The Art of Macarons

Before March 8 of this year I had never tasted a macaron.  I actually had to research the difference between the French macaron and the very different American macaroon.   Back at Christmas I made macaroons for the first time but found that they were too heavy and coconutty for my taste. Maybe that is one reason why I find myself drawn to French macarons.  They are by far the superior cookie.  Made from almond flour, egg whites, and sugar it has a crispy meringue shell and chewy center.   In between the two halves of meringue is usually a filling of some sort of fruit jam, chocolate ganache, or buttercream.  

Meringue + raspberry jam?   Meringue + chocolate?  Meringue + buttercream?  How lovely is that?

Plus when you see them...the colors!!! 

 

Having only made the raspberry ones, I can't wait to make them all at once and arrange them in some lovely arrangement.  Raspberry, Orange, Lemon, Key Lime, Blueberry, Lavender...that nearly covers my ROY G. BIV order.  I've been trying to research different recipes and techniques  and from what I have read I'm really impressed with how my last batch turned out based on what the horror stories I have read about macaron first timers.  Some have devoted their entire careers to perfecting the macaron.  Entire batches are thrown out if it is too humid and the cookies do not set right.  

The mecca of macarons is Paris of course and a certain store named Lauderée.  

It was originally founded in 1862 by Louis Ernest Lauderée on the Rue Royal where it still exists today.  His grandon Pierre Desfontaine is credited with inventing the modern macaron in 1931.  Over 15,000 macarons are sold here each day with visitors waiting up to 30 minutes in line.   

I've never seen a macaron sold anywhere in my life.  

So maybe one day I'll get to experience a true French macaron but for now it looks like I'm going to have to keep experimenting on my own.

My Rasberry Chocolate Macarons

Lauderée Rasberry Macarons

Minus the rose petal, fancy label, and whole raspberry center they don't look tooooo far off!!!

Raspberry Chocolate French Macarons

For macaroons

• 6 oz sliced blanched almonds (not slivered; 2 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
• 3 large egg whites
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• Red or pink food coloring

For chocolate raspberry ganache

• 3 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (60 to 64% cacao), finely chopped
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
• 1/16 teaspoon raspberry extract (preferably McCormick brand)

Make macaroons:
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Pulse almonds with 1/2 cup confectioners sugar in a food processor until very finely ground, 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a bowl. Sift in remaining cup confectioners sugar, stirring to combine.

Beat egg whites with salt in another bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until they just hold soft peaks. Add granulated sugar, a little at a time, beating, then increase speed to high and continue to beat until whites just hold stiff, glossy peaks. Add drops of food coloring to reach desired shade and mix at low speed until evenly combined. Stir almond mixture into meringue with a rubber spatula until completely incorporated. (Meringue will deflate.)

Spoon batter into bag, pressing out excess air, and snip off 1 corner of plastic bag to create a 1/4-inch opening. Twist bag firmly just above batter, then pipe peaked mounds of batter (the size of a chocolate kiss) onto lined sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart. Let cookies stand, uncovered, at room temperature until tops are no longer sticky and a light crust forms, 20 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 300°F.

Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until crisp and edges are just slightly darker, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool completely on sheets on racks, about 30 minutes.

Make ganache while macaroons bake:
Melt chocolate with cream in a metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water or in top of a double boiler, stirring until smooth. (Bowl should not touch water.) Remove bowl from heat, then add butter and raspberry extract, stirring until butter is melted. Let stand at room temperature until cooled completely and slightly thickened.

Assemble cookies:
Carefully peel cookies from parchment (they will be fragile). Sandwich a thin layer of ganache (about 1/2 teaspoon) between flat sides of cookies.

Creme Brulee

I decided to break out my new creme brulee set that I got for Christmas last night for a New Years dinner. It turned out perfect! I made 6 servings but I had enough to make at least two more. The recipe is pretty simple. Be sure to add the hot cream slowly so you don't end up with scrambled eggs (I always hear this tip on tv). Since I didn't have any Grand Marnier I added another half teaspoon of vanilla. And as you might imagine it is very fun torching the sugar on top :)

Creme Brulee
1 extra-large egg
4 extra-large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for each serving
3 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon orange liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the egg, egg yolks, and 1/2 cup of the sugar together on low speed until just combined. Meanwhile, scald the cream in a small saucepan until it's very hot to the touch but not boiled. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the cream to the eggs. Add the vanilla and orange liqueur and pour into 6 to 8-ounce ramekins until almost full.

Place the ramekins in a baking pan and carefully pour boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the custards are set when gently shaken. Remove the custards from the water bath, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until firm.

To serve, spread 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly on the top of each ramekin and heat with a kitchen blowtorch until the sugar carmelizes evenly. Allow to sit at room temperature for a minute until the caramelized sugar hardens.