madeleines with fresh raspberries

Sweet madeleines. Rachel Khoo's inspired recipe although without the lemon curd this time, the raspberries work a treat by themselves.  I still haven't perfected the signature peaks what a curious affair can't quite understand yet the secret. Mine are more like gentle mounds but having been to St Johns restaurant in London I am acutely aware of what the peak should look like. Next batch I shall cook in a fan oven to assess the situation further. In cafe life... a lovely regular customer bought a slice of apple crumble cake and insisted I take a piece of her cake to taste when I wondered aloud what it was like. That little kindness was the best moment of my day - see it's always the little things that count!

MADELEINES

3 free range eggs

130g sugar

200g plain flour

10g baking powder

1 unwaxed lemon, finely grated zest only

20g honey

4 tbsp milk

200g butter, melted and cooled

punnet of raspberries

Beat the eggs with the sugar until pale and frothy. Put the flour and baking powder into a separate bowl and add the lemon zest.

Mix the honey and milk with the cooled butter, then add to the eggs.  In two batches fold in the flour. Cover and leave to rest in the fridge for a few hours, or overnight.

Preheat oven to 190C*.  Butter and flour a 12-shell madeleiene tin.  Place a heaped tablespoon of batter into each madeleiene shell and press a  raspberry deep into the batter.

Bake for five minutes and turn the oven off for one minute (the madeleines will get their signature peaks), then turn the oven on to 160C* and bake for a further five minutes.  Transfer the madeleines to a wire rack and leave for a few minutes until cool enought to handle.  Meanwhile, wash and dry the tin, then repeat the baking as for the first batch.
*I found that baking in a fan oven at 20C lower resulted in the signature peaks forming.