I wanted to make something special for New Year's Eve. Something festive and light; challenging, yet approachable. This desire was borne not of any particular craving or need for decadence; the holiday season has been good and sating, and if I see one more over-the-top chocolate dessert or creamy cocktail . . . I won't do anything about it, but I won't be happy.

No, this was about something different. More than anything, I wanted to mark the end of the year with a delicious, delicate punctuation mark. In retrospect, I'll confess that I viewed this undertaking as a form of culinary divination--if what I baked turned out well, the year would begin auspiciously; if not, well, I might have found a way to spin it positively anyway, as I am disinclined to interpret harbingers of my own doom.

Madeleines seemed such an evocative choice, carrying connotations of Proust, nostalgia, childhood, and reflection, along with an airiness both transcendent and ephemeral. Thus, these pistachio-dipped saffron, orange, and honey madeleines struck me as the ideal culmination to 2017. I found them in Sweet, Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh's dreamy new dessert cookbook--and immediately knew that, before I opened a bottle of champagne and lost all sense of reason, I wanted to find a way into their virtuoso headspace. To make something beautiful and sentimental, but also uncommon and original. And, while this bouquet of flavors will be familiar to the Middle Eastern palate, they struck me as delightfully exotic and intriguing.

Following the recipe--which I did, to the letter, despite my disobedient nature--yielded beautifully scalloped miniature cakes that could have leapt off the page of the cookbook itself. I cannot imagine a more gratifying way to celebrate the last night of 2017, nor a better taste to savor on the first night of what might just be the best year of our lives.

Saffron, Orange, and Honey Madeleines (adapted from Sweet, by Ottolenghi and Goh)

Ingredients
6 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, plus more, melted, for brushing
2 teaspoons plus 3 tablespoons honey
¼ teaspoon saffron threads (optional--but try not to skip this; it's worth it)
¼ vanilla bean
2 large eggs
⅓ cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 teaspoon baking powder
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon plus 1½ teaspoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2½ tablespoons shelled pistachio kernels (I used salted, but unsalted would probably work better)

Preparation
1. Cook 6 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon butter, 2 teaspoons honey, and saffron threads (if using) in a small saucepan over low heat until butter is melted. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
2. Scrape vanilla seeds into a food processor and discard pod. Add eggs, sugar, and orange zest and process until smooth and combined. Sift baking powder, salt, and ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon flour into a small bowl, then add to egg mixture. Pulse a few times just to combine. Add honey mixture. Process once more, then pour batter into a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 400°. If using metal madeleine pans, brush molds with melted butter and dust liberally with flour. Silicone pans should not need any greasing or flouring, but you can lightly brush with a little melted butter, if you like. Tap to ensure molds are dusted, shaking off excess flour.
4. Spoon a heaping teaspoon of batter into each mold; it should rise two-thirds of the way up the sides of the molds. If you only have 1 madeleine pan, chill remaining batter. You will need to wash and dry the pan before greasing and flouring again.
5. Bake madeleines until they begin to brown around the edges and they spring back when tapped lightly in the center, 9–10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and let sit 1 minute before releasing madeleines. The best way to do this, with a metal pan, is to go around the edges of each with a small knife or offset spatula (to make sure they aren't stuck), then tap edge of pan on the counter until they fall out. With a silicone pan, they should just fall out of their molds. Transfer cakes to a wire rack to cool.
6. Pulse pistachios in food processor. Pile pistachios onto a plate in a straight line. Melt remaining 3 tablespoons honey in a small saucepan (or microwave) until very runny. Brush lightly over shell-patterned side of one madeleine. With shell side facing down toward pistachios, roll narrower end of madeleine along pile of pistachios so you have a straight ⅓" strip of pistachios at base of madeleine. Repeat with remaining madeleines. Transfer scalloped side up to a platter.

Note: Madeleines can be made 1 day ahead. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.