Strawberry Rosé Madeleines

Step by step

1. Prepare the Flavor Base (Rose-Strawberry Sugar): In the bowl of a food processor or high-power blender, combine the granulated sugar, and dried rose petals. Blitz until you have a fine, uniform pink powder. Sift this mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl to remove any large petal pieces or seeds; discard what remains in the sieve.

2. Prepare the Pan: Using a pastry brush, coat the molds of your madeleine pan with the 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Be sure to get into every crevice. Dust the molds with flour, then tap the pan upside down to remove all excess. Place the prepared pan in the freezer until you are ready to bake. This is critical for developing the "hump."

3. Brown the Butter: Melt the 8 tablespoons of butter in a small, light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking, swirling the pan, until the milk solids turn a deep golden brown and the butter smells nutty (about 5-7 minutes). Immediately pour the butter into a heatproof bowl to stop the cooking, and set it aside to cool to lukewarm.

4. Combine Sifted Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the pastry flour, strawberry powder baking powder, and fine sea salt.

5. Create the Ribbon Stage: In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), combine the room-temperature eggs and the prepared rose-strawberry sugar. Beat on medium-high speed for 5-8 minutes. The mixture will become very pale, thick, and tripled in volume. When you lift the beater, the batter should fall in a thick "ribbon" that stays on the surface for a few seconds before dissolving.

6. Incorporate Aromatics: Beat in the vanilla bean paste, rosé, and optional rose extract on low speed until just combined.

7. Fold the Batter: Sift half of the flour mixture over the egg ribbon. Using a large spatula, gently fold the flour in, scraping from the bottom up. Sift in the remaining half and fold until just a few streaks of flour remain.

8. Add in Melted but cool Butter: Drizzle the lukewarm (not hot) browned butter around the edge of the bowl. Gently fold it into the batter until it is just combined. Do not overmix. If using, fold in 1-2 drops of pink gel food coloring.

9. Rest and Chill Batter: Transfer the  batter to a piping bag. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours. This step is essential and cannot be skipped.

10. Bake the Madeleines: Preheat the oven to 375°F convect bake. Take your piping bag and fill your frozen madeleine molds about ¾ full. Bake for 8-10 minutes. The edges will be golden brown and the centers will have "humped."

11. Unmold: Remove the pan from the oven and immediately tap it firmly on a cooling rack to release the madeleines. Let them cool completely on the wire rack.