Ravneet Gill’s Mad Alien Madeleines

Method

Step 1
Preheat oven to 190°C/170°C fan/375°F/Gas 5.

Step 2
For the madeleines, brown the butter by melting it in a small pan set over a medium heat. Once completely melted, turn the heat up high. The butter will foam and rise before you start to see flecks of golden brown appearing. Heat for a few more moments. The butter should smell nutty. Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl. Add in the honey and stir to dissolve. Set aside to cool a little.

Step 3
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and lemon zest, then pour over the brown butter and honey, along with the 2 egg yolks and stir together to form a paste.

Step 4
Pour the brown butter into the flour mix and stir to form a paste.

Step 5
Separate the eggs, transferring the yolks to the brown butter and flour mixture, stirring to combine. Transfer the whites to the bowl of a stand mixer.

Step 6
In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites to firm peaks.

Step 7
Gently fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture in 3 batches. Make sure there are no pockets of egg white, but don’t knock the air out of the mixture.

Step 8
Divide the batter equally between two bowls and colour one pink and one green.

Step 9
Put a tablespoon of the batter into each madeleine hole, 6 holes filled with pink batter and 6 holes filled with green batter.

Step 10
Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are golden and the centre has domed. Once baked, leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes before turning out and leaving to cool completely on a wire rack.

Step 11
For the jam, heat the raspberries and sugar over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat and boil the jam for five minutes.

Step 12
Pour into a heatproof bowl or a shallow tray and leave to cool.

Step 13
For the buttercream, beat the butter and icing sugar together until light and fluffy. Divide the buttercream between two bowls and colour one pink and one green.

Step 14
Transfer each coloured buttercream into separate piping bags fitted with a grass nozzle.

Step 15
Place the cooled jam into a piping bag fitted with a straight nozzle. Push the nozzle into the humped part of the madeleine and pipe in a small amount of jam, wiping away any excess. Repeat with the remaining madeleines.

Step 16
For the decoration, heat the chocolate melts in 2 separate small bowls set over pans of simmering water, until completely melted. Alternatively, heat in small bursts in the microwave.

Step 17
Dip the green madeleines into the green coloured chocolate, covering and sealing the jam hole.

Step 18
Repeat with the pink coloured chocolate and the pink madeleines.

Step 19
Stick eyes onto the melted chocolate and chill to cool and harden.

Step 20
Pipe buttercream ‘fur’ onto each madeleine to create ‘mad aliens’!