Makes 40 angel bites

If the egg whites to be whipped are not at room temperature, set them in a pan placed in hot tap water and stir them until they are tepid. Coconut is very nice as a variation for this cake. Add 2/3 to 1 cup lightly packed sweetened flaked coconut, lightly chopped, to the batter before folding in the egg whites.

The origin of the madeleine, the shell-shaped sponge cake eaten as a cookie, is disputed, although most food scholars believe it originated in the Lorraine city of Commercy. It traveled first to the court of Louis XV at Versailles and then on to Paris, gaining converts at each stop. Today, the pâtissiers of Commercy are still considered Frances premier makers of madeleines, and boxes of madeleines de Commercy are sold throughout the country. You will need a madeleine pan, made of tinned steel and with a dozen molds, to bake these little cakes.

This makes for great lunch box or picnic fare. When we have it for dinner, we double the recipe because it makes for good leftovers, too! The recipe calls for the quinoa to be boiled like pasta, but I prefer simmering it like brown rice, so I’ve adjusted the water in the ingredient list accordingly (you may have to use up to 2 c.) and have rewritten the directions.