French Macarons

So all of a sudden I'm seeing macarons everywhere. The craze has left cupcakes, bypassed cake pops and landed on these colorful, french cookies. I must admit, I haven't even had one. ever. so I decided to look them up and try them out.


I found this recipe on epicurious and decided to give it a go.


Cookies:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup (lightly packed) sifted almond flour, or 3/4 cup sifted almond flour and 1/4 cup sifted hazelnut flour (sifted, then measured; any coarse particles reserved for another use)
• 1/2 cup (scant) egg whites (from about 3 large eggs)
• 2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon sugar

Filling:

• 4 cups frozen raspberries (about 15 ounces; do not thaw)
• 1 cup plus 6 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 1/4 cup egg whites (from about 2 large eggs), room temperature
• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon (generous) rose water

Special Equipment:

• Pastry bag
• 1/4-inch-diameter plain pastry tip
• Heavy-duty stand mixer
• Candy thermometer

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment.

Sift powdered sugar, almond flour, and hazelnut flour (if using) into large bowl. I didn't use hazelnut flour.

This is the kind of almond flour I used. They have it at publix but I actually found it cheaper at Whole Foods. 

Egg whites.

Sugar.

Using electric mixer, beat egg whites, sugar, and pinch of salt in medium bowl until medium peaks form.

Add egg white mixture to almond mixture; fold to incorporate.

Working in 2 batches, fill pastry bag fitted with 1/4-inch-diameter plain pastry tip with batter (batter will be thin and will drip from bag). I used this guy.

Pipe batter in 11/4-inch rounds on baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart (cookies will spread slightly). Let rest on sheets at room temperature 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 375°F. Bake cookies 5 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Continue to bake cookies until puffed and golden on top, about 10 minutes, reversing sheets after 5 minutes. Cool cookies on sheets on rack. Carefully peel cookies from parchment. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

Tell your daughter you need some space.

Next: Prep the jam. Bring raspberries and 1 cup sugar to boil in large saucepan over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.

Cook until berries are soft, juices thicken, and mixture measures about 1 1/2 cups, stirring frequently, 7 to 9 minutes.

Meanwhile, take the macarons out of the oven. I love how they puffed up just perfectly!  

Back to the jam... Measure 1/2 cup mixture; strain into small bowl. Cool strained jam and jam with seeds separately. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover jams separately and chill.

Combine egg whites, 6 tablespoons sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in bowl of heavy- duty stand mixer. Set bowl over large saucepan of simmering water. Heat until candy thermometer inserted into mixture registers 140°F, stirring often, 3 to 4 minutes. (Sorry I forgot to photograph this step!) Using whisk attachment, beat egg white mixture at high speed until stiff meringue forms and mixture is at room temperature, 5 to 6 minutes.

With mixer running, add butter, 1 piece at a time, beating until each piece is incorporated before adding next.

Beat in rose water. (this is what it looks like... I think I found this at Chamberlains)

Add 3 tablespoons seedless jam, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating to blend well after each addition. (If buttercream looks broken or curdled, place bowl over medium heat and whisk 5 to 10 seconds to warm slightly, then remove from heat and beat again on medium speed. Repeat warming and beating as many times as needed until buttercream is smooth.)

Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Using 1/2 teaspoon jam with seeds for each, spread jam over flat side of half of macaroons.

Spoon buttercream into pastry bag fitted with 1/4-inch plain tip. Starting at outer edge of flat sides of remaining macaroons, pipe buttercream over in spiral.

Gently press macaroons, jam- filled side down, onto buttercream-coated macaroons.

Place on sheet. Cover; chill overnight. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 to 3 days ahead. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving.


Verdict: They were good... but not worth the effort or cost. (Almond flour is PRICEY). I still would love to try one from a bakery to see how they compare. If you love macarons and want to try it out, these are yummy. It makes quite a bit too so be ready to share them. :) I'm guessing your friends won't mind. 

Pioneer Love

One other reason I haven't done a lot of posts lately is I've been making a lot of things from the Pioneer Woman.

Lord bless her & her taste buds.

Here are links to some of the things and my little reviews.

Grilled Chicken Salad
link: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/04/grilled-chicken-salad-with-feta-fresh-corn-and-blueberries/
We made this when we were wanting a light dinner. It was FANTASTIC. I wouldn't omit any of the ingredients. I thought about next time adding in a few things like possibly hard boiled egg, but it certainly isn't necessary. Full of flavor and crunch, this is good on it's own, on top of a toasted piece of bread or in a pita.

Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi
link: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/02/pasta-ai-quattro-formaggi/
OMG. I died and went to heaven. This is a pasta experience. MUST make.

Pizza
link: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/02/my-favorite-pizza/
I wasn't too sure of the eggplant but this recipe is great! I love that there's no sauce...it's not needed with all the cheesy goodness.

Grasshopper Pie
link: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/03/grasshopper-pie/
Wow. This was my first time having this pie. I want to eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. That's acceptable, right? Yum.

I think it's safe to say that I'm officially obsessed with Ree. If you don't know about her check out her website, read a recipe, fall in love and make her food. You'll thank me.

