Chocolate Madeleines

Serves:

Ingredients:

2 Eggs
cooled slightly, plus
8 tb Butter; melted
1/3 c Unsweetened cocoa
3/4 c All-purpose flour
1/4 ts Salt
1 ts Vanilla extract
2 ts Grated orange rind
1 ts Grated lemon rind; OR
1/2 c Sugar
4 tb Butter; softened

Method:

PREHEAT OVEN TO 400F.
Smear 1/2 teaspoon softened butter over the inside of each madeleine form.
Be sure to completely cover with butter--don't leave spots.
Combine the eggs, sugar and lemon or orange rind in a large mixing bowl, and stir them together.
Set in a pan of simmering water and stir until the egg mixture is very warm to your finger.
Remove from the heat and beat with a mixer at high speed until fluffy, pale yellow, and tripled in volume, about 3 minutes.
Add the vanilla and salt.
Dump the flour and cocoa into a sifter or strainer.
Sift once, return to sifter or strainer and sprinkle half of it over the egg mixture, and fold it in.
Pour in 8 tablespoons of butter and sprinkle on the remaining flour, and fold gently just until the batter is mixed.
Spoon a generous tablespoon of batter into each prepared mold; do not spread it evenly; it will level itself in the oven.
Bake for about 10 minutes, until the edges of the cakes are golden and they lift easily from the molds.
(If you have only 1 pan, and can bake only 12 at a time, let the mold cool, wipe it out, grease with butter, then refill with batter and bake again.
) Remove from the oven, slipping the tines of a table fork under each cookie to free it, and transfer the madeleines to a rack to cool.
Serve within a few hours, or wrap airtight and freeze.
Serve plain, or sprinkle the ribbed side with confectioners' sugar.