Red, white, and blueberry

With the 4th of July already on the horizon, it’s time to start thinking…dessert!  Last year, I graced my table with Ina Garten’s marvelous flag cake and this year, I turn to Ms. Ina once again, as she is the reigning queen of summer sweets that are as pretty as they are delicious.  This crumble bakes up crispy on top, lusciously fruity on bottom, while the peaches and blueberries meld together to create a lovely sauce.  It’s a perfect, simple way to pay homage to the country that provides us with so much.

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Ingredients

For the fruit

2 pounds firm, ripe peaches (6 to 8 peaches)

2 t grated lemon zest

2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ c granulated sugar

¼ c all-purpose flour

1 c fresh blueberries (1/2 pint)

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For the crumble

1 c all-purpose flour

1/3 c granulated sugar

¼ c light brown sugar, lightly packed

½ t kosher salt

¼ t ground cinnamon

1 stick cold unsalted butter, diced

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Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

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Immerse the peaches in boiling water for ~1 minute, until their skins peel off easily. Place them immediately in cold water. Peel the peaches, slice them into thick wedges, and place them in a large bowl. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, granulated sugar, and flour. Toss well. Gently mix in the blueberries. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes. Spoon the mixture into ramekins or an 8×8” baking dish, buttered or sprayed with nonstick spray.

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For the topping, combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas. Rub the mixture with your fingertips until it’s in big crumbles, and sprinkle evenly over the fruit.  (Note: I mixed the topping by hand, using my fingers to incorporate the butter and it worked very well.)  Place the ramekins or dish on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the tops are browned and crisp and the juices are bubbly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Calling all soon-to-be-Mrs (Christine, this means you!)  Above, the cake I made for a friend’s bachelorette party.  I took my inspiration from the previously posted Lizzy Cakes and kept with the lingerie theme yielding a fun, girly, delicious treat, guaranteed to slay any wedding stress or Bridezilla behavior!

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Making the cake was surprisingly easy as I simply:

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• Baked a cake in a 9×13 pan (any flavor–I chose white cake, note that chocolate tends to be softer and therefore more difficult to ice)

 

• Filled the cake (raspberry preserves,) and sculpted the hips and bust using a serrated knife

 

• Crumb coated, chilled, and then iced using a decorator buttercream (almond flavored)

 

Finally, I piped on the pink design (same icing as in #3, dyed pink) with a pastry bag and variety of tips, predominantly the Wilton #32 star tip and the #2 for the Cornelli lace detail

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Not too hard and a super fun cake!

Bananalicious!

In honor of my young, hungry, and NEWLY ENGAGED co-blogger, I present this chocolate chip banana bread recipe that I adapted from foodnetwork.com.  Christine makes a legendary banana chocolate chip cake and while I would never claim to out-bake it, this recipe is a quick and easy substitute.  I recommend eating it with a diamond ring on your left hand….congrats, Christine, I love you!!!!!   

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Ingredients

3 ¼ c all-purpose flour

2 t baking soda

½ t cinnamon

½ t salt

4 large eggs, at room temperature

2 1/3 c sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

3 cups coarsely mashed very ripe bananas (6 large)

½ c Greek yogurt

2 t vanilla

1 bag chocolate chips (I used Scharffen Berger Baking Chunks)

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Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 2 (9- by 5- by 3-inch) loaf pans or silicone baking pans (I used flower-shaped for a little flair)

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Sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into a bowl.

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Beat together eggs and sugar in bowl of electric mixer at medium-high speed until very thick and pale and mixture forms a ribbon when beater is lifted, about 10 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add oil in a slow stream, mixing, then mix in bananas, yogurt, and vanilla. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in flour mixture and chocolate chips gently but thoroughly.

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Divide batter between loaf pans, spreading evenly, and bake in middle of oven until golden brown and a wooden pick or skewer comes out clean, 1 to 1 ¼ hours.

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Cool loaves in pans on a rack 10 minutes, then turn out onto rack. Turn loaves right side up and cool completely.

