Dinner party? Impress your guests with these savory goat’s cheese and sun-dried tomato madeleines! A fabulous part of an apéritif!

FRENCH DINNER PARTIES
I love throwing dinner parties — especially the French kind. Nothing pleases me more than gathering a group of loved ones around my table and spoiling them with a full, six-course French meal that ends with a glass of Armagnac, bien sûr. Everything, from the menu planning and shopping to the last drop of wine and final old Piaf record (because that’s what I prefer when that digestif comes out), brings me great joy.

EASY DISHES
I know, however, that for some, even the thought of cooking for a group may bring on a slight panic attack. All that work! And what to make! Not to mention which wines to pair with which dishes! The best advice I can give dinner party novices is to plan ahead and make easy dishes that don’t require fancy ingredients or cooking techniques. This is definitely not the time to go experimenting with difficult French sauces that may separate and cause you to have a meltdown minutes before your guests arrive!
In a six-part post series, I would like to share my no-fail dinner party classics with you (from apéritif to digestif). They are all easy to make and most can be made in advance, leaving you enough time to enjoy the company of your guests — which is what hosting a dinner party is all about!

APERITIF RECIPE
To start, an apéritif recipe for my savory madeleines with goat’s cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. These tender little cakes are super easy to throw together and take approximately ten minutes to bake. You can make the batter the day before and bake them shortly before your guests arrive. Or, you can heat them in the oven. Serve the madeleines with a crisp sauvignon blanc.
Enjoy! And see you at the next course: the starter!

Savory Goat’s Cheese & Sun-dried Tomato Madeleines

Makes 12 madeleines

Ingredients:

  • 125g all-purpose flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 packet of baking powder (11g)
  • Fine sea salt & freshly cracked pepper
  • 5 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tbsps whole milk
  • 2 tsps herbes de Provence
  • 75g soft goat’s cheese, crumbled
  • 10 sun-dried tomato halves, chopped
  • A handful of fresh basil leaves

 

Instructions:
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, eggs, baking powder, salt and pepper, olive oil, milk and herbes de Provence until you have a smooth batter. Fold in the goat’s cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and basil. Pop the batter in the fridge for at least an hour, or overnight. When ready to bake the madeleines, preheat the oven to 200℃ and grease a 12-hole madeleine tray with neutral oil (I used grapeseed oil). Divide the batter over the holes and bake for 10-12 minutes until golden. Allow to cool slightly and serve with a sauvignon blanc.