I’ve known for some time now that I’m a food lover. I take almost indecent delight in cooking, baking and experimenting in my kitchen, and few things make me happier than sharing the cakes, cookies or breads I make with friends. Yet the true measure of my ‘foodieness’ was revealed only this past weekend, when I returned from a week-long visit with family in San Diego, California - because while we left with three suitcases, we returned with an extra duffel bag I’d stuffed with some 20 lbs of tortillas from Mexico (flour & corn), tamales (sweet corn, pineapple, and jalapeño cheese), and jars of nopales (prickly pear cactus). Ok it was 33lbs. But can you blame me when quality tortillas, tamales and nopales are so difficult to find in Connecticut? I think not.

My husband and I arrived back in Connecticut around 5am on Sunday morning and I had every intention of getting to work in the kitchen so that I could post on Monday. But then the homesickness hit, not to mention the tiredness, and a wee cold… the result being that I didn’t do anything until yesterday evening. Vetekrans, a kind of Swedish tea ring, was my recipe of choice for several reasons, not the least of which being its tempting combination of cardamom and cinnamon. I could just imagine the aromatic fragrance of these two spices, and was curious to see if cardamom (a member of the ginger family) would enhance the flavor of cinnamon in the same way that ground ginger does. I was also intrigued by the author’s method of dough preparation, which requires no kneading and asks you to refrigerate the dough for up to 24 hours. So I put the dough together, then popped it into the fridge before relaxing with a book and hitting the sack shortly after the New Year arrived. This morning I rolled the dough out, spread it with butter and cinnamon-sugar, then rolled it up jelly-roll style and bound the ends together before cutting into the dough with sharp scissors. The whole process took less than an hour (including resting time) and the end product was the scrumptious tea ring you see featured here. The cardamom undertones gently enhanced the cinnamon, creating something that is, in a word, decadent: like the best cinnamon buns you’ve ever had strung together in a fragrant cardamom spiced wreath, then drizzled with an almond glaze. Oh. Yea.

I initially planned to post a review of The Great Scandinavian Baking Book, from whence this Vetekrans recipe comes, in this entry. However, I’m going to wait until my next post. True, I’ve made four things from this book and could certainly formulate a review based on the results… but then I wouldn’t have an excuse to share another delectable recipe with you, would I? Yet I will reveal the winner of the the raffle in which I gave away one copy of The Great Scandinavian Baking Book: Deborah (#43) of Taste and Tell! Thank you to everyone who participated in my Holiday Cookbook Giveaway, I only wish I could have sent cookbooks to each and everyone one of you.

Have a wonderful New Year’s day!

Vetekrans (Swedish Tea Ring)
Reprinted with permission from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book by Beatrice Ojakangas.

Ingredients: Makes 1 large ring

• 2 packages active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water, about 105 degrees to 115 degrees F
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 slightly beaten eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I ended up using closer to 5 1/2 cups of flour)
• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup blanched almonds, finely chopped (optional)

For the Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons hot coffee or milk
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let stand 5 minutes. Stir in the 1/2 cup melted butter, 1/2 cup sugar, the eggs, salt, cardamom, and 4 cups flour until dough is smooth (it took about 5 1/2 cups of flour for my dough to achieve a smooth, soft texture). Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours. (I refrigerated mine for about 12 hours. When you take it out of the fridge the dough will be very firm and may break apart as you remove it from the bowl. This is normal, just remove all the pieces then gently press them back together. Allow the dough to rest on your counter top for about 20-30 minutes before proceeding.)

Turn dough onto a lightly floured board and roll out to make a 20×20 to 24×24 inch square. Spread with a thin layer of softened butter right to the edge. Mix 1/2 cup sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle over the butter. Sprinkle the almonds over the cinnamon sugar. Roll up as for a jelly roll. (Beginning with the bottom edge closest to you, gently roll the dough away from you, pinching the ends together to prevent cinnamon sugar from spilling out.)

Grease a baking sheet and place the roll on the sheet, shaping it into a ring. Pinch ends together to close the circle. With scissors, cut almost through the ring at 1/2 inch intervals. Turn each piece so that the cut side is exposed. Let rise until almost doubled (about 1 hour in a warm location).

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until just golden. (I baked mine for 15 minutes, then rotated it in the oven and baked it for another 5 minutes). While the ring bakes, mix the glaze ingredients. Brush the ring while hot with the glaze.

I first learned about madeleines about three years ago while my husband and I were watching “The Transporter” on television. There amidst scenes featuring crazed, gun-wielding villains, was a cozy little kitchen moment where the woman Frank Martin is protecting repays his kindness with a batch of freshly baked madeleines. “My mother used to make fresh madeleines every morning, ” she tells him, “I smell them and my whole childhood comes back in one big flood, like Proust.” I enjoy guy-flicks with their explosions and car chases as much as the next gal, but this is the scene I remember from the film. What were these delectable little things, these madeleines? Therein began my love affair not only with madeleines but with culinary history.

