Category Archives: French Macarons

Strawberry Pavlova with Honey Lavender Whipped Cream

Posted on May 8, 2013 | 5 Comments

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Last week the kids and I went strawberry picking. After, we were invited over to my mom’s house for a small luncheon with some aunts and cousins.

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Now let me tell you about my mom. She can throw a Hampton’s style party, with a farmer’s budget and 24 hours notice (and me cooking of course). And her flowers? Let me just say that she has the ability to turn weeds into stunning arrangements, seriously. But she is not a cook, with exception to her braciole (because I know that as soon as I post this, you will be calling me with a list of the things you do cook). So, when she invited other people over, and insisted that she would be cooking, I knew we were in trouble.

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I was right. Of course there were free-flowing Mimosas, but appetizers…nada, protein…zultch, dessert…non-existent. I can say, however, that the Costco Kale Salad was delicious. I quickly got to work to offered a more well-rounded meal.

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Since I did not have my normal cabinet of ingredients available to me, I had to make something simple. These Strawberry Pavlovas were light and fresh and perfect to serve at a luncheon on a warm spring day. The honey lavender whipped cream paired so nicely with the sweet strawberries, that it is my new favorite flavor combination!

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This dessert would be perfect for your Mother’s Day Brunch!

Strawberry Pavlova recipe adapted from Heatherchristo.com

  •  4 egg whites
  • 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 1/2 chopped strawberries
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Wholesome Sweetners Organic Raw Honey
  • 1 tsp dried lavender

Preheat oven to 185 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy. Add powdered sugar and salt and beat on high until stiff peaks form when you remove the beater.

Place the egg white mixture into a large ziploc bag, or a piping bag, and cut of the end. Pipe 3 in rounds, about 2 inches apart. Bake at 185 degrees for 20 minutes. Turn off oven and allow to cool in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Using a spatula, gently remove meringues and place on the serving plate. Or if serving later, store in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Dice strawberries and sprinkle sugar on top. Place on top of meringues.

Beat honey, whipped cream and lavender on high until stiff peaks form. Spoon on top of strawberries. Garnish with lavender flowers if desired. Serve immediately.

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Peach French Macaron Perfection With The Eat Smart Scale

Posted on May 25, 2012 | 5 Comments

I have mentioned this before, but I will mention it again, when making French Macarons, it is imperative to measure your ingredients. This digital kitchen scale by Eat Smart does an AWESOME job.

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The Peanut Butter Addiction

Posted on April 5, 2012 | Leave a comment

*Disclaimer- This is not for the weak stomach

Growing up, there was a permanent condiment on our kitchen table during every meal. My dad would find a use for it no matter what we were eating. You would probably never guess it, but that condiment was peanut butter. He would put it on everything (and still does). His worst choice was garlic bread covered in peanut butter…it still makes me quiver. Upon my husband’s arrival to the US, (not until recently can you even find pb in Switzerland) he discovered peanut butter and now consumes it daily. In fact, he can compete with my dad’s level of ridiculousness by smothering it onto his egg and oat “pancake” every. single. morning.

 

I seem to be the only level-headed peanut butter lover in my family. I deeply appreciate anything that contains peanut butter and chocolate.  I love it when Easter rolls around because the large egg shape Reese’s appear, because lets face it, having to unwrap 10 of those little cups is just plain annoying. Now these store-bought chocolates are ok when you are at the grocery store and grab one at the checkout because you forgot to have breakfast, and lunch, and need something to fill your rumbling stomach, but cannot compare to the homemade ones. Quality chocolate, butter and peanut butter create an elegant and sophisticated homemade childhood favorite. Wow, did I really just describe a peanut butter ball as being elegant and sophisticated?? I must have eaten too many.  I also made these into the shapes of eggs this year to stick into Easter baskets.

Peanut Butter  Truffles 

  • 2 cups creamy peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  •  2 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
  • 12 ounces good quality semi sweet chocolate
  • 2 tbsp shortening or coconut oil
Mix peanut butter, butter, salt, vanilla, and confectioner’s sugar until well combined. Roll 1 inch balls and freeze for 30 minutes or refrigerate for 1 hour.
Melt chocolate and shortening in a double boiler on low until melted, stirring constantly to avoid scorching.
Dip each ball into chocolate and place on a drying rack. Decorate if desired. I topped some of them with toffee chocolate bits. After drying you can also melt 1/4 cup of creamy peanut butter and drizzle over the tops of the truffles. Allow to thoroughly dry before storing.

