We’re getting close! My series of this year’s GBBO bake-along is just about over. We’re entering the semifinals, and though we finally have a couch, we haven’t gotten our Netflix subscription yet. Hopefully, I can binge-watch the series soon, even though, if I do that, it’s over sooner than I’d like. 😅
pulverulent (adj) [puhl-ver-yuh-luh nt]: covered with dust or powder
But, we’re ending the series on a high note! My second favourite theme (yes, I’m ranking this one higher than Chocolate Week, because any week can be Chocolate Week if you try hard enough):
Week 9: Patisserie
Fiddly little cakes and pastries, what’s not to like!? I think Patisserie Week is a favorite because it’s typically the one that provides the most challenge. I’m usually ALL IN – layers, multiple flavors, uncommon textures. I usually spend ages deciding how to put my best foot forward for this challenge. However, this year, things came about by accident.
I had a bake lined up, but no goal for its completion. The journeys between Indiana and Utah, the unpacking, the cleaning, and settling in had thrown almost all baking plans out the window (minus the muffins, scones, and bread that would be our breakfasts). So, when I realized that baking cookies with a friend over FaceTime could serve two purposes, I was thrilled and pleasantly surprised.
Though I selected Dutch windmill cookies for my video call Christmas bake of choice, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to use Mom’s Madeleine pan (made in France, even!) for the last time in the foreseeable future.
I have been making Madeleines for Christmas since 2019 (minus the year in Europe), so though this wasn’t a new bake, I knew it’d be a fun finish to the season – GBBO and Christmas. I did, however, pick a different flavor.
Though my coffee Madeleines were a big hit last time, I selected an apple cider rendition. Mom had some cider in the fridge, and in the spirit of not wanting it to go bad, I made an apple cider honey reduction to add to the Madeleine batter. A reduction thickens a liquid by simmering or boiling, and is meant to intensify its flavor; however, if I’m being honest, I couldn’t really taste the cider at all post-bake.
They just ended up being really lovely cinnamon sugar Madeleines, which was fine by me. And fine by Dad, too! I think he might have had three that night… So, though I packed up some of the windmill cookies for our journey back to Utah, I left the rest of the Madelines at home for him. ❤️
Once again, Patisserie Week was a success!
The Logophile's Bookshelf 