Blood Orange Infused Madeleines (or) Eat Your Heart Out, Proust

We all know about Proust and his madeleine. The man fetishized a small tea cake to a point that his seven volume novel, Remembrance of Things Past, is bookended by the thematic significance of the delicious little morsel.

I agree with him. Madeleines are that good: a delightful cross between a cookie, with crispy, nicely browned edges, and a wee cake with a moist, rich interior. The distinctive shell shape on one side and convex mound made by the rising batter on the other are so distinctive, there can be no mistaking a madeleine for anything else. The classic madeleine is delicately flavored with vanilla and lemon, both zest and extract giving it a rich, nuanced citrus flavor that permeates every delicate crumb. There are several variations, the most popular being chocolate, though I have seen almond and even a savory version flecked with kernels of fresh, sweet corn. My favorite has always been the pistachio madeleine that Balthazar Bakery occasionally sells, made all the more delicious because of its rarity.

Feeling a bit like taking a stroll through my own memories on a snowy day, Annabelle and I decided to try a new kind of madeleine. It's January, and that means we are right in the middle of citrus season. Right now the markets are full of blood oranges. A wonderfully gothic name for a really delicious fruit. Sweet, with flesh that varies in color from a faint pink blush to deep, dark garnet, blood oranges taste slightly more complex than a regular orange, their sweetness tempered by a hint of bitterness that is very refreshing.

Not content to merely zest our blood orange in the batter, we decided to make a simple icing from the gorgeously pink juice we squeezed from the pulp and dunk our madeleines in it while they were still warm from the oven. The end result was a glaze that crunches delightfully with each bite and tastes like sunshine on a cloudy, snowy day. Remembrance of things past? If it's this delicious, definitely.

Recipe:

1 stick salted butter (1/2 cup)
1 cup whole milk
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon orange extract
2 cups flour
1 blood orange, zested and juiced
2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup sugar for glaze

Special equipment: madeleine cookie tins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

*Grease madeleine tins well--the cookies can be difficult to remove.*

1. In a small pot over low heat (or in the microwave), heat milk and butter until butter has completely melted. Remove from heat.
2. While butter is melting, in a large bowl beat eggs, gradually adding sugar, vanilla and orange extracts. Add the orange zest and flour and stir until well combined.
3. Add the hot milk mixture to the bowl and stir until batter is smooth. Sprinkle baking powder over the top and stir just until it is combined--do not over mix.
4. Spoon into prepared cookie tins and bake in the middle of preheated oven for 15 minutes for mini-madeleines, or 18-22 for full sized madeleines.
5. Cookies are done when well risen and crispily brown around the edges. Remove and let cool on a cooling rack for a few minutes.
6. While the cookies are cooling, prepare glaze. In a small bowl, stir together juice from the blood orange with remaining 1 cup sugar until completely dissolved. Gently remove cookies from tins--sometimes a spoon can be used to gently pry reluctant cookies out--be gentle. While still warm, dip each cookie into the glaze and then place on wire rack over wax paper (to catch drips) until cool.

Makes about 3 dozen big madeleines or many, many mini madeleines