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Lemon Brown Butter Madeleines Inspired by Marcel Proust

Written by Rebecca Peters-Golden

In Marcel Proust’s À la recherche du temps perdu (Remembrance of Things Past, or more recently translated as In Search of Lost Time) the taste of a madeleine dipped in tea famously brings an ocean of memories crashing down on the narrator.

Proust’s stream of consciousness gets at the possibilities not only of modernist prose, but of food’s ability to conjure the ghosts of the past in the present.

The smell of a pot simmering on the stove can put us in mind of the long-ago afternoon spent perfecting the recipe with a friend; the taste of bread fresh out of the oven makes us feel like the grandmother who taught us to bake it is with us still.

platter of madeleines with cups of tea
Photo: Casey Barber

Because food is taste, smell, touch, and sometimes even sound, its powers of conjuration are especially powerful.

The first time I ever tried a madeleine was at a tea shop in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was a rainy autumn day and the air smelled of rotting leaves. I was meeting a friend and felt very grown up. I was fifteen.

I had no idea what madeleines were, but I loved the name–like Madeline, one of my favorite picture books–and thought the seashell shape was beautiful.

madeleines in a saucer next to a cup of tea
Photo: Casey Barber

When I bit into the first one, it was gummy and oversweet and, unlike the narrator in À la recherche, dipping it in my tea did nothing except coat the top of the liquid with an oily lemon fingerprint.

But they were French and beautiful, so of course I pretended that I liked them, just as I’d pretended I knew what I was ordering.

I didn’t taste another madeleine for a long time; not until I made lemon brown butter madeleines three years ago after I found a beautiful pan at a garage sale in Bloomington, Indiana.

platter of madeleines with cups of tea
Photo: Casey Barber

The lemony smell of them baking reminded me of the plastic tub of lemon frosting I requested on my birthday cake the year I was eight, and I was sure they would turn out badly, like the ones I’d had so many years before.

Even these, though, were pleasant memories–tea with a friend; the sticky sweetness of the lemon cake that no one else in my family could stand to eat, leaving it all for me.

plate of lemon brown butter madeleines arranged in a circle
Photo: Casey Barber

To my surprise, my lemon brown butter madeleines were light and delicate, more cakey than the ones I’m sure had sat for days in the teashop’s dusty counter, and less sweet.

So, as exaggerated as Proust’s meditation may be, and as much of a pop culture cliché as his madeleines have become, it’s never a bad thing to luxuriate with food, letting faded memories gain strength as we eat.

platter of lemon brown butter madeleines with cups of tea

“And as soon as I had recognized the taste of the piece of madeleine soaked in her decoction of lime-blossom which my aunt used to give me (although I did not yet know and must long postpone the discovery of why this memory made me so happy) immediately the old grey house upon the street, where her room was, rose up like a stage set to attach itself to the little pavilion opening on to the garden which had been built out behind it for my parents (the isolated segment which until that moment had been all that I could see); and with the house the town, from morning to night and in all weathers, the Square where I used to be sent before lunch, the streets along which I used to run errands, the country roads we took when it was fine”

À la recherche du temps perdu
plate of lemon brown butter madeleines arranged in a circle

Lemon Brown Butter Madeleines

Yield: 2 dozen madeleines or 4 dozen mini madeleines
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Additional Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes

Lemon brown butter madeleines are airy, fragrant mini cakes perfect for pairing with tea as an afternoon snack. They're a memorable treat!

Ingredients

  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1 cup (120 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup (133 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced
  • Baking spray
  • Confectioner's sugar (optional)

Instructions

  1. Brown the butter by melting it in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and continuing to cook until the butter separates. The white solid bits that initially rise to the top of the liquid will fall to the bottom of the pan and start to brown, while the liquid will turn deeper golden and begin to smell gorgeously nutty.
  2. When this happens, remove the pan from the heat. You're going for a very light brown here; make sure not to burn.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest together until the liquid is slightly foamy.
  5. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture, and stir with a silicone spatula until just combined.
  6. Add the brown butter and gently but persistently fold it into the batter to incorporate. At first it will look like too much butter, but it will integrate. Stop stirring when it does.
  7. Chill the batter in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours, if you'd like to make the batter in advance. If refrigerating for a longer period, let the batter rest on the counter while the oven preheats before filling the pans.
  8. When you're ready to bake your madeleines, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease your pans by spritzing with baking spray.
  9. Fill each shell in the madeleine pan with about 1 scant tablespoon of the batter for a standard madeleine pan, and 1 teaspoon if you're using a mini-madeleine pan. If you overfill them, the batter will spread and you'll get a little halo around the shell shape.
  10. Bake for 6-8 minutes and then rotate pans to assure even browning.
  11. Bake for another 6-8 minutes, watching carefully to determine doneness—mini madeleines may only need 10 minutes total, depending on your oven.
  12. Your madeleines are ready when the edges are browned and the middle feels firm and springy to the touch.
  13. Let your madeleines cool for a minute or two before using the tip of a knife to lift them gently from the pan.
  14. Repeat with the remaining batter.
  15. If you'd like, once they're cool, dust them lightly with confectioner's sugar.

Notes

Madeleines will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container, but they taste best when eaten within a day.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 159Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 117mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 0gSugar: 10gProtein: 2g

The nutritional information above is computer-generated and only an estimate.

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2 Comments

  1. What a delightful post! I often think of places and people when I cook; this was a lovely reminder. I’ll look forward to trying these madeleines! They sound wonderful and are so pretty.

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