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Posted in Cheesecakes, French Macarons

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The Hawaiian French Macaron

Posted on March 13, 2012 | 6 Comments

If you haven’t yet noticed, I love making French Macarons. I think it is because they are so incredibly temperamental that if you do the slightest thing wrong, your whole batch is a flop. A tiny bit of egg yolk…your egg whites don’t stiffen, or if you over beat them the end cookie will result in cracked meringue, etc. Every time I make them I get this inner sense of self accomplishment…which is kind of ridiculous considering the amount of times I have made them!

Craving that self-esteem booster, I made yet another batch this weekend. I was strolling the farmer’s market and one of the vendors was selling some over ripe guavas. I was instantly intrigued and immediately bought a pound. I knew that I wanted to incorporate them into a macaron some how, but was not sure how I could add the extra liquid into the batter and still have the end result be a perfect shell. So I decided to make a quick jam. I then added 1/4 of a cup of the jam to the buttercream. It. Was. Heavenly. I ended up adding coconut extract to the shells to create an Hawaiian vacation in my mouth.

If you are like me and in dire need of a Hawaiian vacation, recreate these. Then sit down, close your eyes and you will begin to hear waves and the wind blowing in the palm trees. Upon finishing your macaron, you will open your eyes and get slammed with the reality that your kitchen is in shambles and your kids will NOT STOP fighting. Welcome back, your vacation is over.

Don’t forget to follow The Seaside Baker and comment here for a chance to win a French Macaron baking kit!!!

Coconut Macaron Shells

90 gr egg whites (roughly 3 egg whites)

25 gr to 50gr (2 Tb to 1/4 cup) granulated sugar (I generally only use 25 gr)

1 tsp coconut extract

200 gr ( 1.5 cups + 2Tb) powdered sugar

110 ground almonds ( 3/4 cup) or almond flour (my preference)

Although the recipe provides measurements, I find that the macarons turn out much better when the ingredients are weighed.

Separate your egg whites and put them in a loosely covered container “to age” for 24-48 hours or up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Pulse your almond flour and powdered sugar in the food processor a few times. This really breaks up the powdered sugar and makes for a smooth shell.

Fit your mixer with the whisk attachment. Put your egg whites and gel food coloring (I usually do 2 knife tips worth of food coloring) and beat on medium until it is foamy. Turn your mixer on low and gradually add the sugar and extract. Once all the sugar has been added, beat on high until hard peaks form…but do not overbeat!!!

Fold in your almond flour/powder sugar mix into the egg whites gently, until completely mixed (but not more than 50 strokes).

Fit your pastry bag with a round tip (Ateco #807 or #809). I put the pastry bag into a tall cup and fold the sides over. It makes it easier to fill.

Pipe 1.5 inch rounds onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicon mat and allow to sit for 30 minutes to an hour. This enables the shell to harden and will create the “foot” while baking.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees or 280 degrees for a conventional oven. Bake for 18 -20 min, however you need to rotate the pan halfway through the baking process.  Allow to throughly cool before filling.

Guava Buttercream Filling

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 – 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1 pinch of salt

1/4 cup guava jam

1 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

Beat butter and jam for 2 minutes. Add powdered sugar and milk or cream. Beat with whisk attachment for 3 minutes on high.

I put the frosting in a sandwich bag and cut of the tip, then pipe the filling onto the macarons, then sandwich together.

Aloha!

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To Fire Or Not To Fire?

Posted on March 2, 2012 | 3 Comments

I have two sous-chefs and one taste taster in my kitchen. All play a vital role in the outcome of my recipes.

Lets start with my taste tester. He does an awesome job at testing everything…except vegetables, soups, or anything healthy. He is such a good tester that sometimes I will find him taking extra tastes of cookie dough or with a mouth full of a CAN of whipped cream.

Next we have one of my sous-chefs. She is amazing, always eager to get her hands dirty, and cracks an egg perfectly. She will make an incredible chef one day.

Now here is where I am conflicted. My newest sous-chef is so lazy. He is up partying all night and literally drinks until he passes out! I even caught him sleeping on the job.

But my problem is this: even though he is lazy and sleeps on the job, his smile just makes me melt. I guess I will just have to give him another three months and then reevaluate his work…

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The Luck of the Irish

Posted on February 28, 2012 | 7 Comments

St. Patty’s Day is fast approaching, and while I do enjoy a green beer every year, this year I wanted something else green. Let’s face it, a green macaron is so much more luxurious! With the amount of food coloring needed to obtain a good strong color, I can guarantee you that you will be sporting some green teeth and a green tongue after eating one :)

I chose an almond flavoring for the shells and a rose water buttercream for the filling. I loved the flavor combination, and received rave reviews.

