It has been about 1 1/2 months since I wrote about my dismal macaroon failure here. In that time I have done considerable research on making French Macaroons and have finally tried my hand at them again. As you can see by the above picture, they aren’t perfect yet, but I am a lot closer to creating something I am happy with. I think I have the recipe pretty well conquered, now I just have to my piping techniques. The macaroons turned out shatteringly crisp on the outside and still chewy on the inside but they were too tall and not quite smooth on top. I think just a little adjustment to my piping technique and I will be set.

I was amazed, while doing my research, at the large variations in the recipes for French Macaroons. There are a lot of bad recipes out there, and not just on the internet, but in cookbooks also. I was also amazed by the number or recipes that claimed to be based off of the recipe from Laduree, the name in Parisian bakeries specializing in macaroons. With such a wide swing in baking techniques, meringue making techniques, and in the duration to let the macaroons sit before baking, someone (or better yet someones) is lying. The recipe below is one I came up with based on my research and on my experiences last time.

French Macaroons

1 cup Almond flour
1 1/4 cup Confectioner’s Sugar
3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 cup Water
3 each Egg Whites, room temperature
Pinch Salt

Combine the granulated sugar and water in a sauce pot, bring to a boil and cook to soft ball stage (240-242 degrees). Meanwhile, in an electric mixer whip 2 of the egg whites and the pinch of salt to stiff peaks. When sugar has reached soft ball stage remove from heat and, with the mixer going, add the sugar, to the egg whites, in a slow steady stream and continue to beat to stiff peaks again. In another large bowl combine almond flour and confectioner’s sugar. Add remaining egg white and mix together to form a stiff paste. Add 1/3 of the whipped egg whites to the almond mixture and stir to combine and lighten. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites and well combined.

Cover 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place batter into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch pastry tip and pipe onto cookie trays into 1 1/2 inch circles. Allow macaroons to sit for 30-40 minutes to allow a skin to form over the mounds of meringue. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 325 degrees. With the door of the oven left open a crack bake the macaroons for 12 minutes. Spin and rotate the trays and bake another 12, again with the oven door slightly ajar. Remove from oven and allow to cool on trays until completely cool.

Fill with your preferred filling. I used caramel as we had some lying around waiting for me to make caramel apples with my daughter. Buttercreams, ganaches, and fruit curds all make great fillings, though just about anything can be sandwiched between the cookies. This recipe makes approximately 40 individual macaroons.

It seems to be a universal truth that kids hate brussels sprouts and who can blame them, especially if they were all served like my parents served them; cooked to death then drizzled with vinegar. It’ no wonder that many of us ever outgrow that hatred. That’s too bad because brussels sprouts can be a wonderful vegetable. Sure, overcooked they can be mushy, slimy and sulfurous, but when cooked properly they have a wonderful earthy quality about them and just a hint of a sharp bite that makes them lively.

While many people still prefer to blanch them whole, or cut them in half and blanch them, before giving them a quick saute in butter, I prefer to pull them apart so that each leaf is its own individual. I then saute the raw leaves and finish them by steaming them with a little liquid. Sure it is a little more time consuming this way, but I like the resulting texture and flavor cooking brussel sprouts this way.

Brussels Sprouts with Pecans & Dried Cranberries
1 1/2 pounds Brussels Sprouts
2 slices Bacon, diced
1 clove Garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. Butter
1/4 cup Pecans, toasted
1/4 cup Dried Cranberries
1/3 cup Madeira (Sherry works great also)
Salt
Pepper

Core and peel apart the brussels sprouts. Thinly slice the tight centers of the brussels sprouts. In a large skillet cook the bacon over medium high heat. When brown and crispy remove from pan and pour off all but 1 Tbsp. of bacon fat. Add the butter to the skillet and allow to melt. When the foaming subsides add the the brussels sprouts and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes longer, continuing to stir. Toss in the dried cranberries and the Madeira. Continue to cook until the Madeira as reduced to almost dry and the brussels sprouts are tender. Add the pecans and cooked bacon. Season with salt and pepper and serve. This serves 4 as a side vegetable.

