How to make macarons - some tips and tricks For those of you who read this blog regularly, you will know that macarons are one of my obsessions. Some of you may remember a couple of my early attempts (here, here, and here), then the epiphany of the class at Lenôtre in Paris. Following that class, I had a number of successes and I found the recipe to be very similar to Helene’s (of Tartelette blog) and I used a combination of the Lenôtre techniques with Helene’s recipe most of last year, with varying success. Being a Taurean (stubborn) and A-type (a planner) what bugged me about macarons was how unpredictable they were. Until recently. Encouraged by Stella, I tried my hand at these just before the end of my spring break. I followed Stella’s instructions to a T – even down to the timing of the beating of the whites. The next part that is tricky is the macaronage – the folding in of the dry ingredients to the egg whites. And voilà: The “lunch duty” macarons. Enjoyed by all on the first day back at work after the break.
Macaron Mythbusters As I wrote in my first macaron post, I make macarons every day at work, learning something new with each batch. The most important thing I’ve learned is this: Macarons don’t have magical properties and shouldn’t require quasi-spiritual rituals as part of their mise en place. You wouldn’t learn that from reading up on macaron-themed blog posts, though. Instead you’ll find bakers fervently insisting on an assortment of essential steps to prevent failure, while simultaneously conceding failure as both inevitable and incomprehensible. Everyone harps upon their fickle nature, making half-joking references to spiteful macaron gods. Um, guys? Yet uncertainty makes up a common thread among macaron blog posts. Did you age the egg whites long enough? Such tricks place the importance on ritual and obscure the role of technique, either good or bad. So I wanted to conduct an experiment (or rather, a series of experiments) to determine which factors “the perfect macaron” actually depended upon. 1. 2.
Recipe Box: Dipped Pretzels One of my Aunts always makes chocolate covered pretzels over the holidays so this year I decided to give it a try. Dipped pretzels are a simple, delicious treat that can be tailored to a variety of different tastes. Whether they’re dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with crushed up peppermint, heath bar, or nuts—these sweet and salty little nibbles are a surefire crowd pleaser. Here’s how I made my batch: Ingredientschocolate chips (I did one batch with white chocolate, one batch with milk chocolate)3 tablespoons butter16 ounce bag of mini pretzelstopping of your choice (I used crushed up peppermints, heath bars, and nuts) Directions Not only are these little guys seriously delicious (and addicting!) No matter what you decide to do with your Dipped Pretzels, they’ll always be a big hit. What will you top off your Dipped Pretzels with? XO Lauren Photos: Christopher Patey for LaurenConrad.com
Raspberry Macarons and Cake Pops Look at that reflection in the table! How adorbs is he? Macarons, like you and me, are unique. One of these raspberry macs went surfing in the California sun and the other sat at home snacking in front of Food Network. Some macarons are too sweet, but these combine the complex bittersweetness of quality dark chocolate and the bright floral tang of raspberries. Chocolate raspberry ganache (fills 20 macarons)100g dark chocolate, finely chopped100g heavy cream30g butter, room temp10g raspberry powder (ground freeze dried raspberries) Shells (makes 36-40 shells)90 g almond flour120 g confectioner's sugar35 g granulated sugar70 g egg white (2 large whites)2 g raspberry powder, plus more for dusting For ganache: Heat cream in microwave until just about to boil. For shells: Pulse almond flour, confectioner's sugar, and raspberry powder in food processor until very finely ground. Assembly: Match them based on size and fill with ganache. It appears that cake pops are harder than macarons to make.
Pip & Ebby - Pip & Ebby - Hot cocoa cookies I am a teeny bit obsessed with the cookies from the most recent issue of EveryDay with Rachael Ray magazine. This recipe is the second of many cookie recipes on my list to make this holiday season. Sweets are taking over my life! Just ask my coworkers. I don't think I need to tell you that these were tasty. Ooey gooey chocolatey marshmallowy deliciousness. In a medium saucepan, melt together: 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter 12 oz. chopped semisweet chocolate (bars) Stir frequently over medium heat until smooth. In a medium bowl, whisk together: 1 1/2 cups flour 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt Using an electric mixer, beat together: 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar 3 eggs, at room temperature 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract Beat on low speed until smooth, 2 minutes. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Meanwhile, cut 7.5 ounces of semisweet chocolate (bars) into 1-inch squares. Grate 5 ounces of semisweet chocolate over the hot cookies. Enjoy!