A very special birthday

So it's been absolutely forever since I've blogged. My daughter has gotten a LOT more mobile and as a result I have a) baked less and b) spend all my time chasing her around and fishing things out of her mouth. She just turned 1 and we threw her a little birthday party. I had so much fun baking treats and making things for her party. I got a little carried away on pinterest but her party was really cute and special.

For the party, I cheated a little on the cupcakes and used a boxed chocolate cake mix (I couldn't find a recipe that made moist, light cake) and storebought icing. The vanilla cupcakes were the same from-scratch mix that I made the cake pops from though and they turned out really good. 

My friend let me borrow her Baby Cakes cake pop maker. You can purchase one here. They make cake pops that look pretty and are done in 5 minutes! The only thing that was difficult was icing them. I'm sure with some practice and a good recipe you could get this down but it took me forever. I used an icing glaze and then dipped them in sprinkles.  

Here are the recipes I used:

Vanilla Cake Pops & Cupcakes

Ingredients:

11⁄2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1⁄4 teaspoon salt, 1⁄2 cup butter, softened, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 1⁄2 cup milk, Glaze or coating of choice

Directions:

1. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. 

2. In a separate bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in

eggs and vanilla. 

3. Alternately blend in flour mixture and milk into butter mixture, beginning and ending

with the flour mixture. 

4. Fill each cooking reservoir with about 1 tablespoon of batter. 

5. Bake 4 to 5 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a cake pop comes out clean. 

6. Allow to cool and glaze or coat, as desired.

Vanilla Glaze (for cake pops)

Ingredients:

1⁄4 cup melted butter, 11⁄4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 to 21⁄2 tablespoons hot water

Directions:

1. Combine melted butter with confectioners sugar, stirring until well blended. 

2. Stir in vanilla. 

3. Blend in 2 tablespoons hot water and stir until smooth. 

4. Add a little of the remaining hot water, if needed, to make a thin glaze consistency.

Makes about 3⁄4 cup of glaze

Tip: Vanilla glaze is perfect to use on donuts and will remind you of glazed donuts from a local donut shop.

Ps. I apologize for the wacky font changes. Blogger wouldn't let me change my pasted text for some reason. lame. 

Julia's Pound Cake Recipe

So I realized that I posted about making this pound cake but never posted the recipe. It's way too good not to share and has become my "go-to" dessert when I'm wanting something sweet. It consistently comes out great, isn't too decadent, and I always have all the ingredients right in my pantry.

So, here you go...

Vanilla Pound Cake

Julia Child

3 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature, whisked to blend

1 cup milk, at room temperature

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 10 inch tube pan (ex: bunt pan).

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a bowl.

Put the butter into a bowl of a mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld mixer) and beat at medium speed until smooth. With the machine running, add the sugar in a steady stream. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides and beaters with a rubber spatula. Continue to beat at medium speed until the mixture is very light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes.

With the mixer still at medium speed, begin to add the eggs in small additions, about a tbsp at a time. If the mixture becomes watery or shiny, stop adding the eggs and beat at an increased speed until it smoothes out. When the batter has come together again, decrease the speed to medium and continue adding eggs, scraping down the beaters and sides of the bowl from time to time; it will take 3-4 minutes to incorporate the eggs. The mixture is properly combined when it appears white, fluffy and increased in volume.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture and the milk alternately – 4 additions of flour, 3 of milk – scraping the beaters and sides of the bowl frequently and mixing until the batter is smooth after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix just to blend.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a cooking rack and allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto a rack, remove the pan and cool to room temperature. The cake is best served in thin slices.

The cake can be kept covered at room temperature for about 3 days or wrapped airtight and frozen for a month. Keep in mind that stale pound cake is excellent slightly toasted and used as the base for ice cream sundaes.

*I lightly sprinkle with powdered sugar 

Popovers via Julia Child!

So ever since we visited my aunt and uncle in San Jose and they made us popovers with jam, we've been obsessed. They're fun and easy to make and now they're a semi-regular weekend tradition. We decided to try out Julia Child's popover recipe from the book Baking with Julia.

Autumn says, "Popovers! Yay!" (I swear the cupcake onesie was completely coincidental!)

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour (unbleached)

1 cup whole or 2% milk, at room temp (I used 1%, worked fine)

1/2 tsp salt

3 large eggs

2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

So first, you grease up the muffin pan. You can use a special popover muffin pan (the holes are larger) or ramekins, but we don't have all of that so we use a regular muffin pan. It works just fine. Position the rack on the lowest rung of your oven and preheat to 425 degrees. If you do use ramekins or custard cups, put them on a jelly roll pan and leave space between the cups. 

Pour all of the ingredients into a blender and whirl until smooth. (can also be done in a food processor or with a hand mixer). Strain batter if it is at all lumpy.

For muffin cups, use 1/4 cup of batter per cup, filling alternate holes so each popover has puffing space. 

Bake without opening the door for 25 minutes until they are puffed, nicely browned and crisp on exterior. Turn the temp down to 350 and bake another 15-20 minutes to help dry out the interior, which no matter what you do will always be a little doughy in the center. (Some pull this out, others it's their favorite part - I love it).

Serve immediately.

We serve them with jam. You could also have them with butter or honey.

You can wrap them airtight and freeze them for up to a month and reheat them at 350 for 10-15 minutes.