When does our perception of birthdays change?  I’m guessing it is somewhere between 21 and 25.  The ages, after which, you no longer need that extra year as an enabler.  There are other benefits that the years deliver, however.  Knowledge, wealth, friendships, and experience all build over time, but these are often overshadowed by achy backs, extra pounds, and ever growing responsibilities.  Either way, I think there are two main offenders to which we can point our fingers.

 

 The first culprit to be credited with the downfall of the birthday is self expectation i.e. the “I should be here, doing this, making this, and having that” mentality.  Let’s be honest we all, at some point or another, have forecasted how our lives will look at various ages.  Johnny wants to fly to the moon and Susie wants to be a homemaker.  Are you married with children living your predictions?  Do you wish you were living your predictions at a space station far from Earth?  Or do you find that you still feel too young for all that and wonder how you got to said birthday so quickly!  It’s quite the oxymoron, feeling old because of a number, yet young at the same time.  So we are bound by our own predictions, hoist by our own petard, and “sad pancakes” all of our own accord.  Why set goals in the first place?  You don’t know what you really want, you hardly make them reality, and they are yet another accountability weighing you down.  Well, my CEO says that the best way to make things happen is to set rigid quantifiable goals.  I agree with her as this is something I do and I am not too far away from my goals, but I’ve found myself looking back and wondering if I had the right goals in the first place.  Or did I, like many people, diagram a life map simply to avoid staggering blindly into the unknown, getting nowhere fast, as we have been taught will happen without a plan. 

The second culprit – fear of death – stems from the previous discussion.  Why would you be afraid of death unless you first, fear the unknown and second, don’t feel successful in your earthly goals.  Again who’s to say that life after death isn’t a piece of cake in comparison; please pardon the reference.  I suppose that along with death you can fear the general ailments and deterioration that accompany aging – God forbid you lose your teeth – but while your physical standard of living may decrease does your mental awareness and knowledge not increase proportionally?  Is knowledge not power and enlightenment?  I don’t have answers for these questions, but they are thoughts that plagued me through the days and weeks leading up to the big 27 (note this post is from last year).  Apparently, yet another To Do left incomplete.    Perhaps if you ensure that those things you do instead, that block the plans you thought you wanted, are important and enjoyable you can leave the weight of charted territory and create a new map that, while unknown at the moment, will bring you true joy free of fear and should haves.  Because if you’re living your life to the fullest there should be no would haves were you to learn that the reaper’s knocking at your door.

In conclusion, I charge you to capture that excitement that you once associated with birthdays, live each day so that you feel successful at the passing of another year, and for goodness sake have a second slice; you still never know when you’ll get another!

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Speaking of how you use your time, this recipe was pretty intense.  So instead of writing it out please see Smitten Kitchen for details.  I, of course, used preserves instead of the from scratch rasberry filling and bought frosting instead of using the ganache.  It was delicious nonetheless and I’m sure I put to good use the time I saved there as well!

Straight from Strawberryland!

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Strawberries have begun to abound in the farmers’ markets…..love that.  I decided to channel my inner Strawberry Shortcake and make a good ol’ fashioned, all American, make you feel good inside strawberry rhubarb pie. 

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Admittedly, I had never worked with rhubarb before, and was slightly concerned that the crisp, tough-seeming stalks of rhubarb would turn out hard or stringy.  Worry not—with no preparation other than trimming the ends and slicing (no need to pre boil or peel)—the rhubarb baked up tender and beautifully, imparting its signature tang to an otherwise sweet pie.  I paired it with vanilla bean ice cream and brought to a couple friend’s BBQ.  Spring has officially arrived. 

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Ingredients

• 1 prepared recipe for pie crust or 1 package of 2 refrigerated pie crusts (I like Pillsbury)
• 3 cups rhubarb, trimmed and sliced into ½-in slices (do not peel)
• 3 pints strawberries, hulled and sliced (about 1.5 16-oz containers)
• ¾ c light brown sugar, or to taste depending on sweetness of berries
• ¼ c cornstarch
• 1 t cinnamon
• Pinch of Kosher salt
• To glaze pie crust: 2 T melted butter, beaten egg, or milk

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Directions:

Preheat oven to 400.