Almond Rose French Macarons

90 gr egg whites (roughly 3 egg whites)

25 gr to 50gr (2 Tb to 1/4 cup) granulated sugar (I generally only use 25 gr)

1 tsp Almond extract

200 gr ( 1.5 cups + 2Tb) powdered sugar

110 ground almonds ( 3/4 cup) or almond flour (my preference)

Although the recipe provides measurements, I find that the macarons turn out much better when the ingredients are weighed.

Separate your egg whites and put them in a loosely covered container “to age” for 24-48 hours or up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Pulse your almond flour and powdered sugar in the food processor a few times. This really breaks up the powdered sugar and makes for a smooth shell.

Fit your mixer with the whisk attachment. Put your egg whites and gel food coloring (I usually do 2 knife tips worth of food coloring) and beat on medium until it is foamy. Turn your mixer on low and gradually add the sugar and extract. Once all the sugar has been added, beat on high until hard peaks form…but do not overbeat!!! (I will have photos in my next macaron post with specific pictures to explain this).

Fold in your almond flour/powder sugar mix into the egg whites gently, until completely mixed (but not more than 50 strokes).

Fit your pastry bag with a round tip (Ateco #807 or #809). I put the pastry bag into a tall cup and fold the sides over. It makes it easier to fill.

Pipe 1.5 inch rounds onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicon mat and allow to sit for 30 minutes to an hour. This enables the shell to harden and will create the “foot” while baking.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees or 280 degrees for a conventional oven. Bake for 18 -20 min, however you need to rotate the pan halfway through the baking process.  Allow to thoroughly cool before filling.

Rose Buttercream Filling

1 stick unsalted butter ), softened

1 1/2 – 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1 pinch of salt

1 tablespoon rose water

2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

Beat butter and extract for 2 minutes. Add powdered sugar and milk or cream. Beat with whisk attachment for 3 minutes on high.

I put the frosting in a sandwich bag and cut of the tip, then pipe the filling onto the macarons, then sandwich together.

Enjoy!!!!

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The Foodgasm

Posted on February 9, 2012 | 3 Comments

Yesterday was a bittersweet day for me. After multiple failed attempts, I finally achieved the perfect French Macaron. It was crunchy on the outside and gooey on the inside…absolutely majestic! Then the reality set in: no matter how orgasmic this cookie tastes, the way it looks on my hips doesn’t have the same effect. Solution…bake and give!

I decided that this year I would be cupid. However, instead of shooting potential couples with arrows of love, I would reach out to my single friends. For Valentine’s Day I will be providing each of them with a basket of Foodgasms…you know the type of food that you bite into and you begin to unconsciously moan out loud and you think to yourself “OMG this is better than an orgasm.” I consider myself quite a good friend…making sure that my single friends are properly equipped with delicious, out of this world orgasmic indulgences while trying to distract them from their feelings of loneliness and self-doubt (otherwise known as the Valentine’s Day Blues), and that they maintain their daily calorie count!!!

Anyway, my Foodgasm basket would not be complete without the most romantic cookie known to man. If a cookie could be sexy than this would be the George Clooney (Yes I know that he is getting old but he is still HOT!) of a cookie, and of course it would speak French… “awhahawhawhawhaw, Allo My name iz zhi franch mac-a-ron awahahaw.”

Now Macarons are not too difficult to make, however they are extremely temperamental. I followed this tutorial from Tartelette… a French Macaron Guru. My first attempt was a flop I think because I did not age my egg whites and also because I did not beat them enough. So if you are going to make these take particular attention to this, or your batch too will be a failure!

This batch I decided to make the shells almond flavored and a milk chocolate buttercream and they were amazing!

Milk Chocolate Buttercream

  • 4 oz. milk chocolate chips
  • 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 stick unsalted butter
  • 3 Tbs. heavy cream
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon to avoid burning. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Let cool to room temperature.In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the confectioners’ sugar, butter, cream, the vanilla and salt and beat on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes, then reduce the speed to low. Add the chocolate and beat until combined, then increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 minute more.If the frosting is dry, add more milk, 1 tsp. at a time, until it is creamy but still holds peaks. Makes about 2 cups.

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