French Madeleine meets Italian chestnut with this Vanilla Chestnut Cream Madeleines recipe from Old World Italian 'Recipes and Secrets from Our Travels in Italy' (Clarkson Potter, September 2020) by Mimi Thorisson.

VANILLA CHESTNUT CREAM MADELEINES

I’m going out on a limb with the inclusion of this recipe. Madeleines are of course French. But in my defense, Torino as we know it was

established by French dukes, and that influence is everywhere, not least in the kitchen. Everyone loves madeleines, one of my favorite recipes.

Some desserts that I consider French have been appropriated by Italy and are very popular, like crème caramel and baba au rhum. So why not madeleines?

Adding chestnuts gives them an Italian feel.

Makes 20 to 24 madeleines

Ingredients

2 large eggs

½ cup / 100 g granulated sugar

¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons / 100 g all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

6 tablespoons / 90 g unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pans

2 tablespoons rum

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

7 ounces / 200 g sweetened chestnut puree

powdered sugar, for dusting

Directions:

1 Preheat the oven to 400°F / 200°C. Butter two 12-cup madeleine pans.

2 In a large bowl, mix the eggs and granulated sugar. Stir in the flour and baking powder. In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter, rum,

vanilla, and chestnut puree. Add the butter/chestnut mixture to the batter and mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Divide the batter

among the madeleine molds.

3 Bake for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F / 180°C. Continue baking until golden brown, another 8 minutes.

Unmold immediately and let cool on a wire rack for 1 minute before serving. Dust lightly with powdered sugar.

(*Recipe reproduced with permission from Old World Italian 'Recipes and Secrets from Our Travels in Italy' -Clarkson Potter, September 2020- by Mimi Thorisson. Photograph by Oddur Thorisson)