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Combine rhubarb through salt in a large bowl.  Allow to sit while you prepare the pie crust. 

 

Roll out one pie crust and fit into 9-inch pie pan.  Do not trim edges.  Fill crust with strawberry rhubarb mixture. 

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Roll out second pie crust and cut into 1-inch strips.  Weave strips on top of pie, creating lattice design.  Pinch edges of pie crust and pie crust strips together, building up dough and gently fluting edges.  Brush crust with glaze. 

Ready for the oven

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Bake pie 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 250 and bake until crust is golden and filling thickens, about 1 – 1 ½ hours.  If crust becomes too brown during baking, tent with foil.

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Allow pie to cool on rack and serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. 

I don’t know when exactly I fell in love with the concept of Bed & Breakfasts, but I can recall at least a couple fond memories of beds and breakfasts past.  The first was on my tour de colleges all around the southeast.  My recollection of that stay, being more than 10 years ago, is limited to a delicious Mocha Muffin Recipe.  My next experience found me actually in college and staying with my parents and Grandmother in a nearby residence in Winston Salem for Easter.   We had both the western style basement suite and a Victorian room upstairs.  B&Bs tend to gravitate towards themed rooms; a trait I find quite endearing.  Since then I lived next to a very pretty B&B on Piedmont Road in Atlanta.  It actually went up for sale, but after several attempts that at least I thought were quite compelling to convince my parents to purchase the beautiful house for Mom to redecorate and me to manage, I was denied. 

This trip found me on a tour de Florida and in the lovely town of St. Petersburg where we stayed at the Larelle House on a lazy cobblestone street lined with droopy moss, yet bright with history.  The house dated to way back before I was around and was constructed by a hardware salesman for his bride to be!  I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect place.  Walking up the gated entrance you immediately feel relaxed surrounded by the lush green yard soon to spot the big front porch swing that you just can’t wait to plop down on!  But wait, your host Larry is about to welcome you in and give you a tour of his home, beautifully decorated with a myriad of antiques by his wife.  When you think it can’t get better, you catch a glimpse of the backyard where they have bicycles for the guests aka yours truly to enjoy and the most elegant underground  hot tub surrounded by a flowery gazebo in case you need to relax after a hard day’s vacation.  Grabbing a homemade cookie on the way upstairs, the four rooms, themed of course, are just as delightful.  I stayed in the Longley room named after the original owner, which sported very luxurious fabrics, a giant fantasy sized bed, and the courtesy bottle of sherry that comes with all the rooms.  Since there were only two couples staying at the time I was able to peek into the Hemingway room, which was more studious, but with a dash of fun courtesy of the leopard accents.  The Victorian room was also quite nice and just as rosy pink as you would imagine it to be. 

Post tour, we immediately headed back down to the front porch with some wine to enjoy what was left of the daylight and were enjoying watching the cats through the window when we were pleasantly surprised with a smoky cheese and crackers!  It was almost a shame to even leave for dinner, but luckily the waterfront is just a few blocks away and we were able to make it back in time to head down to the hot tub and to bed in time for breakfast at 9!  Breakfast was perfectly in line with the rest of our stay, even though their oven decided not to work for the occasion…  We had three courses with coffee and OJ consisting of a colorful parfait, crust less spinach quiche with the most delicious home fries on the side, and a banana cake (the lady of the house loves to bake) that made me seriously regret giving up sweets for lent. 

                       

Needless to say I was sad to leave my dream life behind, but will watch the classifieds For (a) Sale in years to come!  Here are two quiches that I’ve since made in memoriam:

 

Spring Veggie & Ricotta Quiche

Serves 6 courtesy of My Baking Adventures.

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 10 oz bag fresh spinach
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
• 8 ounce mozzarella cheese, grated
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 large eggs, beaten to blend
• 1 pre made crust

 

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Mix in spinach and sauté until wilted, about 2 minutes.

Add zucchini and continue to cook until almost all liquid from spinach evaporates, about 3-4 minutes.Set aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, combine ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Mix in eggs. Add cooled spinach mixture; blend well.

