madeleines – The Interiors Addict

Foodie Friday: A Melbourne Cup afternoon tea at home

Photography by Jacqui Turk

We get it – not everyone has the chance to don a hat (or fascinator, or crown) and head to the races for Melbourne Cup Day. But even if you’re planning a more sedate day at home, it can still be gorgeous – and delicious – as this afternoon tea spread by Williams-Sonoma and Sydney bakery Flour and Stone shows.

Gather a few friends, bake some treats inspired by Flour and Stone’s delectable offerings , open a bottle of bubbly, pop the kettle on, and pick your winner.

The simplest and fastest thing to prepare from this stunning spread are those Williams-Sonoma signatures: madeleines. We’ve featured a recipe here before for classic madeleines, but these lemon ones are tangy, spring-inspired and utterly, utterly moreish.

Have the batter ready to go in the fridge, and whip these up while your guests wait – they take less than 10 minutes to cook in their specially shaped pan. And no one will mind if your other cakes are store-bought, especially if that store is Flour and Stone!

Styling tip: For a grown-up gathering like Melbourne Cup, keep colours neutral and decorations to a minimum. Let the natural beauty of the wholesome ingredients shine through on the cakes (leave the sprinkles and colourings to the kids’ parties), and complement with natural textures like wooden boards and hessian textiles.

Cheat’s tip: for the non-bakers or time-poor still looking for a homemade option, you could always pick up a luxe cake mix from Williams-Sonoma; they’re specially designed to be work with the Nordic Ware Bundt pans, giving great pattern definition and easy release.

Lemon Madeleines

Ingredients

½ cup (75g) cake flour (or plain white flour)
½ tsp baking powder
2 whole eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1/3 cup (90g) caster sugar
Pinch of salt
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
4 tbsp (60g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Icing sugar for dusting (optional)

Method

Preheat an oven to 200°C. Using a pastry brush, heavily brush melted butter over each of the 12 moulds in a madeleine pan, carefully buttering every ridge. Dust the moulds with flour, tilting the pan to coat the surfaces evenly. Turn the pan upside down and tap it gently to dislodge the excess flour.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder twice. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the whole eggs and egg yolk, the caster sugar and salt on high speed until pale, thick and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium, add the vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice and beat until combined, about 30 seconds.

Sprinkle the flour mixture over the egg mixture and, using a rubber spatula, gently fold in until just incorporated. Pour in the melted butter along the side of the bowl and gently fold in until incorporated.

Divide the batter among the prepared moulds, using a heaping 1½ tbsp batter for each mould. Bake the madeleines until the tops spring back when lightly touched, 7 to 9 minutes.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 2 minutes. Using a small spatula, gently release the madeleines, place on the rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Using a fine-mesh sieve, dust the tops with icing sugar and serve.

Makes 12 madeleines.

Foodie Friday: Madeleines

Today is the 100th birthday of Chuck Williams, founder of Williams-Sonoma. Who, you ask? And it’s true: Chuck doesn’t have the celebrity status of some of his contemporaries such as Julia Child – especially in Australia, where Williams-Sonoma is a relatively new brand. But his influence and legacy are pretty mind-boggling.

It all started with one auspicious trip to Paris in 1953, when Chuck discovered the beautiful quality cookware that the French had been using in their home kitchens for years. It inspired him to do something about getting the same French cookware back home for American cooks. Before Chuck, specialist cookware in America was something only accessible to chefs and commercial kitchens.

Chuck opened his specialist cookware store in Sonoma, California in 1956 and today there are more than 250 Williams-Sonoma stores in North America and three in Australia.

Not only is the madeleine one of Chuck’s favourite recipes, it also represents one of his many contributions to the world of home cooking in the US. The special shell-shaped madeleine pans were among the first baking pans Chuck imported from France to the US in the late 1950s, and they were the most popular item at his California store for a year or two.

These fragrant little French sponge cakes, most famously immortalised by Marcel Proust in his epic novel Remembrance of Things Past, are at their most memorable when eaten as Proust ate them: still warm from the oven and a little crisp on the outside. They take very little time to make and are perfect for dipping in coffee or tea.

STYLING TIP: Buttery and warm, these cakes don’t need a lot of styling – they won’t last long enough on the plate anyway! In homage to Chuck Williams and his legacy, try serving yours on fine French porcelain for afternoon tea alongside another Chuck favourite and a Williams-Sonoma icon: the Apilco Cow Milk Jug.

Ingredients

4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing
1/2 cup cake & pastry flour (if unavailable, substitute plain flour)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1/4 cup caster sugar
2 tsp orange-blossom water
Icing sugar for dusting

Method

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 200°C (180°C fan-forced). Generously butter a 12-mould madeleine pan.

In a bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. In another bowl, using a handheld mixer set on medium speed, beat together the egg, caster sugar and orange-blossom water for 30 seconds. Increase the speed to high and beat until the mixture has quadrupled in bulk and is very thick, about 10 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, carefully fold the flour mixture and then the softened butter into the egg mixture. Spoon the batter into the prepared moulds, filling each one about three-quarters full.

Bake until lightly browned around the edges and on the bottom, 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately turn the cakes out onto a wire rack. Using a fine-mesh sieve or a sifter, dust with icing sugar. Serve warm. Makes 12 small cakes.

–This recipe is adapted from one in Merchant of Sonoma: Chuck Williams, Pioneer of the American Kitchen, by William Warren. Head to Williams-Sonoma for lots more foodie inspiration, or book yourself into a cooking class in their Bondi Junction Cooking School.