Lemon Madeleine

  Lemon season is during the winter in the Northeast I usually bake Meyer lemon-flavored items that pair well with hot drinks - like these lemon madeleines, or Meyer lemon muffins. I typically skip things like chilled pies or ice cream since I am not as inclined to eat those when it is cold outside.

I wish I could say I get Meyer lemons year round so that I could make all of my favorite warm weather desserts, but they are still one of the few specialty fruits that are strictly seasonal.

This is because they are somewhat controlled in where they are grown, and aren’t planted nearly as widely as regular lemons. What makes them so special is that they are a cross between a Mandarin orange and a regular lemon, and many varieties are completely seedless.

Meyer Lemon Madeleines Picture
They are thin-skinned, smaller than a regular lemon, and sweeter, too. This makes them ideal for baking and using to flavor fish and poultry. They even taste delicious when sliced thinly and served in salads or used to make salad dressing. Even more recently you’ll find people preserving them in salt and using them to flavor tagines and thick stews.

There are incredibly versatile in the kitchen but what I like to do with them, above all, is bake. They can be swapped for almost anything you make with lemon including cookies, cakes, and pies.

For example, I made these gorgeous madeleines with them and they were far more delicious than when I make them with regular lemons. They lack to aggressive astringency that comes from a regular lemon, and even the color is slightly softer and prettier.lemon, and even the color is slightly softer and prettier.

. 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

. 1 teaspoon baking powder

. 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

. 1/4 cup granulated sugar

. 2 large eggs

. zest of 2 meyer lemons

. 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

. 1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled

. confectioners sugar, for dusting

 

 1- In a small bowl mix the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.

2- In a larger bowl whisk the sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and extract. Whisk until frothy and slightly thickened. Then, carefully fold in the dry ingredients, stirring just until the flour is incorporated. Lastly, stir in the cooled butter.

3- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, pressing it down on the batter. Chill for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

4- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove the batter from the fridge and dollop it into the molds that have been lightly sprayed with cooking spray.

5- Bake them for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are set and the edges are golden brown. Allow them to cool for a few minutes, then pop them out of the mold and allow them to cool completely on cooling racks.

6- Once they have cooled dust them liberally with confectioners’ suga.