Spoon cheese mixture into pie crust and smooth the top. Bake until filling is set in center and brown on top.

 

 

Cauliflower & Caramelized Onion (Quichey) Tart

Serves 8 courtesy of Smitten Kitchen.

                                                                     

• 1 small head of cauliflower (about 1 pound) cut into 1-inch flowerets
• 3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 refrigerated pie crust (I used whole wheat from Whole Foods)
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 large eggs
• 1 (7- to 8- ounce) container mascarpone cheese
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1 cup grated Gruyère cheese
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

 

Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss cauliflower with 2 tablespoons olive oil in large bowl. Spread on rimmed baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast 15 minutes before turning florets over and roasting until brown and tender, another 15 minutes. Cool cauliflower then thinly slice and drizzle with oil & salt. Reduce temperature to 350°F.

Line crust with foil, fill with pie weights and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil and weights then bake until crust is golden, about 5 additionally minutes. Press crust back with the back of a fork if bubbles form. Cool crust and maintain oven temperature.

Heat remaining 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook until onion is a deep golden brown, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes. Cool slightly.

Use a knife or brush to spread the bottom and sides of crust with mustard. Spread onion over crust. Arrange cauliflower over the onion. Whisk eggs, mascarpone, cream and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in Gruyère. Pour mixture over filling in tart pan, sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake until tart is golden and center is set, about 40 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool 15 minutes before serving.

Chocolate Overdose

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While shopping at my local Kroger a few months ago, I noticed that the esteemed Scharffen Berger chocolate house had come out with a line of baking chunks.  Even better, Kroger was offering them at what I estimate to be a loss leading price point and I therefore stocked up on 6 bags.  What to do with a surplus of baking chunks, you ask?  Why bake, of course! 

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My inaugural recipe was courtesy of the back of the bag—an indulgently rich double chocolate cookie with the texture of a buttery shortbread, courtesy of chef Jacques Pepin.  What’s more is that these cookies are an absolute snap to prepare.  My advice: spend some extra time making the log nicely round and symmetrical.  I erroneously thought that the baking process would smooth out lumps and errant edges but, due to this batter’s viscosity, it does not.  In any case, this is a rich and indulgent cookie that nicely highlights the quality of the chocolate, highly recommended for all chocoholics out there.

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Ingredients

4 oz unsalted butter

2 egg yolks

½ cup granulated sugar

1 cup all purpose flour

¼ teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup Scharffen Berger semisweet baking chunks

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Directions

Set aside chunks and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Mix remaining ingredients in food processor for 30 seconds or until smooth. Transfer dough to a sheet of plastic wrap and roll (or shape) it into a 10 inch log about 1 inch thick. Chill 1 hour.

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

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Put rack in center. Unwrap cold log and sprinkle evenly with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Cut log into 20 cookies each about 1/2 inch thick. Spread chunks on board and press each cookie into them.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment or silicone liner and arrange cookies 1 inch apart, chunks facing up.

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Bake 14-15 minutes. Cool on rack.

Bon jour!

As mentioned before, I’ve gone macaron crazy!  Here is a recipe I took from my I (Heart) Macarons by Hisako Ogita.  I highly recommend purchasing the book if you’re serious about perfecting this craft as it is incredibly detailed, with step-by-step instructions and photographs.  Below is a recipe that I slightly simplified and decided to tint blue to help usher in spring (note: make the batter darker than the desired color as they will lighten while baking—reference my weirdly light blue / green result.) 

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I filled these macarons with an almond buttercream icing that I like to make for cake decorating.  It, too, has an almond flavor and is a lovely accompaniment.  This batch of macarons turned out…acceptable, but not perfect…more reason to try making some more! 

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Ingredients:

2/3 c ground almonds

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

3 large egg whites, room temperature

5 T granulated sugar

½ tsp almond extract

Blue food color (or other color)

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Directions:

Grind almonds and powdered sugar in a food processor to a fine powder.  Sift and set aside.

