Feature My Food Fridays: Introducing Eva and her Chocolate & Orange Madeleines

It is time for ‘Feature my Food Fridays’ again and I have to say I am in love with this little series. So far, I have been lucky enough to feature people I know well and admire. Julie, the first person who ever commented on one of my blog posts, was also the first blogger to take over ‘Le Coin de Mel’ with her Ginger & Chocolate Cookies. The following week, Vicki, a real ‘free from’ genius, demonstrated how to make egg, wheat, nut and dairy-free scones. Last week, my first non-blogger guest, Cé, shared her mum’s paella recipe. Not only did they share their great recipes; they also shared a bit about themselves and gave us some great tips. It is all about measuring, batteries and sharp knives, people!

Today, let me introduce Eva, who blogs about food, her love of France and always shares beautiful photos of the Bordeaux area where she lives, as well as quirky finds she stumbles upon.

Tell us about you.

Hi, my name is Eva. I am Spanish but I have been living in France for a few years, with my French husband and our two children, who both equally love French and Spanish food.

My husband is pretty good at cooking traditional Spanish dishes such as paella. As for me, I love French patisserie and I particularly enjoy making madeleines.

I blog at ‘Eva et Torocoro’ where I share recipes and things I like. It is through blogging that I ‘met’ Mel!

Where do you find inspiration for your recipes?

Inspiration is everywhere! I use family recipes, go through cookbooks, foodie magazines and I also find inspiration in other blogs.

Is there anything you would not touch even if you were given £1,000 to eat it?

I think that for £1,000, I’d still give it some thought… no wait! Actually, I don’t think I could eat insects alive.

What recipe did you chose today and why?

I would like to share a madeleine recipe with you today. For me, those little madeleines represent France, a country I love living in. My chocolate and orange madeleines are my family’s favourite treat! When I last made them, the madeleines disappeared in two days!

Thanks a lot for sharing, Eva! The children and I love madeleines. One of our local shops sells Bonne Maman madeleines and I usually buy a pack on our way to playgroup. I have attempted making traditional madeleines a couple of times, but the first time, they tasted just like pound cake (disappointed). The second time, they were completely flat. I have been a lot more successful with Nutella Madeleines (oh yum!).

Fancy seeing your recipe on Feature my Food Friday? Whether you are a keen baker, a blogger or a reader who would like to see their creation online, I would love to feature you! Just email me and I will send you more details. 

With no further ado, here is Eva’s recipe:

Print

Chocolate & Orange Madeleines by Eva

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Servings 25

Ingredients

• Zest of an orange
• 200 g butter
• 3 eggs
• 120 g sugar
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 60 ml milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 200 g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Marmalade optional
• 200 g dark chocolate

Instructions

1. In a small pan on a low heat, melt the butter and bring it to the boil for a minute until it gets a golden brown colour. Leave it to cool.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, honey, milk and vanilla extract.
3. Sieve the flour and baking powder. Add to the wet ingredients and mix with a spatula until the batter is smooth. Add the cooled down butter and the orange zest.
4. Refrigerate the batter for thirty minutes.
5. Preheat oven at gas mark 4 (180 degrees Celsius / 350 degrees Fahrenheit).
6. Grease a madeleine pan with butter. Sprinkle a little flour over the top.
7. If you choose to add marmalade, fill approximately ¼ of each madeleine shape, add a small teaspoon of marmalade and cover with more batter. Otherwise, simply fill ¾ of each madeleine shape. Bake for 10 minutes. When cooked, take the madeleine pan out of the oven and place on a cooling rack. Turn the pan around and leave the madeleines to cool down.
8. Melt the chocolate and place in a large bowl. Dab each madeleine in the chocolate and place upside down on the cooling rack.
9. Leave to cool for at least 30 minutes and enjoy!