While in New York recently we were lucky enough to be able to dine at Daniel Boulud’s restaurant Daniel. It goes without saying, for a restaurant ranked number 11 in the world by the S. Pelligrino World’s 50 Best Restaraunts that the food would be amazing, and amazing it was. In fact, it was the best meal of my life, but more on that in a future post, along with a sneak peak inside the kitchen at Daniel, which the team at Daniel were so kind to allow me into to take some photos.
After our meal, while we were enjoying a cup of tea and coffee, our waiter Javier brought out freshly baked orange madeleines (along with handmade chocolates and petit fours). Sadly, by this point (actually well before) we were unable to eat anymore of the delicious food because there was just SO much. Javier said that wasn’t a problem and packed up the madeleines and petit fours for us to take with us.
The madeleines made a wonderful breakfast the next morning, and were bursting with orange flavour, but not overwhelmingly so. My fiancé quickly dubbed them amazing, as he munched on one, as was everything else we enjoyed from restaurant Daniel. So I knew when we got home I wanted to try to reproduce them, given I knew I had little hope of reproducing some of the other dishes we enjoyed that night.
The madeleines from restaurant Daniel were miniatures, but I made large ones as I don’t have a miniature madeleine tray. At least with large madeleines you don’t feel so guilty for saying you had 1 or 2 madeleines instead of 4 mini ones.
So, have you been inspired to recreate a dessert you have enjoyed at a restaurant at home? How did it go?
- Ingredients
- ¾ cup plain (all-purpose) flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- ⅓ cup of caster sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- finely grated zest of 1 orange
- 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed orange juice
- 80g of butter, melted
- Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
- In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment add the sugar and orange zest and mix on the lowest setting until the sugar and zest are well combined and the sugar begins to take on an orange hue.
- Add the eggs and whisk until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture becomes light and fluffy.
- Switch the mixer to it’s lowest setting and gently add the flour and vanilla extract and mix until just combined.
- Add the melted butter and orange juice and mix until just combined.
- Cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (355 Fahrenheit).
- Grease and flour your madeleine pan and ⅔ fill with the batter and bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until cooked.
- To serve you may like to dust with icing sugar.
I tried recreating a dessert I had at The Buffalo Club - it was an amazing milkshake with a layer of raspberry fluid gel at the bottom and then a thick coconut and vanilla drink on top, served in adorable little miniature glass milk bottles. I pretty much hate coconut, so I was very surprised when this drink was so incredibly delicious. I made it as part of the dessert course when some friends came over for dinner a few weeks later - made the raspberry fluid gel with frozen raspberries and gellan, made the coconut and vanilla part by just combining a tin of coconut cream and most of a tub of vanilla bean ice cream in a blender, and it turned out to be pretty much exactly how I remembered the Buffalo Club version. I was pretty happy with myself at that point. ;)
Those madeleines must be amazing - I love combining the butteriness of madeleines with citrus, but haven't tried them with orange yet, so I will definitely have to put that on my to-do list.
I still haven't gotten to the Buffalo Club. Mainly because each time I've looked at the menu they don't have vegetarian options.
The milkshake sounds amazing though. Anything raspberry has my interest piqued. Yum!
Yeah I think you'd need to contact them about whether there's any possibility of them doing a vegetarian degustation. I think that even if they did, whoever else went with you would need to do the same degustation as well, since the whole table always has to choose the same degustation. And yeah, the majority of the dishes within each night's set of courses have meat in them, so it wouldn't be worth just asking them to skip the meat dishes. It's a shame, because their vegetarian stuff is pretty amazing - I had a beautiful sweet pea foam one time with other various accoutrements and everyone at the table was floored by it, even the bona fide meat-lovers.
Yummo! I'd have to forego the tea and have mine with a coffee! There is one thing I ate in Paris late last year that I'm yet to recreate, all in good time
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they look beautiful. I really want a madeline tin, it would be great to find a mini one! when i do get one i will have to try this recipe :)
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I want a mini madeleine tin too. I can't wait to make these in mini form, little bites of buttery orange goodness, what is there not to love?:D
Yes often! Infact I think unless I have a something close or similar to what I enjoyed at a restaurant I don't sleep well! This looks fabulous by the way. I love orange flavor in anything sweet!
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That looks soo lovely ..i just love citrus desserts. I have been wanting to make madeleines for a long long time..
Only last week i managed to get a madeleine tin..i was on a recipe hunt for a fool proof recipe:-) ..and I just found it:-) I am sooooo going to try this recipe sooooon:-)
The madeleines with orange flavour can never go wrong! Absolutely gorgeous pictures!
Madeleines are my absolute fav cake. I never made it home but would love to give it a try.
Those orange madeleines sound divine.
I actually do have a mini madeleine pan, so I can try the recipe. Yay.
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Love your beautiful china..I think I have this insatiable desire to try all restaurant food at home & my husband is quite irritated with that many a times :) Love the orange flavor in almost anything- This looks & sounds yum!
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They look and sound absolutely beautiful! Madeleines remind me of my mom, who used to make all kinds of citrus-scented ones when I was a kid. I think I'll try your recipe and recreate them at home :)
I haven't made these in a long time - and adding orange sounds perfect. I also love your china!
Thanks Ruth. I picked up my china in an Antique store.
OOh I can't wait to read your review of it and take a peek into their kitchen! It's always a thrill getting to look in a kitchen isn't it! And these look lovely-love the orange flavour :)
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I recreate all the time too :)
I don't have cookbooks (well, I have 2 or 3 actually), so my imagination and recreation skills are all I have for cooking :)
P.S. The orange madeleines look divine!
Madeleines really are a dream. I love that they are a cross between a cake and a biscuit. They are so beautiful too.
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these look gr8! ive made madelines 3 times now and you got to be real careful u dont over cook them cos they stick to the pan and brown real quickly :(
They look divine! I love Madeleines and orange, so will definitely try these.
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They look gorgeous, I love the colour!
I love madeleines and I am happy to see someone who like me could have them for breakfast :-)
Ciao
Alessandra
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