Apple madeleines with white chocolate

Always at this time of year I neglect my website. Not on purpose you understand; it just seems to happen year on year. I’m no late starter when it comes to anything else, its just… January. So, despite it almost being February this is my first 2021 post. Happy New Year!

I’ve written before that I eschew resolutions at this time of year. The spring equinox has me thinking about changes, new starts and determination rather than a grey and bleary 1st Jan. January (and February come to think of it) does not work for me for new starts, but it is good timing for gathering yourself together, looking after you and yours and starting to think about spring and those new shoots, literal or metaphorical.

So, while I’m in R&R mode, these little madeleines fit nicely. They are a twist on a traditional patisserie recipe, but incorporate winter fruit and indulgent chocolate. I’ve coloured my white chocolate to match the Pink Lady apples I used, but you don’t have to colour the chocolate at all, and if you don’t like white chocolate, then feel free to dip them in your favourite milk or dark instead.

Notes

I’ve included the little step that gets the chocolate finish looking like its sculpted! Once you get the hang of turning them out without breaking the chocolate (this depends on the trickiness of the mould you own) you’ll be making them perfect all the time.

Equipment

• Small saucepan
• Madeleine moulds (any mould will do but silicone ones are easier for this recipe)
• Spoon, flexible spatula, scales, knife and cutting board, pastry brush
• Medium bowl
• Small heatproof bowl
• Cooling rack

Ingredients

• 125g unsalted butter
• 1 sweet eating apple – I used a Pink Lady apple
• 2 medium – large eggs
• 150g plain flour
• 145g caster sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of lemon juice
• 300g of white chocolate
• Food colouring
• Plus – extra butter, about 30 g, for the moulds

Method

• Melt the extra butter and paint the madeleine moulds with it using the pastry brush. Place the moulds in the freezer
• Melt the 125g of butter in the saucepan over a medium heat and then immediately take off the heat
• Whisk the eggs and sugar until they turn light and fluffy and have increased in volume
• Folding gently with a spatula, now add the flour, salt, lemon juice and melted butter until combined. be careful not to over mix
• Chop the apple (removing the core but keeping the skin) into small dice and immediately add to the mix
• Chill the mix in the fridge for 30-60 minutes. This is an important step for madeleines
• Warm the oven to 180C fan / 200C conventional oven
• Spoon the mixture into the moulds, filling each to about two-thirds full
• Bake the madeleines for about 12-14 minutes. They should be really springy to the touch
• Leave to cool completely and remove from the moulds
• Clean the moulds and dry thoroughly
• Now melt the chocolate, adding a few drops of food colouring if you wish
• Spoon a teaspoon of melted chocolate into one of the madeleine cavities in the mould and press back in one of the madeleines, so it squeezes the chocolate around it. Repeat with all the madeleines
• Try not to jog the madeleines now and leave them to cool – you can speed up the process by putting them in the fridge
• When the chocolate is fully cold, they should slip out fairly well from the mould
• Enjoy!

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