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In a stainless steel mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat egg whites on high speed until foamy.  Gradually add granulated sugar and continue to beat.  Add extract and food color (make the batter slightly darker than desired as the cookies will lighten while baking) beat until meringue is firm and glossy.

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Add half of sifted flour mixture; stir with a spatula while scooping from the bottom of the bowl.  Add the rest of the flour and mix lightly in a circular motion.

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When flour is incorporated, press and spread out batter against bowl’s sides.  Scoop up batter from the bottom and turn upside down.  Repeat 15 times until batter is firm and drips slowly from spatula.

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Pipe batter into 1-inch circles, ½ inch apart (make small circles since batter will spread out after being squeezed.) 

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Rap baking sheet firmly against counter and allow batter to dry at room temperature, uncovered, for 15-30 minutes until batter no longer sticks to your finger. 

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Place oven racks in center of oven and preheat to 375.  Stack baking sheet with an empty baking sheet (note: I skipped this step with no problems.)  Bake for 15-18 minutes, rotating trays midway through, until slightly crisp and crackled on top.  If insides are still soft after 15 minutes, lower oven temperature to 300, cover tray with foil, and bake an additional 2-3 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack until completely cooled. 

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Fill and sandwich macarons—enjoy!  Macarons are better after resting overnight and settling into their optimal texture.

Strata.  The savory sibling of sweet bread pudding.  A breakfast casserole or stuffing of sorts.  I do love a good strata. 

There are so many fabulous things about stratas I barely know where to begin.  How about with the fact that you can make them a day ahead and sleep in the morning of consumption?  Or what about the flexibility of knowing that you can use almost anything you have around as long as you have a few key ingredients that are standard pantry staples(see strata take 2)?  My new favorite thing about the strata is that I can bake it in the standard casserole dish, individual ramekins, OR I can bake it in one large pan and then use ramekins or cookie cutters to divide it into pretty little individual portions and then top with a poached egg.  As with bread pudding that can now be found in every variation from sweet potato to s’more, the sky’s the limit! 

 

I am very very excited because this weekend, possibly as you read this, I am staying at a Bed & Breakfast in St. Petersburg, Florida.  I found the Larelle House online (obviously) and have read nothing but rave reviews.  They have a wine & cheese happy hour on the porch each evening, a fridge full of goodies for a midnight snack, and, of course, the customary breakfast (with mimosas on Sunday).   All of the rooms have a different theme, the Hemingway room for example, and there’s even a hot tub out back since even Florida can’t be warm all the time.  There’s something so much more personal about Bed & Breakfasts.  Perhaps it’s the sole fact that it is in a house and not a massive corporate construct.  Or it could just be that you’re not staying in one of 300 rooms all manufactured to the exact same specifications, containing the exact same Tropical Breeze comforters, and not so functional desk with a Bible in the top drawer.  Either way, I.  Can’t.  Wait.  And think I might start a B&B log to note various ideas, recipes, and special touches so that one day I too might be able to host you at my own House. 

 

Spinach Strata

• 1 (10-oz) package frozen spinach, thawed
• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion (1 large)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 8 cups cubed (1 inch) French or Italian bread (1/2 lb)
• 6 oz coarsely grated Gruyère (2 cups)
• 2 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 cup)
• 2 3/4 cups milk
• 9 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

 

Strata Take 2

• 1 (10-oz) package frozen spinach, thawed
• 1 ½ cups finely chopped onion (1 large)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 T fresh thyme, chopped
• 8 cups cubed (1 inch) French or Italian bread (1/2 lb)
• 1 cup coarsely grated Gruyère
• ¼ lb ricotta cheese
• 2 cups buttermilk
• ½ cup white wine
• 6 large eggs

 

Squeeze handfuls of spinach to remove as much liquid as possible, then finely chop.

Cook onion in butter in a large heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and nutmeg and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in spinach, then remove from heat.

Spread one third of bread cubes in a buttered 3-quart gratin dish or other shallow ceramic baking dish and top evenly with one third of spinach mixture. Sprinkle with one third of each cheese. Repeat layering twice (ending with cheeses).

