Herbs de Provence Savory Madeleines

A few days before an afternoon spring gathering I opened the cupboard below the kitchen island where I keep my baking pans. My first thought was to bake a batch of cookies, but on top of the cookie sheets, the pretty shiny madeleine pans were calling out to me. 

It's been fun baking the soft, tender little cake-like pastry. This time I thought for the afternoon gathering, maybe I should experiment with making a savory madeleine instead of my usual trusty sweet madeleine recipe

After looking at several recipes and leafing through Patricia Well's recipes from The Provence Cookbook, I switched out ingredients I had on hand and added ingredients that I enjoyed. So, this is what I came up with, and it tasted good! Make this recipe your own by changing up the cheese, and herbs, and if you have a non-fat plain yogurt instead of sour cream in your refrigerator then use what you have. 

What I love about this recipe is it is one of those last-minute tasty appetizers you can make in a few minutes if you know guests are on the way. Serve them alone or on the side with your favorite cheese, charcuterie, olives, and pickles. These tender savory little cakes will also pair with your choice of red or white wine or bubbly. 

Ingredients: 

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 large egg

1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (or use other hard cheeses like Romano, Gruyere, Manchego or Mimolette or even a mixture)

1 tablespoon dried Herbs de Provence

Preheat oven to 425 F degrees. Spray madeleine pans with non-stick spray. Mix by hand or electric mixer all of the ingredients, but add the cheese and herbs last. The batter will be thick. Add a "healthy" tablespoon of the batter to each madeleine mold and spread the batter out evenly to cover the inside of each mold. Bake in the oven for around 10 minutes or so depending on the heat of your oven. When each madeleine puffs out and forms a nice crusty brown bottom, they're ready. Remove from oven and allow to cool before removing them from the molds. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This recipe makes one dozen but may easily be doubled. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. Wrap in foil and reheat for a few minutes to freshen.