Proust’s Madeleine

For him with tea, for me à la mode

In In Search of Lost Time, Marcel Proust’s narrator is flooded with memories from his childhood after eating a madeleine dipped in tea. Thus, the Proustian madeleine refers to any sensory experience – smell, taste, sound – that triggers a vivid memory of something. My own Proustian madeleine moment also occurred when eating a madeleine, specifically the madeleine ice cream sandwiches I posted about last week. I was immediately transported back to July 14th, 2023.

On that day, Théo and I were in Paris, dining at Jaïs. This was our treat-yourself vacation meal, and the restaurant had the benefit of outdoor seating and being quite close to the Eiffel Tower. It was Bastille Day, and we were hoping we would be able to see the fireworks, or at least skip dessert and be close enough to catch them.

Well, one thing led to another, and after a delicious steak and frites (with extra au poivre sauce for the frites), I had to have dessert, specifically the madeleine with ice cream. As we waited for it to come out of the oven, the fireworks started. We could hear them intensely, but couldn’t see them. We immediately regretted having ordered dessert, cursing our need for something sweet. As soon as it arrived, however, all of those bad feelings dissipated.

The madeleine had been baked as a singular cake in a ~5” copper pot with a sugar crust on the bottom. It was served fresh out of the oven and delivered with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side (I am sorry, as we were in a rush and it was dark, I have no photos). As I took a spoon, dipped it into the cake, and then into the ice cream, the noise of the fireworks softened and my regret waned. I melted into the moment the way the ice cream melted into the warm giant madeleine. The crunchy sugar crust on the bottom, creamy ice cream, and fluffy cake… Oof! Luckily for us, this was a dessert to be eaten quickly to get the contrast of hot and cold. We were able to run over to catch some of the fireworks after all.

While the show was great, what I really remember from that evening was that madeleine à la mode, and so, in honor of that dessert from Jaïs, I made some more madeleines.

Unlike the ice cream sandwich version I posted earlier this week, these madeleines get topped with ice cream while hot (with the ice cream sandwich, the madeleine has to be room temperature otherwise it will melt all over your hands). This version is also baked with a sugary crust underneath, the feature that made that madeleine at Jaïs sing.

that steam…

For a fun little twist, I baked this version in a scallop shell and coated the madeleine in the ice cream so that it visually referenced a giant pearl.

I loved this. To me, it is a gorgeous dish and a great option to serve to guests at the end of a dinner. You can prepare it all in advance, throw it in the oven to bake it towards the end of your meal, and then top it with ice cream (and maybe a shot of espresso for a tiramisu-affogato moment). It’s a great way to share that little bite of melting heaven with friends and loved ones.

(just remember to put the shell in a bowl, and not directly on a plate like i did)

Makes 5-6 servings (but the recipe can easily be doubled, just follow the quantities listed in the Substack post sent out earlier this week)

Shell sundae (à la mode)