Winter, to be exact. And completely unrelated to today’s recipes.

Back around the beginning of the school year, when I thought I would have SO much more time with the kids in school (that surplus of never ending time never happened, btw), I asked readers what they would like to see more of on the blog.

One request was for recipes using Rosewater.

Recently, my son needed to make something French to bring to school for his French class. I had bookmarked this Rosewater Madeleine recipe since it looked interesting.

Buttery Madeleines are one of my favorite little cakes. Crisp outside and moist inside, they are an elegant treat.

The Classic Madeleine is wonderful. A recipe from Julia Child follows.

The Rosewater Madeleine is a very worthy variation. The delicate flavor of the rosewater gives an exotic edge and the glaze glams the Madeleines up.

Rosewater Madeleines

Ingredients:

125g butter
2 eggs
100g (1/2 cup) sugar
100g (1 cup) sifted flour
Juice and zest of ½ lemon
2 Tbs rosewater
100g confectioners’ sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375℉/190°C. Grease Madeleine pan.

2. Melt butter and leave to cool.

3. Beat sugar and eggs till fluffy. Gradually fold in flour.

4. Stir in butter, lemon zest and 1 Tbs rosewater.

5. Pour batter into Madeleine pan and bake for 8 minutes, or until golden brown. Leave to cool on wire rack.

6. For Rosewater Glaze: Place confectioners’ sugar in a bowl. Add in remaining Tbs of rosewater and lemon juice. Whisk well until smooth. Drizzle over each Madeleine allow the glaze to set before serving.

Makes about 18

Recipe from Jamie Magazine

Classic Madeleines

Ingredients:

4 large eggs, lightly beaten in a 2-cup measuring cup
1¼ cups sugar
140g (about 1 cup) all-purpose flour, plus 2 Tbs for dusting molds
140g (about 1 cup) cake flour
10 oz unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces
A pinch of salt
The zest of one lemon
A few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice
A few drops of pure vanilla extract
Confectioners’ sugar, for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Measure ½ cup of the eggs into a bowl, then beat the sugar and the two cups flour until thoroughly blended. Rest ten minutes.

2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a thick-bottomed saucepan, bring to a boil, and brown lightly.

3. Place the 2 Tbs flour in a bowl and blend in 3 Tbs of the butter, then set aside. Stir the remaining butter over an ice-water bath until cool but still liquid, then blend it and the remaining eggs into the batter along with the salt, lemon zest and juice, and vanilla.

4. Preheat oven to 375°F.

5. Using a pastry brush, paint the Madeleine molds with the reserved butter-flour mixture. Divide into 36 lumps of a generous tablespoon each, and drop into Madeleine cups.

6. Bake about 15 minutes until the cakes are lightly browned around the edges, humped in the middle, and pull away from the sides of the molds slightly. Unmold immediately onto a rack.

7. When cool, turn shell side up and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Makes 36 cakes.

Recipe from Julia Child’s The Way To Cook

I’m liking this song from new band Very Well very much.

Noisy, in an orderly way, with plenty of guitar action. Just fantastic.

Check out Very Well on Facebook and Bandcamp, where you can buy their music.

Cheers!