Eleven Madison Park's Two Day Madelines with Brown Butter

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, more at room temperature for buttering molds

5 large eggs

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, more for flouring molds

Large pinch sea salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

Grated zest of 1 lemon.

Directions

1. In a small pan over medium heat, melt butter, and cook until it begins to smell nutty and turns brown. Remove from heat, and strain through a fine sieve into a bowl.

2. In a mixer fitted with a whisk, beat eggs and sugar until fluffy. Remove bowl from mixer, and sift flour, salt and baking powder over eggs. Fold together with a spatula. Pour in butter and lemon zest, and fold together. (At this point you could fold in a number of dry ingredients, like finely chopped nuts, ground cardamom, orange zest or coconut.) Spoon batter into a pastry bag fitted with a small (about 1/4-inch) round tip. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously butter a madeleine pan (small or large molds). Pipe batter into molds, so they are three-quarters full.

4. Bake until madeleines form humps and are nut brown around edges, 6 to 8 minutes, longer if using large molds. Remove from oven, and bang pan on a countertop to release madeleines from molds. Carefully lift off any that stick. Place in a napkin to keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter.