Pink praline madeleines

I've been feeling down and exhausted for the past few weeks. Don't ask me why, I don't even know myself. I think that's part of the joys of being a woman. Sometimes, strong feelings coming from nowhere lend on us and we just need to deal with them (I know you ladies understand what I'm talking about, don't you? Please tell me yes, or I think I might start crying now!)

Usually, whenever I feel tired or down, the easy things that make me feel better are baking, eating, and shopping. On my own. 
Like Men withdraw to their caves (thank you Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus and your ever so useful metaphors), I need to withdraw to my kitchen and wander in the aisles of TK Maxx on my own for hours. 
So that's settled, next week I'm taking a week to myself. While The Man will be busy at work, I'll be tuning to Magic fm, baking bread, making cakes, and going shopping.
If that doesn't do any good to my diet or my wallet, I'm sure I'll come back to work fit and ready for action the following Monday!

Pink praline Madeleines 

This is not a purist French recipe, which usually doesn't include honey and doe include lemon, but I think I like this one better. The honey gives a denser texture to the madeleines, giving them a slight "financier" style. (It's getting too complicated, isn't it?) Anyway, these are gorgious and dead easy to prepare. 
I added little crushed Pink praline from Lyon (France), but they are delicious plain as well.

Ingredients 
225g unsalted butter, melted

250g plain flour

250g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 free-range eggs

2 tbsp runny honey

1 small handful pink praline from Lyon, coarsely crushed

  
Make the madeleines
1/ Preheat the oven to 170C. Butter and flour a madeleine tin or silicone mould.

2/ Place the flour and caster sugar into a bowl and add the vanilla extract, eggs, honey and melted butter. Stir well

3/ Fill the madeleine tin/moulds almost to the top and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden-brown and springy to the touch. Dust with the remaining caster sugar.

Recipe adapted from James Martin's Madeleine recipe

Apricot Flan Pâtissier

I can't believe it's almost Christmas already!

I've been so busy since I came back from India (recipes and pictures very soon on the blog) that I literally didn't see December come.
But good news is, I'm back and I'll have a bit more time to dedicate to you and my kitchen now!
And also I'll be enjoying the run up to Christmas!

Winter is well on its way, but I thought it wasn't too late for a bit of sunshine in a tart. So today on the menu is a very French dessert : the flan pâtissier.

Apricot flan, or French custard tart
also work with plums!

The flan pâtissier is one of my childhood favourite dessert.
Flan pâtissier is pretty much a custard tart, with a slightly smoother texture.  
It is rich, simple, delicious. Comfort food in the shape of a tart!

Ingredients:

3 or 4 apricots or plums (or more if you wish)

150 g caster sugar

1 litre milk

6 eggs 

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

4 tbsp. cornflour

 
Make the flan pâtissier:  

Preheat the oven at 180°c.

1/ Line a pie dish with shortcrust pastry. Leave aside.

2/ Pour the milk and vanilla in a pan, bring to the boil and turn off the heat.

3/ In a large bowl, beat together (with an electric whisk if possible) sugar and eggs until light and fluffy.

 4/ Add the corn flour and milk to the egg/sugar mixture and mix well. Pour back in the pan and, mixing continuously, bring to the boil and cook until thickened.

5/ Pour the mixture onto the tart base. Place the apricot halves (rounded side down) in the mix and bake for 30min at 180°c. The top will get hard, that's normal. Take out of the oven and leave to cool. Serve cold.

WARNING
It's important to wait till the custard it thickened before pouring it onto the base. I didn't, the cornflour sunk to the bottom of the tart, and I ended it up with a kind of creme caramel on a tart. It wasn't bad at all, but not a real flan pâtissier. Just follow the recipe's steps and you'll get a wonderful flan pâtissier!