Impress valentine with simple madeleines

They aren’t in season this time of year, but if you can find fresh raspberries – and are willing to pay a slightly higher price – the ripe red fruits add the perfect pop of color to madeleines for Valentine’s Day.

The French tea cakes, traditionally scented with lemon or orange zest and dusted with powdered sugar, look dainty yet are surprisingly easy to make.

But don’t tell that to your special someone. Focus on their cuteness.

Madeleines are baby sponge cakes – buttery, light and gone in two or three bites. The golden, seashell-shaped, cookie-sized treats feature a crisp, delicate crust; plump, dome-shaped underbelly; and moist, tender interior.

They’re sweet, but not terribly so. And they’re inextricably linked to French writer Marcel Proust, who helped make them famous, describing them as a “little shell of cake, so generously sensual beneath the piety of its stern pleating.”

Sometimes flavored with crushed almonds or almond paste and coated with chocolate, madeleines are made in a molded pan, lined with a dozen scallop-shaped indentations.

They come from the Lorraine region of France. But their exact origins are unknown.

According to one legend, they were named by Louis XV for Madeleine Paulmier, the pastry chef of the king’s father-in-law. The king apparently first tasted the tea cakes in 1755 at his father-in-law’s summer residence, Chateau Commercy in Lorraine, and his wife, the queen, Marie Leszczynska, introduced them to the court at Versailles, where they became a favorite.

Raspberries aren’t traditional ingredients. In fact, I had never seen raspberry madeleines until I came upon a photograph in a recent cookbook – and they looked gorgeous.

I followed the recipe in last year’s “Fruitful: Four Seasons of Fresh Fruit Recipes” by Brian Nicholson and Sarah Huck. Nicholson runs a family fruit farm in upstate New York. Huck is a food writer and owner of a boutique coffee roaster in Brooklyn.

While berries aren’t in season this time of year, shoppers can usually still find them – or strawberries – at a higher price. (I paid $3.99 for 6 ounces.) Otherwise, save this recipe until high summer.

Be sure to smash down the berries a bit before adding them to the batter. And resist the urge to use the entire container – or make a double batch. A little bit of berries goes a long way.

Also, don’t overfill the indentations. The batter will spread as it bakes.

I used the “Fruitful” instructions as a base, first making the raspberry recipe and then experimenting with other flavor combinations such as lemon-lavender and lemon-almond. All were delightful.

Raspberry Madeleines

From “Fruitful: Four Seasons of Fresh Fruit Recipes” by Brian Nicholson and Sarah Huck

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

3 ounces (about 1/2 cup) raspberries

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Powdered sugar, as needed

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and place rack in the center position. Grease a 12-cup Madeleine pan generously with 1 tablespoon of the butter (make sure to get into the tin’s ridges) and dust with flour, tapping out any excess. In a small saucepan, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter; remove the pan from the heat and let the butter cool. In a small bowl, lightly mash the berries. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the flour.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs, sugar and lemon zest until the mixture is pale and thick and has tripled in volume, about 5 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup of flour, baking powder and salt. With the mixer running at medium-low speed, add the dry ingredients, a little at a time, until it just incorporates. Using a spatula, fold in the melted butter in three additions. Gently fold in the berries.

Drop large spoonfuls of the batter into the center of each madeleine mold. Do not spread the batter evenly over the tin, but leave them in a mound; they will spread as they bake. Bake until the edges of the cakes are golden brown and the centers spring back lightly when pressed, 10 to 12 minutes.

Rap the pan lightly on a counter to release the cakes. Transfer the cakes to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar and serve. Eat within a day.

Yield: 12

Flavorful madeleines

Here are a few more flavors to try, using the recipe above as a base, but leaving out the raspberries.

Lemon-Lavender Madeleines: Double the amount of lemon zest and add 1 teaspoon lavender.

Almond Madeleines: Add 4 to 5 tablespoons of slivered, toasted almonds. (Try pistachios, pecans or pine nuts, too.)

Blueberry Madeleines: Use 1/2 cup blueberries.

Orange-Cranberry Madeleines: Use orange zest instead of lemon zest (doubling the amount, if desired) and add 1/4 to 1/2 cup dried, chopped cranberries or dried, chopped orange-flavored cranberries.

Chocolate Madeleines: Add 3 1/2 tablespoons of Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Sift the cocoa in with dry ingredients. Lemon zest is optional. Use cocoa powder or powdered sugar for dusting. Or, make them double-chocolate by dipping them in 3 ounces of melted chocolate.

Chocolate Chip Madeleines: Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, to taste.

Pumpkin Spice Madeleines: Add 5 tablespoons canned pumpkin and 1/2 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice.