Saturday 16 June 2012

Sage, Thyme and Emmental Madeleines



My regular readers will know that I love entering blogging challenges. I think I've mentioned previously that sometimes I happen to bake something or I've already planned a bake that will fit. Other times, I will create a recipe specially for the challenge. I really enjoy creating my own recipes which are usually based around the ingredients I want to use. 

Karen from Lavender and Lovage hosts Herbs on Saturday where you can submit any recipe with herbs. I love this challenge as it gets me thinking how I can incorporate herbs into my baking. Last month, I submitted lemon, lime and basil cookies so this month I decided I'd get out of my comfort zone and bake something savoury. I had a few ideas but in the end I decided to bake savoury madeleines. Yes madeleines which are not sweet!! They were a real hit with everyone particularly those without a sweet tooth (I get a few regular requests for savoury bakes!). 



Sage was the predominant flavour here and I may have been a little generous with my herbs so they were quite strong but not overpowering. I chose emmental cheese as it's one of my favourites but the flavour was quite mild. The madeleines smelt amazing whilst baking and they tasted like light cornbread with herby notes. The recipe is based loosely on a Martha Stewart recipe and I am already thinking about different combinations of herbs/spices and cheese to use. They were lovely on their own but would also make a great side dish to your main meal or provide an alternative bread accompaniment.  

As these were made from scratch and with lots of love, I'm entering them to Made with Love Mondays hosted by Javelin Warrior where the theme is to cook from scratch. 



I'm also entering them to Simple and in Season started by Ren from Fabulicious Food and guest hosted this month by Laura from How to Cook Good Food as sage is in season.





 simple recipe with few ingredients = cornmeal, cheese, sage and thyme 

 brown the butter - important for the flavour, do not skip this step! 

 lovely chopped , fresh herbs - a generous portion as you can see!  

 dry ingredients and wet ingredients- mix!

 adding the herbs and cheese 

 ready to go in the oven 

 fresh from the oven 

 I also made some muffins with tomatoes for breakfast. I found these teeny, tiny tomatoes called tomberries at the supermarket - really sweet and juicy!

 I actually preferred them with the tomatoes as the acid helped to lift the flavours. 

 with herbs and cheese 

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart
(Makes ~36 madeleines and 8 muffins I think - I can't remember now but it makes a lot of madeleines!! Would recommend halving the recipe if you only want a small batch) 

113g butter
250g plain flour
160g cornmeal (polenta)
50g sugar
2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
2 cups milk
3.5 tablespoons of chopped sage
1 tablespoon thyme
100g cheese, grated 

  • Preheat the oven to 170C.
  • Grease and flour a madeleine pan.  
  • Melt the butter in a small saucepan until lightly browned. 
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, sugar, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
  • In a separate bowl, which the eggs, milk and slightly cooled browned butter (you don't want to cook the eggs!).
  • Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix. 
  • Finally stir in the chopped herbs and cheese. 
  • Pour into a madeleine pan and bake for 8 - 10 minutes. 



42 comments:

  1. That is a fantastic idea, never thought of doing savoury madeleines before and those look yummy!

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    1. Thanks I was really pleased with how they turned out :)

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  2. Brilliant idea - love the herbs and cheese with the cornmeal! I think savoury bakes work well, and make a great change to nibbling on something sweet. :)

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    1. Thanks! Savoury definitely makes a nice change.

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  3. Love this Ros! Indeed an intriguing idea. Thanks for sharing...

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    1. Thanks Louise! Always nice to have you stop by :)

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  4. These turned out looking so moist and delicious - and the flavors are so creative! I love that you took something traditionally sweet and turned it into a savory surprise... Thanks again for sharing!

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    1. Thanks I was so pleased they turned out well as sometimes creating your own recipes don't work! They are so easy to make and so versatile - definitely a keeper!

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  5. Ooh, savory Madeleines. Great twist!

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  6. What a brilliant idea, great as something different to nibble with an aperitif as an alternative to cheese footballs I would think !!

