Obviously we make madeleines all over France. It is one of grandmother’s recipes, as Marcel Proust reminds us, whose Madeleine triggers childhood memories and feelings. The madeleine is also an old symbol of conviviality since we spoke of “dipping the madeleine” in the past to designate a conversation between friends. In short, the Madeleine is very French but even before being French, it is Lorraine.
Born in Lorraine
It was even born before Lorraine became French since it would have been invented for Stanislas. That day, while Stanislas and his court are dining at the Château de Commercy, the king’s cook argues with the castle’s steward and leaves without making dessert. Only one solution available for the king to have a dessert: improvise. And she’s a young maid, Madeleine Paulmier, who sticks to it. eggs, sugar, butter, flour, milk and orange blossom that Madeleine mixes and cooks in pretty shell-shaped moulds. The result is delicious and the shape of the mold gave something surprising: the cake is topped with a ball. The new dessert is served to the king and the guests. Stanislas tastes. Taste again. Re re taste: in fact he loves it so much that he asks to be told who invented the cake.
For Stanislas the greedy
And here is our madeleine all freaked out in front of the Court. Stanislas congratulates her and he asks her “what is this cake called?” Madeleine’s answer “it has no name sire” replies the servant and Stanislas says: “well we will call your dessert like you: Madeleine”. A nice story, isn’t it? A specialty of Commercy, which was sold in hat boxes to soldiers on the Paris Nancy train before the Great War, a specialty also of Liverdun for a century, the Madeleine is one of the most famous desserts in France and it is to Lorraine that we owe it. To a Lorraine even! Thank you Madeline!
Lorraine cuisine is delicious recipes like the madeleine and it is above all a lot of heart.