I’m on a madeleine kick having made four different versions recently, determined to find a good recipe. I’ve never been fond of madeleines because they were so dry, that is until I had one from Ble Sucre in Paris. Fortunately the recipe is available courtesy of Bon Appetit Magazine and last year’s Paris issue with a cover shot of baguettes so delicious, I bought the magazine because of that.
In Paris I seek out macarons. In Italy, it’s gelato. Any excuse I had to stop for a 1-2 euro scoop I’d take it. Pre-dinner snack, post-dinner palette cleanser, or because I successfully got through a mob of tourists, time for gelato. Its so refreshing in the middle of the hot summer and there is nothing like the creamy, rich custard. Sorry froyo.
Having been to Italy twice now, it’s a game of mine seeing how many flavors I can try each trip. My latest count is 17 flavors in 2 weeks traveling from northern to southern Italy. Because it’s been unseasonably warm in San Francisco, I thought I’d reminisce and share my favorites from Rome, Tuscany and Cinque Terre.
Photo courtesy: Valerie Lu
I was pleasantly surprised with the pistachio madeleines I made from the Bouchon Bakery cookbook so I decided to try out the traditional madeleines for my sister’s bridal shower dessert table.
Time to use my favorite fruit, the strawberry. I re-interpreted the Strawberry Parfait in the Bouchon Bakery Cookbook by turning it into an individual dessert.
The cake is an Olive Oil Cake. The middle layer consists of a ring of halved strawberries and a creme moussoline, which is a rich filling that combines pastry cream and Italian buttercream. After another layer of cake, I finished piped little flourishes of creme fraiche.
This classic breakfast cake gets a little twist with a cocoa layer in the middle. That little bit of chocolate flavor is just right and would complement any cup of coffee or hot cocoa. And of course a coffee cake is not complete without the signature crumble on the top. Here an almond streusel is used.
