How to Make Macarons Macarons in the oven. [Photograph: Robyn Lee] I'm ashamed to admit that while I have eaten many macarons, I've never made them on my own. Thankfully, plenty of other people much more skilled in the culinary arts than I am have bravely attempted to make macarons in their home kitchens and have shared their results on that massive virtual brain called the Internet. I'm going to list the most promising recipes I found while aggressively sifting through the web and, from those, pool together a list of tips and tricks for optimum macaron creation. Clement's recipe at A La Cuisine was the most often cited recipe I found while searching through blogs. More Macaron Recipes A Few Tips Sift your ingredients, multiple times if necessary. Use old egg whites. Cooked Italian meringue may be used instead of the uncooked French one. The final macaron batter should have the consistency of magma. If the cookies form peaks on their tops after piping, flatten them with a wet fingertip. by Dorie Greenspan.
Tips for a Perfect Souffle Your First Time, with Pictures After last week’s post about making flourless chocolate cake, I’ve had a couple requests for a souffle how-to. So here is my list of tips for making the perfect souffle. I could also call this my list of everything I’ve ever done wrong to make a not-perfect souffle. Don’t be scared that there is a list. chocolate souffle a la mode TimingA good souffle is all about the drama. You can prep your souffle in advance. I’m told you can also freeze a souffle dish full of batter, and put the souffle straight from the freezer to the oven. Ingredient and Equipment PrepNo farm fresh eggs. Eggs need to be at room temperature. I have a little secret. Once you’ve buttered your souffle dish and sprinkled it with flour, sugar, or crumbs, put the dish in the fridge while you make the batter. The bowl you beat your whites in must be clean. You can add a collar to your souffle if you’re concerned about too much height and your souffle going lopsided, or if you want to fill past the brim. Mise en place.
Monkey Bread with Bourbon Crème Anglaise | Apartment Therapy The Kitchn - StumbleUpon It didn't totally blow up my radar, however, until only a few weeks ago. I was celebrating a bachelorette with some of my favorite girlfriends at a too-cool-for-school Atlanta restaurant. We had already overindulged in one too many courses of food, but our waiter gently encouraged us to order the sampler platter of desserts. Never one to say no to sweets, I caved against my (stomach's) better judgement. I couldn't begin to tell you what else was on that giant tray of desserts. I fell hard for monkey bread that night; I've been waiting patiently for the right time to recreate it. Monkey Bread with Bourbon Crème Anglaise Serves 6-8 For the dough1/4 cup warm water (105-110 degrees)1 envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast1 1/4 cups whole milk 2 tablespoons unsalted butter1 egg, lightly beaten1/4 cup sugar1 teaspoon salt4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed For the caramel coating1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Making French Macarons: Instructions & Recipes It seems like there’s a wave of macaron questions that are sweeping my way. Unlike les brownies or le gâteau weekend (poundcake), successful macarons are more the result of the technique, rather than following a mere recipe. There’s lots of tips and tricks around the web that will help you out with these little devils, including some interesting recipes, too. You can find my chocolate macaron recipe on the site, but here are a few links and places for further reading that I think are particularly helpful and insightful. Websites and Blogs *Not So Humble Pie offers extensive Macaron Troubleshooting and a Recipe. * Duncan at Syrup & Tang presents Macaronicité, and goes into detail with side-by-side photos of common errors. * Bravetart explodes some Macaron Myths. * Follow the online tutorial on making macarons by Helen of TartletteDesserts Magazine. * Béatrice at La Tartine Gourmand has helpful step-by-step photos, accompanied by her nontraditional recipe for Cardamom and Wattle Seed Macarons.
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! (which was gone by 9am the day after). Kind of - sort of - just about unheard of. I did not even know of B's existence the last time it snowed 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.
Apple Walnut Muffins — Our Life In The Kitchen Muffins are always good but with fall in the air it was time for a new variation. What can be simpler and more fall-like than apples and cinnamon? Throw in some walnuts, add a streusel topping and they’re even better. All Purpose Flour, 2 1/4 cups, dividedSugar, 2/3 cupBaking Powder, 2 teaspoonsSalt, 1 teaspoonEggs, 2Milk, 3/4 cupButter, 1/2 cup, dividedBrown Sugar, 1/3 cupApples, 2Walnuts, 3/4 cupCinnamon, 1 teaspoon plus more for sprinkling Preheat the oven to 400. Grease a muffin pan. Peel and core the apples. Dice them into small chunks until you’ve got about 1 to 1 1/2 cups. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, white sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon with a whisk. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup flour, the brown sugar and 1/4 cup butter. Whisk together the milk and eggs until well-blended. Very gently stir the liquid into the bowl of dry ingredients. Gently fold in the apples and walnuts. Sprinkle on a little more cinnamon. Serve warm and enjoy!
