Rusted Revolution: Une madeleine du matin, éloigne le médecin....

A madeleine in the morning keeps the doctor away....

Bonsoir tout le monde! If you don't understand a word of French and/or have never experienced the edible nirvana that is "une madeleine," then please, allow me to clarify....

I'm fresh back from an evening with La Maison Française de Boston College spent baking madeleines, sipping tea, and enjoying friendly conversation (en français, bien sûr!). As a registered French major and ardent cultural enthusiast, I receive a slew of e-mails from La Maison, BC's official French Society. The Club is actually more of a membership - every student enlisted in a university French class is invited to attend the events hosted by La Maison over the course of the school-year. Depending on the month, events range in subject and variety; they offer movie screenings, conversation hours, group dinners, instructional speakers, exhibitions, field trips, and my personal favorite: cooking classes! Though I am genuinely interested in attending these events, I usually find myself making excuses or caught between the demands of juggling a job, schoolwork, and social life. However, being in my senior year, I vowed to make time for one such event that seriously piqued my interest: making madeleines.

A madeleine is a pound cake-esque cookie baked in pans with scallop-shaped depressions. These iconic French culinary delights are equally delicious as they are aesthetically pleasing. They're relatively easy to find, being sold at most American bakeries and even pre-packaged at Starbucks counters. While I've enjoyed the packaged cakes with coffee or tea, I've never actually tasted a "freshly baked" madeleine. You can probably guess how this story ends....

Upon arriving in Vouté, I felt somewhat intrusive, disrupting a group of already acquainted individuals deep in conversation. However, my obvious love for all things French (and culinary), combined with a warm welcome from Ana, La Maison's head coordinator, soon put me at ease. Cindy Bravo, director of BC's Language Lab, was our resident chef-directrice for the evening.

Cindy first gave us a brief history of this iconic French pastry. The madeleine originated in Commercy, a small village in the Lorraine region of northeastern

France

. There are actually several stories concerning how the small cake gained its fortune and fame, but its widespread popularity and cross-cultural renown is indisputable.

The preparation of the dough was extremely easy! The only ingredients used were flour, eggs, sugar, butter, and vanilla extract. While we discussed the many different variations of the madeleine (ranging from chocolate-dipped to citrus-infused) Cindy, as a self-titled "puriste," assured us that the original recipe was best. She called upon various members of the audience to assist her in preparation; some people mixed, some melted, some scooped, and some taste-tested to ensure that everybody got the opportunity to lend a hand.. While we waited for the madeleines to achieve their perfect golden shell, Ana read to us an excerpt from mid-20th century Marcel Proust's famous autobiographical novel À La Recherche du Temps Perdu (The Remembrance of Things Past), in which the famous writer/philosopher describes his sensory experience of biting into a madeleine:

"She sent for one of those squat plump little cakes called "petites madeleines," which look as though they had been molded in the fluted valve of a scallop shell … I raised to my lips a spoonful of the tea in which I had soaked a morsel of the cake. No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate than a shudder ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me. An exquisite pleasure invaded my senses …

And suddenly the memory revealed itself. The taste was that of the little piece of madeleine which on Sunday mornings at Combray … when I went to say good morning to her in her bedroom, my aunt Leonie used to give me, dipping it first in her own cup of tea or tisane …. and the whole of Combray and its surroundings, taking shape and solidity, sprang into being, town and garden alike, from my cup of tea."

I must admit that the experience of eating a freshly baked madeleine for the first time, was in a word: magical. If you are ever hosting an event or want to reward yourself with a sweet treat, these little cakes are SO easy and quick to make. I promise you won't be disappointed; your senses may be ignited as Proust's, but if nothing else, you will enjoy the gustatory pleasure of this famous French dessert.

Before we left, Cindy handed us each the official typed recette for concocting our own madeleines. I know that I'll be whipping these up for family and friends at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and beyond!

Madeleines (Makes 24)

Ingredients:

-1 ¼ cup sugar

-1 ¼ cup flour

-1 ½ tbsp vanilla

-2 eggs

-4.4 oz. melted margarine (one stick + 1 tablespoon)

Directions:

Mix together eggs and sugar. Gradually and alternately blend in flour and melted margarine. Add vanilla. Mix well.

Thoroughly grease (with Crisco) and flour madeleine pans. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. While pre-heating, chill batter and pans in refrigerator for a few minutes. Drop generous teaspoon of batter into each madeleine mold. Bake at 350 degrees Farenheit for 10-12 (maybe even 15) minutes, or until edges of madeleines are golden brown. Remove from oven. Let stand for 5 minutes, then remove each cake from mold (use the reversed tines of a fork to “nudge the madeleines to freedom”).