Citrus

Let me just say that I won't be getting scurvy.  I've been on a citrus kick lately.

Maybe I I'm hooked because the bright flavor of citrus compensates for all the darkness this time of year.  Whatever the reason, I seem to be eating a lot of it.  Grapefruit for breakfast along with bergamot orange rooibos tea.  Clementines and satsumas for snacks.  Navel oranges in the dinner salad.  I've even started baking with it.  And last night, I made a citrus sorbet for some friends' winter solstice dinner (more on that to come).

I had never made madeleines before I tried my hand at making lemon ones last Sunday.  I found the recipe on a food blog I often read, which you can check out here.  I tweaked the recipe a little by substituting lemon for the bergamot orange because I didn't have bergamot oranges nor did I have a clue where to get them around here.  I liked the result.  The madeleines were subtle and light, and the edges had a little tartness where they crisped up.

Madeleines bake quickly.  And I'm convinced it's the best use of about eight minutes you can come up with.  I definitely recommend chilling the batter in pastry bags.  It worked beautifully to pipe them into the molds.  Hot from the oven, these little cookie/cakes are amazing.