Madeleines with chocolate cherry sauce & candied orange praline

METHOD

1. For madeleines, pre-heat oven to 200°C. Grease and flour a 20 hole madeleine pan or 2 x 12 madeleine pans. Place eggs, sugar, and vanilla in to bowl. Using an electric hand beater, beat mixture until thick, pale and doubled in volume. Gently fold in flour, baking powder and butter using a metal spoon.
2. Place tablespoons of the mixture into prepared madeleine molds. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden and cakes spring back when pressed in the centre. Cool slightly before removing from molds. Cool on a wire rack. Dust with icing sugar to serve.
3. For candied orange, using a potato peeler, peel long lengths of rind from the orange trying to not take any of the white pith with the rind. Place the pieces on a board rind side down and working with the sharp side of the knife away from you, remove any white pith still on the rind, very thinly slice peel into long lengths.
4. Place orange juice and sugar in a small heavy based saucepan over a high heat and bring to the boil, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes or until thick and syrupy but hasn’t taken on any colour. Add long pieces of orange zest and cook for 1 minute. Remove and spread out candied rind over a baking paper lined board or tray. When cool, roughly chop.
5. For chocolate sauce, using a double boiler, place chocolate, cream, cherry juice and butter in the bowl and over a medium heat, bring water of the boiler to a simmer. Ensure the water doesn’t touch the base of the bowl and stir occasionally until chocolate has melted and mixture is nicely combined. Keep warm until required.
6. Serve with little fondue forks, pile madeleines onto a serving plate with little pots of sauce and dish of crushed orange praline on the side. Dip madeleine in the chocolate and sprinkle with candied orange.