cooked (the knife will come out clean when they are ready)

And finally... Boil the water for some tea, and enjoy your Madeleines just like Proust!

 

Bon Appétit!

 

France Just For You

Experts in self-drive tours in France

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Ricki & Craig
There are not enough superlatives, or kind words, to describe the level of service Emilie, with France Just for You, provided us from the moment we contacted her, throughout our trip, and even her thoughtful emails upon our return. We contacted Emilie with a list of all the places we wished to go, the things we hoped to do, and our budget. We …
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Staying in B&B’s is a great way to see the country and meet the people who live there in their normal environment. And, “France Just for You” provides an excellent way to have this experience. Emilie’s knowledge and detailed planning made the trip exciting and enjoyable! We will definitely seek her out for our next trip to France.
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In 2013 I had 2 big reasons to plan a trip to France: a new grand baby boy in Avignon, and I wanted to surprise my husband with a trip to Normandy. He absolutely loves anything and everything he can find to read or watch that is related to WWII. So, I started exploring online for a custom tour designer that could put together a great itinerary for …
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We heard about Emilie from a friend who used her travel services twice. They spoke so highly of her we figured we had to visit France just to meet her. We traveled to the Loire Valley with another couple and she interviewed us separately to understand what we wanted to see and do and what we didn’t want to do. As a result, she designed a perfect …