CUCINA CARA MIA.......Random thoughts from "my dear kitchen" about food, travel, Italy, San Diego and life!

Monday, September 5, 2011

LIMONCELLO, LIMONCELLO, LIMONCELLO-LET ME COUNT THE WAYS



...It can be used in a recipe.....I found a new one to incorporate the lovely lemon liqueur...Limoncello Madeleine's...now we all know that a Madeleine is not an Italian cookie, it's a tea cake, from northeastern France, but as soon as you add an Italian ingredient, it becomes Italian...

The first problem is I don't have a Madeleine pan, so I searched for one locally, and luckily, Bed Bath and Beyond carries them. The recipe is really very simple to make.

Limoncello Madeleines Recipe

1 1/2 cups Cake flour
2 tsp Baking powder
5 Large eggs
1 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Butter, melted
1 Tbsp Limoncello Liqueur
Zest of 1 lemon

Powdered sugar, optional
Chocolate, optional

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°F). Generously grease Madeleine pan with shortening. Sift flour and baking powder together into a bowl, set aside.

Combine eggs and sugar, beat until very pale yellow. Add butter, liqueur, and lemon zest, mix until well combined. Add dry ingredients to mixing bowl of wet ingredients, stir until well incorporated and smooth.

Spoon 1 Tbsp (15 ml) of batter into each prepared Madeleine mold cavity. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden. Turn Madeleines out onto a clean dishtowel, cool.

To serve, dust Madeleines with a little powdered sugar, or dip 1 end/side of each shell into melted chocolate.

I am off to discover new ways to incorporate Limoncello into something delicious and Italian that I can offer at the Leucadia Farmers Market next time.

Feel free to send me your suggestions...