This past Saturday my brother and his wife came up to spend the weekend. The plan was for them to arrive in time for dinner on Saturday and then they and I would head out and hit one of the local haunted houses for a good scare. The wife opted to stay home and take care of our daughter. She may love a good scary movie, but haunted houses, with all the loud noises and people jumping out, at her, just isn’t her idea of a fun time. The weather was cool, bordering on cold and just a little rainy so I was looking to make something that was warming, soul satisfying, but not overly heavy. I wasn’t in the mood for soup or chili and stew seemed a little too heavy when I remembered that it had been awhile since I had made risotto. Served with pan roasted chicken breast, it would be the perfect dish for the night; warm and comforting, yet it wouldn’t weigh us down as we ducked ghouls and ghosts and ran from bloodthirsty serial killers. Since it is Autumn, I decided to garnish the risotto with mushrooms and fresh sage, which also made a wonderful compliment to the simply pan roasted chicken breasts.

Mushroom Risotto
6 ounces Mushrooms (use a few varieties. I used white, shiitake and portobello mushrooms)
1 each Shallot, minced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 1/4 cups Arborio rice (or other Italian rice normally used for risotto such as Carnaroli)
1/4 cup White Wine
4 cups Chicken Stock
2 tsp. Fresh Sage, minced
2 Tbsp. Fresh Chives, minced
4 Tbsp. Butter
1/4-1/3 cup Parmesan, grated
Salt
Pepper

Bring chicken broth to a boil, reduce heat and allow to stay at a simmer. Meanwhile heat a large pot over high heat and add 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil. Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and saute until golden brown. Add shallots and garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add remaining olive oil, then the rice. Stir until the rice is coated with oil then add the wine. Stir the rice and cook until the wine is full absorbed. Turn heat down to medium high. Add about 1/2 cup of the stock and cook until absorbed, stirring the entire time. Add another 1/2 cup of stock, stirring and cooking until absorbed. Don’t stop stirring the risotto. The stirring is the key to a good, creamy risotto. Continue this process until the rice is al dente. Don’t over cook the rice or it will be too mushy. It may not take quite all the stock or it might take just a little more than the 4 cups depending on the rice and will take about 18 minutes to cook. Add the sage about 1/2 way through the cooking process. When done remove from heat and stir in the butter and Parmesan cheese.   Check the seasoning and season with salt and pepper, if necessary.  Have everything else, that you are serving, ready as risotto does not like to sit around and will continue to cook and get mushy if not served right away. When serving garnish with the fresh chives. This makes enough risotto for 4 generous side dishes.

It’s hard to believe that it’s October already. This year seems to have flown by. I’m still trying to figure out where summer went. Some would argue that we never really had summer due to the unseasonably cool weather we had. I wouldn’t disagree with that sentiment, but I am glad to see fall arrive. With the advent of Fall, I start to think of the holidays that are just around the corner. Yes, I know that they are still a ways away, but some preparations need to be made now. My family often gives “homemade” gifts for Christmas, and in my family that usually means food, and more specifically home canned goods and homemade cordials. These are items that need to be started now as they often take months to cure and/or mature. This also gets me to thinking of our holiday meals. Our meals tend to be traditional, but elaborate affairs complemented by a number of pickles and relishes, most of which take a number of weeks between initial preparation and the time they are ready to eat.

One of my favorite of all these relishes are the homemade pickled beets and the purple pickled eggs made using the liquid from those same beets. Normally these are prepared using standard red beets, but this past Saturday, while perusing the local farmer’s market I came across some beautiful golden beets.

These were too nice to pass up so I decided to use them instead of the traditional red. I imagine that later this month I will also pickle some red beets also, as Thanksgiving and Christmas just aren’t the same without purple pickled eggs. I also plan on using the liquid, from the golden beets to try and make some yellow pickled eggs also. Don’t know how it will work, but I’m sure I’ll share my attempts here. (continue reading…)

If you have been reading my blog for any length of time, you are  aware that I am a big fan of the website ChefTalk.  Not only do I write articles and cookbook reviews for ChefTalk, I also spend a lot of time surfing the site and forums both helping educate and being educated about food.  This month ChefTalk is hosting a photo competition with, of course, food as the theme.  Here’s a brief description of the contest:

ChefTalk invites chefs, cooks, bakers, culinary students, home cooks, and all food lovers to participate in the first annual digital photography contest, Foodies’ Food Eyes. The competition, open to all interested in the creation of food, challenges you to use your perspective to capture your impression on the world of cooking and food. The winners in each of the two categories (Manipulated and non-manipulated) win prizes and have their photo featured in the ChefTalk newsletter as well as prominently displayed on the site.

You can find all the information on the contest here

I encourage everyone to enter as there are some great prizes. Even if you don’t enter come check out all the pictures people have submitted.