Madeleines

Method

1. 01

   Step 1: Brown the butter

   Melt the 130 g butter in a small pan over medium heat and cook, stirring, for 4–6 minutes, until the foam subsides, golden-brown specks appear on the bottom and it smells nutty. Pour straight into a bowl, specks and all, and cool until just warm.

2. 02

   Step 2: Whisk the eggs

   Beat the eggs with the sugar, honey and lemon zest for 3–4 minutes, until pale and roughly doubled in volume. You don’t need stiff foam here.

3. 03

   Step 3: Make the batter

   Sift in the flour with the baking powder and salt and fold in with a spatula. Pour in the warm brown butter in two additions and stir to a smooth, glossy batter.

4. 04

   Step 4: Chill the batter

   Cover the bowl with cling film pressed onto the surface and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to a day. The contrast between cold batter and a hot oven is what creates the hump.

5. 05

   Step 5: Prepare the tin

   Brush the moulds of a madeleine tin with the soft butter, dust with flour and tap out the excess. Put the tin in the fridge and heat the oven to 210 °C (410 °F).

6. 06

   Step 6: Fill and bake

   Spoon or pipe the cold batter into the moulds until two-thirds full, about 24 g each, without spreading it. Bake for 9–11 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the hump in the centre springs back under a finger.

7. 07

   Step 7: Unmould and repeat

   Tap the tin on the worktop straight away and turn out the madeleines — they release most easily while warm. Cool the tin, butter and flour it again and bake the rest of the batter.