While I love a good clementine, sometimes a three-pound bag has
just a few too many.
I really love them in Ottolenghi’s Roasted Chicken with Fennel
and Clementines, and have made it several times recently.
I would love to make a clementine curd tart, but using 10 egg
yolks, tons of butter, and squeezing all that clementine juice? Maybe another
time.
Today, I surfed the Web, combined several recipes, added a few of
my own changes, and decided to present you with Clementine Madeleines. What
could possible be wrong with these?
User error, that’s what.
Everything was looking perfect. There was just the perfect amount
of batter to fill the molds. And then I went to put them in the oven.
At that very moment, I glanced at the stovetop and wondered why there
was a small saucepan of cooled, melted butter.
Sheesh! Butter! Madeleines have butter. My batter lacked butter. So, I scraped the batter back into the bowl, washed and
re-prepared the mold.
I poured the melted butter into the butterless batter and, as
gently as I could, folded it in. No one likes a deflated Madeleine. Oddly, the
amount of batter was almost the same – just enough for 12 Madeleines.
It was reminiscent of having the 9-year old kid next door come
over to fix your computer, only to tell you you have an “ID Ten T”
error… or, more clearly written ID10T.
At least I didn’t need to have that kid come over to tell me I’m
an idiot. I can tell myself just fine.
Happily, the Madeleines came out perfectly.
Clementine Madeleines
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he needs food
January 21, 2017 at 2:29 pmYou caught me out on this one. When I saw User Error as the title, I refreshed the page, thinking it didm't load properly. Oh dear. Where's that 9 year old kid? I think I need his help.
I'm sure I've done similar mistakes in the kitchen before, and you know what, it's allowed. Oh that's right, I forgot to put sugar into a muffin mix. So out came the tray, scraped out the batter and mixed in the sugar.
I bet your madeleines tasted great and anybody that tried them, would love them.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 23, 2017 at 2:38 pmHaha – Mark said I should change the title! Seems most people are getting past it… at least I hope so!
It is nice seeing everyone's little errors while baking. My usual is to have wonderful garnishes set aside and then, after dinner is all said and done, the garnishes all lie there unused and unloved… Oh well.
Sippity Sup
January 21, 2017 at 5:40 pmA good cook rolls with the punches (and the clementines). GREG
Cocoa & Lavender
January 23, 2017 at 2:39 pmThanks, Greg!
Liz (Good Things)
January 21, 2017 at 10:16 pmHappens. Your madeleines look beautiful, David!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 23, 2017 at 2:40 pmThanks, Liz – I like "User Error Happens" – perhaps that should have been the title of my post!
Jill
January 22, 2017 at 1:53 amcute story and cookies look delicious!! I once put a chocolate cheesecake in the oven only to notice the sour cream on the counter!! Folded it in oh so gently so I didn't disturb the cookies crust. Lucky for me it worked!!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 23, 2017 at 2:40 pmWas this with your famous chocolate cheesecake, Jill? Glad it worked!
Cheri Savory Spoon
January 22, 2017 at 2:08 amGreat post David, I think we have all done similar things in the kitchen, look at all those cooking shows and sometimes they forget one of the ingredients they were supposed to add. These look delicious, loving everything citrus right now.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 23, 2017 at 2:41 pmI did it once while teaching a cooking class. It was very embarrassing… it showed me that I can't talk and cook at the same time!
Anonymous
January 22, 2017 at 8:56 pmMmmmmm….I just got a madeleine pan for Christmas. I haven't used it yet, though. I love madeleines but have never made them because, obviously, I didn't have a mold. I will sub lemon zest for the mandarins since I only have lemons. I have made some goofy mistakes while baking, too. Who knows why hubby used to always forget the baking powder in the cornbread recipe from the Silver Palate cookbook. Then I decided to write, in bold RED marker, on the recipe, DON'T FORGET THE BAKING POWDER! That worked.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 23, 2017 at 2:42 pmI love that, Caterina! Maybe I should keep a red marker in the kitchen! here is another recipe for madeleines in my site, too – and they use lemon. Let me know how they work out!
Unknown
January 23, 2017 at 4:08 amI love how your photos walk it through, step by step!! These look just lovely!! Thanks for sharing! <3 – http://www.domesticgeekgirl.com
Cocoa & Lavender
January 23, 2017 at 2:43 pmThanks fro your note, Gingi – I look forward to checking out your blog!
Karen (Back Road Journal)
January 23, 2017 at 3:41 pmI think something like that has happened to us all. You rescued your creation and they sound quite good.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 24, 2017 at 12:48 amThanks, Karen – I have to wonder how much better they might have been if the butter went in when it was supposed to! 🙂
DAFFYCO
January 24, 2017 at 9:33 pmCes madeleines sont magnifiques.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 24, 2017 at 10:02 pmMerci mille fois!
All That I'm Eating
January 26, 2017 at 11:07 amLucky you remembered when you did! They look delicious.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 26, 2017 at 1:56 pmTrue, Caroline – they would have been awful (I think) without the butter!
Nuts about food
January 26, 2017 at 11:38 amIt is reassuring to know that even some of my favourite cooks make mistakes sometimes… the kind I make ;o)
Cocoa & Lavender
January 26, 2017 at 1:56 pmThanks, Fiona! So nice to hear from you! Hope all is well in Milano.
Valentina
January 27, 2017 at 5:19 amOh my gosh, I get so frustrated when I forget an ingredient, and I must say, it happens often when I'm baking. Good job going with the flow and scooping out the batter and adding the butter. Looks like the result was perfect! I love clementines and I bet the flavor in the cookies is divine.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 27, 2017 at 2:08 pmIt is a really nice flavor, Valentina – quite delicate. I might double the zest next time!
Inger @ Art of Natural Living
January 27, 2017 at 7:50 pmOh I would have been so exasperated! Well, probably I'd have realized it AFTER they were in the oven and thrown up my hands. They did turn out beautiful in the end!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 28, 2017 at 1:20 pmThanks, Inger – now I am really beginning to wonder if I had left out the butter, might I have invented a new taste treat?
Provence WineZine
February 5, 2017 at 3:55 pmI agree with Inger! I would have run out of the kitchen! I'm glad you didn't do that! These look really good!
Cocoa & Lavender
February 5, 2017 at 4:15 pmOh, Susan, I don't think you would have run from your kitchen. I think you would have uncorked a nice rosé, taken a seat at your kitchen table, and laughed out loud (while intermittently sipping the rosé). Right?
Christina | Christina's Cucina
February 8, 2017 at 12:53 amI'm so glad to know I'm not the only one who does things like this! So glad the madeleines still turned out for you! They sound lovely with the addition of the clementine flavor!
Cocoa & Lavender
February 9, 2017 at 12:56 amIf you look at the comments, Christian, you can see that we definitely are not alone!