Orange, amaretti and raisin wine madeleines: recipe and pairing

You know a 'bang for your buck'? 🤣 That's what I thought when I ate my very own variation of the most famous madeleine, whose original recipe you can find everywhere on the internet. Basically, today I wanted to bake some sweets for when my partner came home from work in 'hero survived at the Conad' mode and I made them with what I had at home! The other day I bought 4 or 5 oranges for my sweet tooth, but since it's out of season they are no longer good to eat... so I thought of madeleines: I always put the juice of an orange in the original recipe too! I don't like artificial flavourings!

The original madeleines get their name from the mould with so many little shells, they come out as 10g pastries each. Gluttony without sin... or almost, because one really does lead to another! If I had to tell you what they look like... maybe a pound cake! They are definitely better though! In Ravenna I used to make the classic madeleines every week and eat them for breakfast... I think we'll pick up this habit again because Francesco liked them a lot too!

... but back to our sweets:

Orange, Amaretti and Passito Madeleines: my recipe

Equipment you need to prepare them:

• 1 tablespoon
• At least 1 madeleine mould (On Amazon you can buy the same as mine: it costs just over 6€ and it's great, I bought 2 almost 10 years ago!)
• Planetary or electric beater
• Aluminium bowl
• Small pan for heating butter in bain-marie
• Electric oven

How to make 'love's little madeleines' (as Francis called them)

1. In a planetary mixer (or in a bowl if using an electric beater) put 3 eggs and the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
2. Melt the butter in a bain-marie, let it cool and then add it to the mixture one spoonful at a time.
3. Add orange juice one spoonful at a time.
4. Add the raisin wine one spoonful at a time.
5. Add sifted flour together with baking powder.
6. Remove from the planetary mixer or switch off the electric beater and roughly chop the macaroons with your hands. Mix gently and wait a few minutes, time for the static oven to preheat to 175°C.
7. Brush the moulds with melted butter and put a spoonful of mixture into each shell.
8. Cook for about 15 minutes until they are lightly browned on the surface. If you can eat them warm, they are a real treat!

The others let them cool on a wire rack for no more than 30 minutes, then carefully place them under a glass bell or in an airtight jar. Keep them for 3 days... if they make it... Francis arrived home at 5pm and the balance at 8pm was 27 madeleines left (out of 50... 6 I gave to my neighbour and 4 I ate!).

My madeleines: delicacies and food and wine pairing

• Serve them with clumps of sweetened whipped cream: they are simply magnificent!
• Of course, I recommend pairing them with the same raisin wine you made them with! 150g is a lot so the wine flavour is sharp and it's difficult to pair them with something else! I used Ramandolo DOCG which I was planning to taste today!

Ramandolo DOCG 2016 Dario Coos

This bright golden yellow raisin wine is made from grapes of Verduzzo Friulano attacked by the noble rot, botrytis cinerea (HERE you will find my notes on blended wines), which gives it a distinctive and unmistakable aroma. On the palate, it is a sweet 'non-sweet' wine and therefore has extraordinary pairing possibilities: from pastry products like my madeleines to blue cheeses, but if you want to be daring, try it with oysters or a goose ham with its fat. You can buy it now on WineKissYou by clicking HEREreal time shipping and lightning fast delivery - I love them!

Cheers 😍

Chiara

All my notes on wine and food in one book.