Beyond being a pleasure, a celebration, or a symbol, food has become over time a catalyst for emotions, a repository of memories, a form of memory itself. How many times have you tasted something that immediately stirred fond memories simply through its flavor? How often do we hear about the “tastes of childhood” that certain cakes or dishes bring to mind? The most emblematic example of this is provided by Proust in Swann’s Way, the first volume of his epic novel In Search of Lost Time: a simple madeleine dipped in tea instantly unlocks a flood of childhood memories. This is the ultimate proof that taste memory is inextricably linked to emotional memory. Or, to put it more simply, taste can create memories that remain etched in our souls.
“Many years had elapsed during which nothing of Combray, save what was comprised in the theatre and the drama of my going to bed there, had any existence for me, when one day in winter, on my return home, my mother, seeing that I was cold, offered me some tea, a thing I did not ordinarily take. I declined at first, and then, for no particular reason, changed my mind. She sent for one of those squat, plump little cakes called “petites madeleines,” which look as though they had been moulded in the fluted valve of a scallop shell. And soon, mechanically, dispirited after a dreary day with the prospect of a depressing morrow, I raised to my lips a spoonful of the tea in which I had soaked a morsel of the cake. No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate than a shudder ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me. An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses, something isolated, detached, with no suggestion of its origin. (…). And suddenly the memory revealed itself. The taste was that of the little piece of madeleine which on Sunday mornings at Combray (because on those mornings I did not go out before mass), when I went to say good morning to her in her bedroom , my aunt Léonie used to give me, dipping it first in her own cup of tea or tisane.”.
(Marcel Proust, In Search of Lost Time, Volume I – Swann)
THE HISTORY:
According to Larousse Gastronomique, the origin of the madeleine, made famous by Proust, remains unclear. Some attribute it to Avice, the chef of the French politician Talleyrand. Others strongly assert that the madeleine originated in the French town of Commercy, long before the episode described in Proust’s novel. More specifically, it dates back to the reign of Stanislas Leczinski, Duke of Lorraine. Legend has it that during a visit to the castle in 1755, the Duke was presented with a small cake made by a peasant girl named Madeleine as a gesture of appreciation. The Duke enjoyed it so much that he ordered the cake to be reproduced at his court. His daughter, Marie, married to King Louis XV, then brought the fashion of madeleines to the royal court at Versailles.
Today, all the great chefs in the world have their own version of madeleines, which have become so emblematic of their country of origin that they were chosen to represent France at Europe Day in 2006 as part of the cultural initiative Café Europe.
THE RECIPE:
To capture the Proustian spirit and create truly memorable madeleines, I used the classic recipe from Commercy, which incorporates orange blossom water. The flavor was, as is fitting for madeleines, truly unforgettable. Since they symbolize memories, I chose to prepare them for my friend Mihaela's birthday, with whom I created beautiful memories this summer during LavenderFest, where we first met. As soon as I took them out of the oven, still warm, I wrapped the madeleines as a gift to Mihaela, hoping—what else?—that they would become a cherished memory for her special day.
INGREDIENTS:
150g butter
200g powdered sugar
6 eggs
200g sifted flour
10g baking powder
1 tablespoon orange blossom water
PREPARATION:
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. In a bowl, with a wooden spoon, cream the butter until soft; then add the powdered sugar and, one at a time, the 6 eggs, continuing to mix after each addition. Sift in the flour and baking powder, then incorporate everything into the mixture in the bowl. Finally, add the tablespoon of orange blossom water and distribute the mixture into a special madeleine mold, preferably non-stick. Bake for 10 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius.
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