Though madeleines are often called “cookies” in America, they’re actually miniature sponge cakes. Traditionally baked in shell-shaped tins, they come in a variety of flavors such as honey, chocolate, lemon, orange and cinnamon. In this post I’m sharing two madeleine recipes, one for Honey Madeleines from Indulge: 100 Perfect Desserts, and a personal recipe for Rosewater Madeleines. Since that fateful day when “The Transporter” introduced me to these sweets I’ve spent many an afternoon playing with different flavors, the result being that brunches in my home often include a tray of madeleines flavored with things like chai tea, orange-flower water or Mexican chocolate. I can’t help putting a mix together when company is over - how could I pass up an opportunity to bake dozens of madeleines without having the responsibility of eating all of them myself?

Ever since Proust wrote about madeleines in his “Remembrance of Things Past” the cakes have been associated with him, something even the writers of “The Transporter” saw fit to include in their script. Beyond that, a definitive association of anyone with madeleines is sheer conjecture - many chefs have tried to claim credit for their creation but the history of these cakes is a mystery. Back in 2004 ‘The Food Section’ featured an informative post about the origin of madeleines. Here Josh recounts two of the most popular legends about madeleines: the first attributes their creation to Jean Avice, pastry chef to French statesman Charles Talleyrand, who had the idea of baking a pound-cake mixture in aspic molds; the second traces madeleines to the French town of Commercy, which was then a duchy under the rule of King Stanisław Leszczyński of Poland. According to this legend, when the king visited the region in 1755 he was taken with a cake made by a peasant girl named Madeleine. So much so, in fact, that he ‘officially’ named the cookies madeleines and encouraged his daughter, Marie, to introduce them to high-society in Versailles. In Ladyfingers & Nun’s Tummies, author Martha Barnette offers yet another history, writing that “legend credits this elegant little cake’s creation to a nineteenth-century French chef, Madeleine Palmier.” However, culinary tomes such as “Larousse Gastronomique” think Palmier’s involvement was “doubtful.” The truth is that there are only three things that can be said about madeleines with any certainty: that “madeleine” is a French form of the word “magdalen” (as in Mary Magdalen, the disciple of Jesus); that madeleines are always associated with Commercy, France; and that nuns in 18th century France often supported their convents by making and selling madeleines. Indeed, up until the French Revolution, Commercy had a convent dedicated to St. Mary Magdalen. (source)

Whatever their origins, madeleines are delightfully easy to make - the perfect treat for lazy Sunday mornings, or harried afternoons when all you want is something sweet with a cup of steaming coffee. This week both situations applied to me: I made rosewater madeleines this morning to celebrate the snow day at school (no teaching today!), and I also made them this past Thursday, when I stumbled into my apartment, exhausted after taking my Biblical Hebrew Grammar exam. I mentioned this dreaded exam in my last post, and the time between that entry and this one is due largely to the fact that I was studying biblical grammar 6+ hours a day for an entire week. Oy! Let no one question my determination to perform well on the test and please God let it have been worth it. By Wednesday evening I was dreaming in Biblical Hebrew and even suffered from a particularly disturbing nightmare where I desperately wanted to bake chocolate cupcakes but all the instructions in my cookbook had been changed into Hebrew verbs. “Noooo!” I shouted, as I realized that each verb had to be parsed before I could find out, for example, how much chocolate was needed. “Just give me chocolate!” my dream self screamed at the cookbook, “I need cupcakes!” Ahem. The test is over now though, and the restorative effects of honey madeleines and a honey-vanilla latte soon set things to right. Behold the awesome power of miniature sponge cakes and caffeinated beverages. I have included my recipe for a Honey-Vanilla latte below, in case you find yourself in need of spiritual revival in the future.

I have two more papers to write for school, but before I get back to work there is one piece of important business: I must announce who won a copy of Indulge! Once again the random number generator came to my rescue, saving me from the daunting task of choosing the winning number… which was #42, Astra Libris! Congratulations to the winner and come back soon because I’m giving away 6 copies of Food to Live By next. (Hint: This giveaway will be announced in one of the sidebars, not in a post.)

Honey Madeleines
Reprinted with permission from Indulge: 100 Perfect Desserts, by Claire Clark.

Ingredients: Makes 14 large or 40 small madeleines.

• 3 1/4 oz unsalted butter, plus 1 oz melted butter for greasing the tins
• 2 teaspoons clear honey
• 2 medium eggs
• 2 3/4 oz caster sugar (superfine sugar, though I used confectioners sugar)
• 1/4 oz soft dark brown sugar
• a pinch of salt
• a few drops of vanilla extract
• 3 1/4 oz all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Brush the madeleine molds with the melted butter. Put the 3 1/2 oz of butter in a small pan with the honey and melt it, then cool slightly. Put the eggs in a large bowl with both the sugars, the salt and vanilla. Whisk until pale and doubled in volume. Sift the flour and baking powder together, then sift a second time. Fold them into the egg mixture with a large metal spoon, being careful not to lose any volume.

