Pistachio & Cardamom Madeleines (inspired by The Hundred Foot Journey)

It’s funny how in life just one journey, wether it’s 100 foot or 23,321,760 foot, can change your life forever. The first step is what really matters though. Without the first step the journey cannot begin. Do you have a moment ingrained in your memory as the start of something new. That perhaps you didn’t know it at the time, but looking back you’re like that one decision, that one choice, that one step lead you to where you are now?

That’s what this story is about. The story does start at the beginning with a tragedy in Hassan Haji's youth that changed everything, but that's not where it really starts. It really starts when Hassan makes the choice to walk those 100 feet and start something new.

It’s the tragedy that takes his family first to England, then to France where they decide to make a new home. Once in France they move to a small town across the street from a classic French restaurant run by one Madame Mallory. She discovers that Hassan has a natural ability when it comes to cooking. Learning under the scrutiny of  Madame Mallory will he have what it takes to make it in Paris as a chef? You will need to read the book to find out!

There is a scene in the book where Hassan is having tea with Madame Mallory and he talks about the pistachio madeline’s they are enjoying with said tea. Having only used my madeline tin twice I thought it was about time I dragged it out to use again! Instead of just pistachio madeline’s I added cardamon as well to represent the different cultures that are brought together in this book. I also dipped mine in some melted white chocolate and chopped pistachio nuts!

They turned out good, the perfect balance of salty and sweet. If you’d like to try making these for yourself to eat with a cup of tea (or coffee) while reading this amazing book here’s how I made them!

Pistachio & Cardamom Madeleines

1 large egg
60g caster sugar
60g plain flour, sifted
40g pistachios, ground to a powder
60g butter, melted
3-4 cardamom pods, spilt open and seeds ground up
75g white chocolate, melted
40g pistachios, roughly chopped

Grease a plastic pipping bag with butter, leave to the side. Beat the egg and sugar together with the whisk attachment in a free standing mixer or a hand mixer until it’s tripled and has reached ribbon stage, the batter dripping from the whisk should remain on the surface for a minimum of 3 seconds. Gently fold in the flour and ground pistachios until just combined before adding the cooled melted butter. Again gently fold it in being careful not to knock any of the air out! Place the batter into your prepared piping bag and leave in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours, but ideally 4 hours.
When you are ready to bake heat the oven to 210C. Grease the madeline tin with warm butter and sprinkle with flour, knock off any extra flour (over the sink) and pipe the madeline batter into each mould. Bake in the heated oven for 7-9 minutes. They should spring back when pressed gently with your thumb. These you do not want sitting around in the tin! Wearing oven mitts give it a sharp rap on the counter to release the madeleines. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Once cool to the touch dip in the melted white chocolate and then dip in the chopped pistachios. Enjoy!

notes: This post is part of my #storybookbakes series. 4,417 miles is approximately the distance between The United States and The United Kingdom. I borrowed The Hundred Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais by a friend before obtaining my own copy. All opinions are my own please see my contact/policy page above for more information. Recipe is adapted from John Whaite’s Pistachio and Cardamom Madeline’s found here. The recipe is missing the amount of butter so I made an educated guess and it as far as I am concerned turned out okay! I am entering these madeline’s into this month’s Treat Petite hosted by Cakeyboi & The Baking Explorer. These madeleines are also being entered into the Perfecting Patisserie blogging challenge hosted by The Baking Queen!

Golden Honey Madeleines (SO Range review & Treat Petite challenge entry)

A while ago I shared with you that Sainsbury’s had listed me in their list of favorite food bloggers. Well, they sent me a lovely hamper to try out some of the SO (Sainsbury’s Organic) Range.

The first thing that caught my eye was the honey. My little ones love a tsp of honey just to lick! That’s why I've been trying to incorporate it into my baking a bit more. This honey is a sweet and fruity one as it says on the front the jar. If you’re wondering why I mention it, it is because there are many different flavors of honey.

With the Great British Bake Off in full swing I've been turning to my baking books from past contestants and the one that I turn to the most is Jo Wheatley’s Home Baking.

These Honey Madeleines have been on my baking to do list for ages and now seemed like the perfect time to try them out. They are amazingly light and spongy with a great honey taste. Thanks to the SO Clear Honey, which we have used on toast and to sweeten our porridge in the morning. 

Golden Honey Madeleines

100g self-raising flour

1 tsp of baking powder

pinch of sea salt

2 large eggs

50g golden caster sugar

2 tbsp of honey + 2 tbsp for glazing

90g of unsalted butter, melted

edible gold sprinkle dust (I would say it’s optional, but then they wouldn’t be golden would they?)

Sift together the flour and baking powder add the salt and set aside. Whisk the eggs, sugar, and 2 tbsp of honey until pale and frothy in a separate bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture until just combined. Fold in the melted butter, cover and chill for at least an hour.

Before baking preheat the oven to 200C. Lightly grease the madeleine pan for easy release.

A piping bag works best, but if you like me don’t really want the fuss a dinner table spoon works fine. Using a tablespoon scoop out and fill each indention of the prepared madeleine pan about 2/3 full.