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    1. Yes great for appetizers or nibbles. They are quite addictive to eat!

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  7. WOW, it looks heavenly good :)
    Thank you for sharing..
    Have a wonderful day..

    xx
    http://abudhabifood.blogspot.com

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  8. I love Madeleines and think you have come up with a brilliant alternative to the traditional sweet version here. Cheese and herbs are great partners and I have lots of sage growing in my garden which I can now use to make these!
    Thanks for entering Simple and in Season :)x

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    1. Thanks for hosting. I'm so pleased that these turned out well. They are a great way to use up herbs and cheese!

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  9. great idea to make the Madeleines savoury. Perfedt for the results of my new herb garden. GG

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    1. Thanks! I wanted to do something different for a change and I'm pleased it worked out :)

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  10. I have never made savory madeleines but your post today has me rethinking that. These sound wonderful. I hope you have a great weekend. Blessings...Mary

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    1. Savoury madeleines are amazing! They look so pretty so would be perfect for parties. Have a great weekend too :)

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  11. I think this is the MOST inventive and tasty herb recipe that I have seen for ages.....I LOVE savoury sometimes more than sweet treats and these Madeleines look and sound AMAZING and just up my street too! THANKS so much for inventing a recipe to fit in with my Herbs on Saturday event, I am chuffed to bits! LOVELY LOVELY recipe and entry! Karen

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    1. Thanks Karen! I'm so pleased that you like it and I remember you prefer savoury to sweet.

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  12. After having a cake club meeting this weekend, I am so craving a savoury bake right now. These will just do the trick. I still have to try madelines. Now where can I but that tim?

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    1. Ooh what did you make for cake club? This tin is from Lakeland - highly recommend it as it's a good sturdy tin.

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  13. What an interesting idea...I've never seen savoury madeleines before but it seems they work a treat! I love the fact they're cheesy too! :-)

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    1. Thanks I had a bit of a brainwave for this one :)

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  14. Gosh, I love the idea of savory madeleines! These will help me use my pan more than once a year :)

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    1. I love the shape of madeleines - yes do give these a try! :)

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  15. This is very inventive. I love the flavour of thyme and combined with emmental makes it just perfect. Well done!

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    1. Thanks! The thyme worked really well with the emmental - highly recommend trying it :)

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  16. ohhh nice so they're kinda savoury madelines :) I've never made them before but would love to try! Thanks Ros as always for fab recipes ;)

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    1. You normally expect madeleines to be sweet so this makes a change and its delicious! :)

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  17. What a great idea for my leftover sage (which I always seem to have). It's a favourite herb of mine so having it in a savoury madeleine sounds delicious!

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    1. It works really well so I hope you give it a try. Who can resist a madeleine? :)

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  18. These look amazing! I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed that I get a bumper crop of herbs in my little greenhouse this year as I would love to make a batch of these. I hardly ever bake savoury things but I really should and then I can use my Madeleine tin a bit more! even better! :)

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    1. I tend to bake more sweet stuff as well but it's good to branch out on occasion! I'm already thinking of what else I can bake in my madeleine tin! :)

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  19. I would never in a million years thought of making savoury madeleines. They look brilliant and I would love to try them. Must buy a Madeleine tin.

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    1. I was struck by a sudden brainwave :) A madeleine tin is a good investment - they look so pretty! :)

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  20. How unusual!! I've never had an urge to buy a Madeleine tin.. now i definitely do. Mouth watering.

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    1. A Madeleine pan is a good investment - you can make so many different flavours with them and they always look cute :)

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  21. Saved that one, since I have an overflow of thyme and sage in the garden. Consequently I'm open for any suggestiosn along that line ...

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    1. I hope you like this recipe! I think they'd be great in scones or biscuits too - maybe rosemary, sage and thyme with parmesan cheese!

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  22. Looks a great recipe. How would you cook madeleines in and Aga?
    Thank you.

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