White chocolate, brown butter and blackberry madeleines

For the times you can't get your fix at St JOHN

Last week, I shared my little black book for East London eating with you. If you read it, thank you - and if you didn’t, you really should - catch up here!

I absolutely loved putting this post together. I journeyed through my camera roll, remembered perfect langoustine and heavenly pho, texted friends I’m long overdue a date with, and made several reservations to help me through the tough few weeks who’s barrel I am current peering down rather nervously. When times are testing, feed the body, mind and soul with whatever nourishment it needs - and my need, it transpires, is restaurants.

Not content with several delicious meals to look forward to, my brain stubbornly held on to one more craving. Madeleines.

Writing about St JOHN’s classic version - which are, to unanimous agreement, the best you’ll find in London - left me with an itch that would not go unscratched. So I dug out and dusted off the Madeleine tray I pulled from a skip last year (if you live in London and you don’t take things off the street, more fool you), gave it another scrub and spin through the dishwasher for good measure, and got to work.

I need to caveat that these madeleines, dainty and beautiful with a shiny tempered white chocolate shell, are not St JOHN’s madeleines. The later - which arrive just warm enough from the oven to steam a little when broken in two - are a thing of simple genius. Purists will tell you that madeleines are at their best when eaten fresh from the oven, and I wouldn’t dare to challenge this too strongly. But sometimes, that’s not practical - and these are my offering for those moments where a little pre-preparation is required.

In such moments, sandwiching your madeleines with a little compote and a chocolate shell does three things. First, it gives your cakes a longer shelf life - as the jam retains the moisture the dainty cakes alone loose quickly. I’m still eating these - which I made two days ago - and can confirm they are still really very delicious. Second, the delicate tempered chocolate shell truly makes these look, well, like shells. I defy anyone with an appreciation of sweetness not to be tempted to eat these. And third, it brings two new dimensions of flavour and texture. Sharp with compote, soft cake, nutty brown butter and texturally varied thanks to a thin chocolate shell that snaps in the mouth, there’s a lot to like about this style of madeleine.

Make these as a gift; make them for someone who’s having a rough time. They may not come hot from the oven, but I can think of few things I’d be happier to find on my doorstep after a long and difficult day.

80g unsalted butter

2 eggs

40g caster sugar

40g demerara sugar (or use all caster)

Pinch of salt

80g plain flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

150g white chocolate

1 tsp vanilla bean paste (optional)

80g blackberries

40g caster sugar

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

2 bay leaves, optional

*extra butter for greasing the moulds

*extra flour for dusting the moulds

Notes before you begin:

*the batter needs to rest for at least an hour before it’s baked. Don’t make these without factoring this time in

*you can make these with melted butter rather than browned if you prefer, but I urge you to go the whole hog and give it a go. It’s simple to do and the flavour is far superior, IMHO

*if making chocolate shells, I strongly recommend a silicone mould. If you only have a metal one, I wouldn’t recommend doing this part, as it’ll be hell to get them out

*the below quantities and cooking times are for mini madeleines, and make 24-30. If using a regular sized Madeleine tin, allow a little more baking time, a few madeleines less at the end, and more patience when it comes to shell setting

Place the butter in a small pan and set over a medium heat. Allow to melt, then continue cooking for around five minutes to brown it. When it’s foaming and the flecks of milk solids are deep golden, it’s ready. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly while you make the batter.

Place the eggs and both sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer, then whisk on a high speed for around five minutes until very pale, volumous and pillowy. Carefully add the browned butter, mix, then add the salt, flour and baking powder. Gently fold this into the mixture with a metal spoon or spatular. Once well combined, cover the surface of the mixture gently with cling film, and place in the fridge for at least an hour to rest.

While the batter is resting, make the chocolate shells. Chop the chocolate up, finely, then place 3/4 of it in a bowl with the vanilla bean paste, if using. Set this over a small pan of just boiled water, and simmer at the lowest heat you can, stirring the chocolate every minute or so. When it is nearly melted, turn off the heat, allowing the residual heat to finish the melting process. White chocolate seizes easily when it overheats, so go low and slow.

Remove the bowl from the pan. Add the reserved chocolate, stir, and allow to melt, stirring every now and then to encourage it to melt. This process is called tempering, and done correctly will ensure your finished chocolate shells are shiny. You can use a thermometer and various online temperature guides to help you if you prefer. I find that as long as you are gentle, you don’t really need to.

Once the chocolate is totally melted but feels thick and unctuous, carefully spoon into your Madeleine moulds. Gently tilt the tray to encourage the chocolate into all parts of the moulds. Set it down, leave it for a few minutes, and then repeat. Once you have good and relatively even coverage, place the tray in the freezer for 20-30 minutes to help the chocolate set fully. When set, you will easily be able to pop them out of the moulds. If they break when you try this, you need to set them for longer.

Once your moulds are free of chocolate shells and your batter is rested, heat the oven to 180C. Melt a little extra butter, then brush into the moulds well using a paint or pastry brush. Sprinkle over a little flour and shake the moulds to evenly coat the butter.

Cut a few of the blackberries into small pieces, and dot these into the bottom of the moulds (this is optional and you could bake the cakes plain if you prefer). Spoon over enough mixture to fill the moulds well, but don’t overfill them. There should be a millimetre or two of free space at the top of each mould.

Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden and well risen. A classic madeleine should form a little hump in the middle, but don’t worry too much if they don’t. Pop them out of the mould and allow to cool.

To make the compote, place the berries, sugar, lemon juice and bay leaves in a small pan. Set over a medium heat, and once the berries have broken down a little and the sugar dissolved, turn the heat up. Cook until it reaches 103-105C, then remove from the heat. Allow to cool before assembling.

To assemble, simple spread a little compote onto the upward (non-shell printed) side of each madeleine, and top with a chocolate shell.