Madeleines au Citron #CooktheBooks #LitHappens

 Tender, lemon-scented, little cakes inspired by the novel, A Bakery in Paris by Aimie Runyon.  

I was invited to guest-host our Cook The Books Club this June/July session and chose the historical novel, A Bakery in Paris.  I also asked the members of Lit Happens to read it with us in June, and will be posting discussion questions on our Facebook Page mid-month.

If you are a food blogger who loves to read and would like to join us, you can learn how on our Cook the Books Guidelines page.  

If you just love to read but don't get inspired into the kitchen, please join our Lit Happens discussion on Facebook. Just let me know in the comments below and I will send you an invitation.

Of course, several of us are doing both events.  We would love to have you join us.

This is the story of two women, Lisette, born into wealth and privilege in France to parents who are cold and distant towards her. As she becomes an adult in 1870, she flees the marriage planned by her parents and runs into the arms of Theo, a National Guardsman, who is part of the resistance against the Prussian oligarchy in control of the country. 

Micheline is a young woman entering adulthood in 1945 as WWII is ending, and people are trying to pick up the pieces of their lives. Micheline was raised in a loving, caring home above a cafe. Her father was killed in the war, and her mother disappeared, leaving her to care for her younger sisters. When the cafe tenants leave without warning, Micheline is unsure of how she will continue to provide for her siblings. She speaks with an elderly neighbor who encourages her to attend culinary school and restore the cafe into a bakery. The neighbor told Micheline that she was great friends with her grandmother and had many fond memories of joining her for treats after school when her mother, Lisette, owned the store. 

 The novel skips between the lives of these two young, strong, and determined women as Micheline follows the recipes she has found in her great-grandmother's journal. These recipes are listed between chapters in the novel.

There was a recipe for Madeleines au Citron written in the book, however. I was listening to an audible version, so I went online and found the recipe I followed at Ricardo Cuisine.

I made a plate up for the Angel Face to take home for her, her Mama, and her Daddy, who is from France.  She couldn't resist and took a bite of hers.  She proclaimed them delicious.

When Jessica and Julien arrived to pick up my Angel Face, they ate theirs as they visited.  Julien taught me about Michael Proust, the French Author, who often wrote of the connection between food and memory.   

One of the foods about which Proust writes is Madeleines.  Julien said that his grandmere used to make him Madeleines so he would see if my Madeleines brought about the "Proust effect".

He said that my Madeleines were very close to those he remembered.  Mine were slightly thinner than those of his childhood, however, he appreciated that I had the perfect amount of lemon, as some he has tasted have been overwhelmed by too much lemon.

I felt very validated.  Having never tried an authentic Madeleine for myself, only those that I had made, I was glad to have succeeded.  

I will also be linking up to Foodies Read.  Please stop by and see what the other Foodies are reading this month.  

Desserts, French, Cakes, Lemon

Desserts

French

Yield: 17 cakes

Author: Wendy Klik

Madeleines au Citron

Tender, lemon-scented, little cakes inspired by the novel, A Bakery in Paris by Aimie Runyon.  

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 8 MinInactive time: 30 MinTotal time: 48 Min

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c. sugar
• zest of 1 lemon, grated
• 3/4 c. flour
• 1/4 t. baking powder
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Instructions

1. Place eggs, sugar, and lemon zest in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed for about 5 minutes, until a ribbon is formed when the beater is lifted. Remove from the mixing stand.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt over the egg mixture and gently fold in, using a rubber spatula.
3. Fold in the butter in the same manner. Cover and refrigerate for at least half an hour.
4. Divide the batter into the cups of a Madeleine pan that has been treated with baking spray, filling no more than 3/4 full.
5. Bake in a preheated 400* oven for 8 minutes, until lightly golden brown.
6. Turn onto a wire rack to cool.

Notes

Adapted from a recipe found at Ricardo Cuisine.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

98

Fat (grams)

6 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

4 g

Carbs (grams)

10 g

Fiber (grams)

0 g

Net carbs

10 g

Sugar (grams)

6 g

Protein (grams)

1 g

Sodium (milligrams)

50 mg

Cholesterol (grams)

34 mg

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