Five Days... 5 Ways: Try-it Tuesday: Turtle Cheesecake Delight If you’re tired of bringing the same old pumpkin or apple pie to Thanksgiving each year, I’ve got a much more decadent option that just might make you the hit of the party (and the target of many stink-eyed expressions from those who overindulge…it’s rich). Plus, it’s really pretty. I took it to a Christmas worship team party last year and got accused of “cheating” by buying it at the bakery on the way. The original recipe is here, and it really is the best version of it I’ve ever tasted (just the cheesecake without any toppings is fantastic as well). I’ve made a few small but important tweaks that I’ll share with you today. Here’s what you’ll need to get started: And here’s what you’ll do: Preheat oven to 450°F Dump the entire package of Oreos into a food processer (if you don’t have one, you can always put them in a plastic bag and enlist the help of your kiddos to smash them to bits with a rolling pin). Pulverize the Oreos. And there you have it, folks! Is it low-fat? Um, no. Good for you?
Nutella Caramel Hazelnut Brownies I thought we were a little overdue for another NUTELLA recipe! What about you? I have been wanting to try a Nutella brownie recipe for a bit now, but it couldn’t be just any brownie, it had to be an oooey gooey over the top slap your momma kinda brownie. And after much drooling ehem contemplation, I think I got it! You can tell from looking at them, that this is no wimpy brownie. I will tell you that parchment paper is the secret to getting the brownies just perfect! So go ahead, make a pan or two! Baci! What to do: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Feel free to add your own Nutella recipe link below: Buon Appetito!
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. 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. Instead of coming to recognize the qualities of a good meringue and the consistency of proper macaronage, you fret over how many days the egg whites aged. 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. 3. 4. Skinned vs blanched?
White Bean Soup With Ham - Bean Soup Recipe With Ham Bone and Tomatoes This is an easy soup to make, and hearty enough to be a main dish. Serve this bean soup with fresh baked cornbread or crusty rolls. Ingredients: 1 meaty ham bone3 cups water3 cups chicken broth2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced1 cup diced onion1 cup diced carrot1 cup diced celery1/2 cup diced fennel, optional1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper2 teaspoons fresh or freeze-dried parsley2 teaspoons Creole seasoning or seasoned salt blendpinch thyme1 cup corn kernels1 cup frozen chopped spinach or mustard greens2 cans (15 ounces each) Great Northern or Navy beans, drained and rinsed2 cans (14.5 ounces each) tomatoes, diced1 cup diced ham, optionalsalt and pepper, to taste Preparation: Combine ham bone, water, and chicken broth in a large saucepan. More Bean Soup RecipesHam and Navy Bean SoupNavy Bean SoupHam and Bean Soup RecipeLima Bean Soup RecipeSenate Bean SoupBorder Style Bean SoupBlack Bean SoupCapitol Hill Bean SoupSausage and Bean SoupBlack Bean Soup with HamBarbecue Bean Soup
Pink Lemonade Pound Cake Pink Lemonade Cake Ingredients 1 cup homemade unsalted butter, softened 2 cups white sugar 4 eggs, room temperature 2-3/4 cups flour 2-1/4 tsp baking powder 3/4 tsp salt 1 cup frozen pink lemonade 1 TBS Lemon Zest Pink food colouring Frosting: 1 cup butter, softened 7 to 8 cups powdered sugar, sifted 1/2 cup thawed pink lemonade Lemon zest to taste Pink food colouring Directions Preheat oven to 350 Sift the dry ingredients together and set aside. Beat the butter for 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat another 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat thoroughly after each addition.
Five Days... 5 Ways: Try-it Tuesday: Shortbread Kisses {Recipe} Last night, I went to a cookie exchange at Mandy’s house. It sounded like such a great idea…a bunch of girls spending time together, munching on sugary yumminess. Problem is, my go-to cookie recipe is—wait for it—chocolate chip cookies. How original, right? Now, granted, my chocolate chip cookie recipe (code for: the one I stole from a talented baking friend of mine) is de.li.cious (I’ll share some day). But I knew there would be at least one other choco chip version in attendance, so I decided to go with a simple but absolutely scrumptious little morsel that my mom makes every Christmas. Because nothing says cookie goodness like shortbread + chocolate. And did I mention that they’re super simple to make? Here’s what you’ll need: {Make sure to soften the butter} Oh, and a bag of these: My favorite is the chocolate almond variety, but I went with plain this time around because I didn’t know if any of the other girls had nut allergies. And here’s what you do: Preheat your oven to 325 °F Your call.
Apple Nachos! I have no clue where I originally saw this idea years ago–but in today’s blogging world, apple nachos have become just about as ubiquitous as raw ballz… But, there may still be a few folks remaining who aren’t tuned into all the apple nacho hoopla. If you’ve never tried them, give ’em a whirl! They are ridiculously easy and taste much more awesome than they sound. Obviously this isn’t a recipe–use your imagination and your fave toppings to make THE perfect apple nachos! I used (to feed 1 1/2 kids and 2 adults): 3 crispy and slightly tart apples (we ♥ honeycrisp! For these, I sliced up some apples thin enough so it would be easy to eat the slice in one or two bites. Then I melted some peanut butter–until it was super runny–and drizzled it all over the apples. Couldn’t get much easier! Share with friends!