Artful Food: Blueberry Mascarpone Pistachio Macarons I had a tub of mascarpone and no idea what to do with it...until a certain genius, the same person who introduced me to macarons, chef 陈彦强，suggested that I make these. Evidently he overestimated me because they look nothing like the inspiration. ;) But... ...I learned several indispensable life lessons from these little guys (which, I should mention, are rather dangerous - I dare you to hover over them for more than 9 seconds without salivating/devouring one). 1. Don't trust Martha Stewart. I thought I trusted this woman...but alas. 2. 3. 4. I'm very good at keeping the kitchen clean. The near empty tub of mascarpone pictured above was left in the wake of the Deadly Duo: the Rubber Spatula and Cream Craver. The mascarpone filling is deadly. Blueberry Mascarpone Pistachio Macrons 1 batch of macarons, colored purple, sprinkled with pistachios (Huh? more ground pistachios 2 cups frozen organic blueberries 1/3 cup sugar juice of a lemon 7 Tbsp softened butter (3 Tbsp unsalted, 4 Tbsp salted) 1. 2.
I hope you have chocolate chips handy They’re cookies. They’re brownies. They’re brookies. Whatever you want to call them they’re good. Well, I had them for the first time the other day. Sometimes I wonder where I’ve been and how I could have gone this long without tasting easy treats like this. Here’s all the ingredients. If you follow the directions in the recipe, you combine everything by hand, but I decided to use my mixer and let it do all the work. Look at that beautifully thick batter. Spread it all out in a 13 X 9 pan and bake for about 30 minutes. Cool and cut. These are from the first batch. These are from the second batch and slightly… just slightly, more cakey when you sink your teeth in. At first I thought it was just a difference in baking time, but Lori also made a batch using a mixer without knowing that was how I made mine and both of ours came out the same. She likes the mixing by hand method better, too. The great thing about these bars is that you can mix in different additions if you want. M&M’s maybe.
Macarons with white chocolate and raspberry ganache Not all macarons are created equal. Just ask the people queuing outside Paris’s renowned Ladurée. Equally devoted are the patrons of Paris’s other famous purveyor of the delicacy, Pierre Hermé, who specialises in a more outré style of macaron. A true macaron should have a foundation of almonds – never coconut – and be sandwiched with just the right amount of filling, usually a flavoured cream or ganache. Old eggwhites work best and give a more elastic result. The consistency of the raw mixture is important. Once you’ve piped the mixture, tap the tray firmly on your benchtop to settle the mixture and knock any air bubbles out. The trick to obtaining the signature gloss and crust of the macaron is the standing time, which allows a thin skin to form before baking. You’d be right in thinking macarons are a little tricky to make.
2-Minute Chocolate Chip Cookie For One « Recipe This is one of those ‘I-need-a-cookie-right-now-or-I-die’ recipes that can be prepared in almost no time.We all know that kind of situation, don’t we? I definitely do, I confess.And you know what? This impressive cookie not only takes less than 5 minutes to prepare, it tastes really delicious. Just like a good chocolate chip cookie.The preparation is beyond easy… just have a look… First you need this stuff. 1. 2. 3. 4. Save a few for the top, if you wish to.5. Ta-dah! 6.
Tartelette Didn't expect to take this long to announce the winners of the cookbook giveaway but we had snow over the weekend. Snow! In Charleston! Anyways...Congratulations to Victoria N. winner of Amy's Bread and Rosa from Rosa's Yummy Yums, winner of Unforgettable Desserts. I wanted to hear that particular sound after the snow falls. I know it sounds crazy but the evening was made complete by a loss of power. I did make this Raspberry Mascarpone Macarons bouquet for my Valentine. We don't celebrate the sweetest day because each day we are together is well, pretty darn sweet as it is. We also know that for some folks it is a bunch of hopes all wrapped up in many emotions getting a chance to come out on V-Day. He went and got me roses. I've been toying with the idea of putting a macaron on a stick for a while. I think that more than love on Valentine's Day, I love when ideas come together completely by chance.
Chocolate Butterflies Using Wax Paper and Books! {Pattern Included} Welcome to the first post in my five week series. I have the most amazing pinterest inspired party ideas to share with you all. 5 Weeks Worth!!!! Here's why: My lovely sister, Jordan, and I have been planning a surprise birthday party for our gorgeous sister Laurel's 19th birthday. This project all started when I saw these beautiful chocolate butterflies on Pioneer Woman about a year ago & I finally had a opportunity to try them out for myself. Trace out the pattern by placing the wax paper over a printed version (my pattern is found at the bottom of the post.) Next, melt your chocolate almond bark. Don't use chocolate chips. I didn't want to risk my butterfly sticking so I LIGHTLY buttered my wax paper. Turn your wax paper over (with the marker pattern you drew facing the counter) and fold your paper with the crease in the middle of the butterflies body. Now, for the moment you've been waiting for! Now you can pipe your chocolate butterfly. Only Refrigerate until Hardened!