Whisk together milk, eggs, mustard, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl and pour evenly over strata. Chill strata, covered with plastic wrap, at least 8 hours (for bread to absorb custard).

Preheat oven to 350°F. Let strata stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

Bake strata, uncovered, in middle of oven until puffed, golden brown, and cooked through, 45 to 55 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

**For my version I cooked onions for about 5 minutes, added the spinach, garlic, thyme, and wine, and cooked another 5 minutes.

As a college student studying abroad, I spent a great deal of time sauntering around the streets of Spain, on the hunt for local bakeries hiding in the copious nooks and crannies of European boulevards (because, let’s be honest—study abroad consists of little actual study.)  I had two favorite delicacies that I found myself ordering time and again despite bountiful trays of new, exciting delicacies luring me in with their elaborate architecture or powdered sugar finish. 

OMG, I made macaroons!

 

One of my favorites was the Spanish merengue, thin sheets of flaky pastry piped sky high with cloying, white meringue so light and ethereal it was served with a tiny spoon on the side…..a true caviar dream for a sugar fiend such as myself.  My other favorite was a dessert borrowed from neighboring France, the Parisian macaroon (or macaron): tiny, beautiful, colorful gems that are celebrated throughout Europe and beyond.  If you’ve never tried a French macaroon and have visions in your head of the more common coconut macaroon, erase them immediately.  French macaroons are in a class of their own…two delicate nut-based cookies sandwiching a complimentary filling (typically a ganache or buttercream) that bake up al dente, yielding their slight bite to a chewy center, and offered in a dazzling and dizzying array of flavors such as chocolate, pistachio, lemon, mocha and on and on and on. 

 

I will tell you this: for as simple and beautiful as the French macaroons seem, they are extremely tricky to execute, requiring steadfast precision and unwavering technique.  For my inaugural endeavor, I choose what is typically the most difficult flavor to master (chocolate) and turned to baking guru David Lebovitz for guidance, an American sugar guru in Paris who also writes a killer blog, which is where I found this recipe.  (Incidentally, I was fortunate enough to take a class from David while he was in Dallas and highly recommend his Perfect Scoop ice cream cookbook.)

 

Thrillingly, my first attempt was an overwhelming success, and I even managed to create the little “foot” on the bottom of each cookie, the macaroon’s quality calling card.  Here is my advice as a newly minted macaroon enthusiast: curb your impatience and allow the cookies to sit overnight.  In my excitement, I hastily ate one (ok, three) immediately upon cooling and was dismayed to find them stiff.  They need time to rest to settle into their optimal texture.

 

My mother graciously sent me a cookbook dedicated to the art of the macaroon so I promise you many more to come as I name this imperial dessert my new project/obsession of 2010.  Wish me luck!

 

Ingredients

Makes about fifteen cookies

 

Macaron Batter

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• ½ cup powdered almonds (about 2 ounces)
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 5 tablespoons granulated sugar

 

Chocolate Filling

• ½ cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
• 4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces

 

Macaroons galore!

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (180 degrees C).

 

 

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and have a pastry bag with a plain tip (about 1/2-inch) ready.  Katy’s note: if you don’t have a pastry bag, use a large Ziploc bag with the tip cut off.

 

 

Grind together the powdered sugar with the almond powder and cocoa so there are no lumps; use a blender or food processor since almond meal that you buy isn’t quite fine enough.

 

 

In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. While whipping, beat in the granulated sugar until very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes.

 

 

Carefully fold the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is just smooth and there are no streaks of egg white, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag.

 

 

Pipe the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheets in 1-inch circles (about 1 T of batter), evenly spaced one-inch apart.

 

 

Rap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the counter top to flatten the macarons, then bake them for 15-18 minutes. Let cool completely then remove from baking sheet.

The proverbial macaroon "foot"

 

 

To make the chocolate filling:

Heat the cream in a small saucepan with the corn syrup. When the cream just begins to boil at the edges, remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate. Let sit one minute, then stir until smooth. Stir in the pieces of butter. Let cool completely before using.

 

Filling the macaroons