Morning memories

Hello to all you lovely people, and good morning (it's morning somewhere in the world).
A new day has started and as many others, mornings are my worst time of the day. For some reason I can never seem to wake up feeling well rested. I am always a little (usually a lot) tired in the mornings. My bed is more comfortable in the early hours of the day, and it's like there is a glue that is sticking me to my bed. I have severe problems actually getting out of bed, even if I'm looking forward to the day ahead. I do suffer from an autoimmune hormonal disease that does make me more tired and sleepy, so while it might be my disease, I also find that my bed might have some sort of a special power over me. Am I the only one? Or is this something others feel too?

One way to make mornings a little nicer is by having something a little bit special for breakfast. I'm not a breakfast person, I'm usually not hungry in the mornings and simply start my day with a fruit, but having something freshly baked in the morning makes breakfast all the more enjoyable.

I recently attempted (and I daresay succeeded) in making Madeleines, which is a french sponge cake often eaten for breakfast. The Madeleines are made in special Madeleine pans giving one side of the Madeleines their unique scalloped shell shape. The other side is paler and smooth with a hump.

The Madeleine has slightly crispy edges but a soft sponge-like centre and usually tastes mildly of lemon and vanilla. They melt like butter in your mouth and disappear within an instant in my household. They were made famous by Marcel Proust's Remembrance of Things Past (In Search of Lost Time).

"The sight of the little madeleine had recalled nothing to my mind before I tasted it."

Madeleines

Recipe adapted from Joy of Baking

INGREDIENTS

• 115 grams butter, melted
• 130 grams flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 eggs
• 100 grams sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

DIRECTIONS

Melt the butter, but keep it warm.

Beat eggs and sugar until thick and pale. Add the vanilla and lemon zest. Sift and fold in the flour in 3 additions. Add the warm melted butter and stir until just mixed together, do not over mix it. Cover and refrigerate the batter for at least 1-2 hours, preferably over night. 

Preheat oven to 190°C. Grease moulds with melted butter and dust with flour, tapping out the excess. Add about a tablespoon of the batter into each of the shell-shaped moulds. Bake for about 8 to 11 minutes, until edges are golden brown. They are best served the day you make them.

I hope you have a lovely morning with something sweet to bring out your best memories.

Much love,