Pour the melted butter and honey down the side of the bowl so it floods on top of the mixture. Fold in gently, still being careful not to lose any volume. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave to rest in a cool place for 30 minutes.

Put the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a plain 1/2 inch nozzle and pipe it into the prepared madeleine tins, piping a fat, even, solid line down the center of each one. (I put about 1 tsp of batter into each mold using a spoon.) The mix will spread in the oven during baking, so there is no need for it to touch the sides of the mold. Place in the oven and bake for no more than 5 minutes for small madeleines, 10 minutes for large ones. Do not overcook them or they will be dry. As soon as they are done, flip over the molds and turn them out onto a wire rack. Serve warm.

Note: If you are going to purchase madeleine molds, I recommend you buy the metal ones. The flexible silicone molds do not color in quite the same fashion for this particular cake. I really like the crisp golden color crumb the butter gives on the outside of the cake, in contrast to the light sponge center. The metal molds give perfect results.

Indulge: 100 Perfect Desserts, by Claire Clark, is an inspiring collection of unique recipes that range in difficulty from moderate to complex. As an experienced home baker & cook I appreciated how this book challenged me to up the proverbial ante. Though recipes for things like apple and cinnamon charlotte, carrot cake and shortbread don’t require too much kitchen know-how, other recipes will force you to flex your culinary muscles. A recipe for Feuilles D’Automne (which consists of layers of hazelnut meringue sandwiched with a hazelnut chocolate mousse and covered in crisp chocolate leaves) requires you to know how to make meringue, mousse, and how to temper chocolate, for instance. Clark has helpfully included a “Secrets of Success” section at the beginning of each chapter, which is filled with tips that teach you how to master many of the skills utilized in the book. She also includes a useful index of UK to US conversions (which lets you know that what she calls “cornflour” is called “cornstarch” stateside), as well as notes with most recipes, where she guides you through especially difficult steps and shares tricks she has used in her own kitchen. Under her instruction ordinary gingerbread becomes a veritable feast for the senses, with individual gingerbreads covered with crystallized rose petals, syrup and butter cream. I was especially delighted with her recipe for “dumph noodle,” which is a kind of bread smothered with homemade crème anglaise. It was a tremendous hit with everyone who tried it and has been added to my list of favorite recipes.

Because the recipes in this book have such a wide range of difficulty, “Indulge” would best be enjoyed by someone with a solid foundation of culinary knowledge and a desire to greatly improve their skill. Anyone who can bake, cook and meringue their way through the entirety of this book will find themselves in possession of a wealth of invaluable know-how. The only caveat I would offer is this: unless you are already an accomplished baker/cook, many of the recipes will be daunting. I have yet to master Clark’s recipe for Turkish Delight, which though I’ve followed it to the letter three times, has ended in complete disaster on every occasion. When this happens I find myself thinking about those “Star Trek” moments when Bones would turn to Jim and say something like “I’m a doctor Jim, not a pilot!” Well, in my case I’m a baker not a candy maker, and I’m completely fine working through the learning curve. One of these days I will master the magic of Turkish delight! In the meantime I have my dumph noodle, honey madeleines, and many other scrumptious treats to keep me company.

Chapters include: Biscuits and Cookies; Cakes; Pastry; Meringues; Custards and Creams; Desserts, Mousses and Jellies; Puddings; Ices and Petits Fours. A “Suppliers” index is also included at the back of the book.

Rosewater Madeleines (My Recipe)

Ingredients:

• 6 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, melted (plus more for brushing the pan)
• 1 1/4 cup confectioners sugar, plus more for dusting
• A pinch of salt
• 4 large egg whites
• 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp rosewater

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Brush the madeleine pan with melted butter or spray with Pam butter spray. Melt one stick (4 oz) of butter on the stove until it turns a light amber color. Sift the confectioners sugar, flour and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl mix the egg whites, vanilla extract and rosewater. Add the egg mixture to the to flour mixture, and whisk until combined. Add the melted butter and whisk again until everything is incorporated.

Using a teaspoon, fill your madeleine molds to just under the top of each mold. Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges of the madeleines are golden brown. Transfer the madeleines to a baker’s rack and dust with confectioners sugar. Serve warm.

Honey-Vanilla Latte (My Recipe)
Ingredients: Makes 1 generous serving

• 1 1/2 cups freshly brewed coffee. (I prefer to use whole beans, rather than pre-ground coffee. Grinding your beans just before brewing enhances the flavor of your beverage. Use 2 tbs of beans per 1 cup of water.)
• 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup steamed milk, depending on your tastes. (I used 1/2 cup)
• 1 generous tbsp + 1 tsp honey
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp + 2 tsp heavy cream
• Whipped cream (optional)

Brew coffee using 2 tbs of ground beans per 1 cup of filtered water. As the coffee finishes brewing, add the heavy cream to the milk, then gently heat the mixture on the stove top or in the microwave (about 30-40 seconds in the microwave). Add the honey and vanilla to a large mug, then add the hot milk, then the coffee. Stir well using the spoon you used to measure the honey. Top with whipped cream if desired.