Bake for 5 minutes then reduce the oven temp to 190C and rotate the pan. Bake for a further 5 minutes until the centers rise and the edges are turning brown.

Once they are out of the oven glaze with the remaining 2 tbsp of honey. If they cool you will have to heat the honey slightly to make it glaze. Then sprinkle with gold sprinkle dust. Serve warm! Yum! And if you are like my girls you can have a little extra honey on the side to dip them in.

notes: Sainsbury’s Food Blogger List (no longer exists as of 31/1/2016); Jo WheatleyHome Baking review; #SOoraganic range has so much to offer I can’t wait to share what else I will make from my basket of goodies!; I am also entering these Honey Madeleines in Treat Petite a new blogging challenge hosted by two of my favorite food bloggers CakeyBoi and The Baking Explorer (this month's host). I hope to participate next month too! 

Chocolate = Happy & Coffee = Relief {a book review and mocha choca madeleines}

I cannot express enough how refreshing John Whaite's debut cookbook is! The book is full of original flavors and ideas. After a read through it’s apparent that the book is very aptly named, John Whaite Bakes: Recipes for Every Day and Every Mood, as there are plenty of recipes to either lift one out of a bad mood or relax after a hard day and so on…

My favorite time to bake is when the girls are in bed and the house is quiet. I do love baking with them too, but there is something about having the kitchen to myself and loosing myself to the process of baking. It’s during that time I know I will be reaching for this book for inspiration.

Just by the titles of the chapters you know this book is going to be full of emotionally charged bakes. Chapters include an Introduction; Baker’s Notes; All-Important Armoury; Simple Essentials; Seeking Sweet Solace; Calming a Bag of Nerves; The Mood for Food and Love; Edible Nirvana; Memoirs of a Baker; Simple Speedy Solutions; Deepest Darkest Desires; The Artist Within; and Happy Hour

So, the only question is where to start? Here is a list of recipes I can’t wait to try out. They are mostly sweet, but there are a nice amount of savory recipes too that aren't listed here.

Overnight Rustic Loaf

Midnight Blues Tart (picture above)

Plait of Worries Loaf

Apricot and White Chocolate Flapjacks

Coconut and Lemon Bakewell

Italian Feeding Frenzy Focaccia

Eastern Sweet Spring Rolls

Plum and Pinenut Loaf Cake

White Chocolate and Raspberry Melting Cake (picture)

Tropical Sponge Pudding

Lemon and Poppy Seed Scones

Strawberry and Custard Shortbreads

Bakewell Muffins

Sunflower Seed Soda Bread 

Mocha Choca Madeleines w/Chocolate Dipping Sauce (recipe below)

Individual Apple Strudels

Spiced Sticky Toffee Pudding

Cherry Brandy and Brazil Nut Brownies

& all 8 cocktails (think some of these will be tested in a few weeks on my birthday)

Madeleines have been showing up everywhere and have been on my list of stuff “I must bake one day” for ages. So, after purchasing another special tin, much to my husband’s dismay, I made John’s …

Mocha Choca Madeleines w/Chocolate Dipping Sauce

100g salted butter

2 large eggs

100g caster sugar

1 ½ tsp instant freeze-dried coffee or 1 ½ tsp coffee extract

85g plain flour

15g cocoa powder

Pre-heat the oven to 190C/Gas5 and prep your madeleine tin. Just like when making anything in a mould it needs to be greased, usually with butter or odorless oil, then lightly dust flour and tap out excess. Done.

Melt the butter either on the hob or in the microwave just be sure not to let it boil.

Whisk together the eggs, sugar, and coffee until light, fluffy, and tripled in size. This is very easily done in a freestanding mixer, but possible using a hand-held electric whisk. Will take about 15 minutes give or take a few.

Sift the flour and cocoa powder into the egg mixture and carefully pour in the butter. Gently and John means very gently fold in the additions until smooth and silky.

Using a teaspoon fill the madeleine tin, about 2 tsp per mould. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the madeleines are slightly brown around the edges, John also says to turn them out of the tin as soon as they are baked or they will stick. It was my first ever time making them so I took his advice and they came out no problem!

To make the sauce whisk together 2 tbsp golden syrup, 2 tbsp cocoa powder, and 1 tbsp water.

Then dip and enjoy!!

These can be made in a shallow bun tin if you don’t want to buy yet another baking tin. I love to have any excuse to buy another tin, but that's just me! Just use about 2 ½ tsp of the mixture in each cavity and bake for a minute or two longer.

I was very pleased with these!! It was my first time every baking and trying madeleines! These ones were perfect: not too chocolaty, but a perfect amount to satisfy a craving. Also, I think the addition of coffee takes it up a notch. I made my own coffee extract ages ago, but I have seen it in online and in stores that sell baking stuff. Or use instant freeze-dried coffee like John says too! :0)

Ever since John was announced as the winner of last years Great British Bake Off; he seems to be everywhere! I stalk follow him on twitter and I can’t help wonder when he finds time to sleep? I also wonder what he’ll do next? If this book is anything to go on, we can only expect great things from him!

notes: book gifted by publishers