Tangerine Madeleines

10 tablespoons farmstead fresh butter, melted
1 cup cake flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon finely grated tangerine zest
1 teaspoon of orange flavored brandy
3 tablespoons of chopped roasted hazelnuts
3 tablespoons cream
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons fresh tangerine juice

Whisk 1 cup flour and baking powder in bowl. Whisk eggs, sugar, brandy and tangerine zest in a bowl and add the cream. Mix the batter until smooth. Whisk in flour mixture to fully blend. Add the melted butter and whisk until the batter is thick and shiny. Cover and chill batter overnight.

Preheat oven to 450°. Spray Madeleine molds with non stick baking spray.  Add chopped roasted hazel nuts to batter. Divide batter among molds, filling each to the top. Bake until Madeleines rise and are a deep golden brown. This will be about eight minutes.

 Next whisk powdered sugar and
tangerine
 juice in a bowl.


Set a wire rack inside
 a rimmed baking sheet.

Unmold the Madeleines onto the rack. Let them cool and dip the tops of the Madeleines into the glaze. Let them sit at room temperature until glaze has set.

Fresh Asparagus Pesto

This recipe is a twinking of Fine Cooking Magazine's Pesto. I changed it up a bit. It is similar to Fava Bean Pesto and a great new idea for using fresh asparagus. The pesto keeps for one week and they suggest using it up by tossing it in hot pasta.

In a food processor place 1 large clove of garlic, 1/3 cup of toasted pine nuts, 1/2 cup of best quality Parmesan Reggiano, 4 sprigs of fresh chives, 12 ounces of chopped fresh asparagus, 1/3 cup of olive oil, zest of 1/2 a lemon, few drops of lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon of Pimento De La Vera, kosher salt and pepper to taste. Puree until thick and the consistency of pesto.

I placed the fresh pesto on crostini, ham, tomatoes and hard goat cheese. Yum!