January 19th, 2007 by eater
Last week Jef (aka the foodie) made the very rich Sarah Bernhardt pastries which he posted about. Something that was not mentioned there was that the almond macaroons that make the base of the pastry are wonderful cookies in their own right. I happen to be an enormous fan of anything flavored with almonds, so this simple almond cookie is one of my very favorites.
The texture of the cookies is light, airy and smooth, with a crisp outside and a slight chewiness on the inside. They have lots of almond-y goodness inside and out. These are the sort of cookie that it is very easy to lose track of exactly how many you’ve eaten!
Almond Macaroon
(makes about 60)
400g almond paste
200g sugar
3 egg whites
Preheat oven to 375°F
Beat almond paste and sugar in an electric mixer
Add egg whites, one at a time, and mix until smooth
Pipe small mounds (about 2cm) on silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet
Bake at 375°F for 10 min or until lightly browned
Let cool on silpat/baking paper
Turn paper over and peel off the back of cookies
Category: pastry |
2 Comments »
December 20th, 2006 by eater
There are few things in the world that I find more pleasant than snuggling up with the dog on the couch while delicious food creations are conjured in the kitchen, filling the house with wonderful scents.
I had the pleasure of that experience the other night while Jef created this Thai curry soup. He used coconut oil for this one, so the distinct but delicate scent of coconut was already wafting through the air from the moment the cooking began.
This was a perfect soup for a cold night, with the warmth of soup and warmth of spicy green curry both working to take away the winter chill.
Green Curry Soup
2 tilapia fillets
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled but tails left on
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
3 carrots, peeled and roll cut
6 baby bok choi, whole - bottoms removed
2 cloves garlic 1 tsp ginger
6 green onions
1 Tbsp Thai green curry paste
1 can cream of coconut (coconut milk may be used)
3 Tbsp oil (preferably coconut oil)
Thai fish sauce (to taste)
rice noodles or rice, prepared
Mince garlic, ginger, and the whites of the green onion. Saute in oil until fragrant.
Add green curry paste and saute for 1 minute.
Add coconut cream and 4 times as much water.
Add potatoes and carrots and bring to a boil.
Cook until potatoes are fork-tender, then add the seafood and bok choi and reduce to a simmer.
Simmer for about 5 minutes or until the fish is flaky and the shrimp have turned pink and curled.
Server over cooked rice noodles or steamed rice.
Garnish with scallion tops and chopped cilantro.
Category: savory |
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December 10th, 2006 by eater
Such a fitting start, the beautiful
French macaron: two smooth and delicate meringue-like rounds flavored however the chef pleases, usually made in some
beautiful pastel color that reflects the flavor, and sandwiched with some wonderful, complementary flavored filling between. They are generally made either as standard three inch rounds or small one inch miniatures.
He has made them in raspberry, blackberry, pistachio, chocolate, and orange with various fruit or chocolate fillings. They are always sublime creations that disappear quickly. The outside of the pastry has a slight crispness to it, and a slightly soft moistness inside with the center filling always an irresistible match.
His latest creation is a very Japanese take on the macaron, a green tea, or
matcha, flavored pastry with red bean paste, or
an, filling.
Matcha Macaron
110g almond powder
140g powdered sugar
7g matcha
(powdered green tea)
90g egg whites
60g granulated sugar
Enough red bean paste
to fill about five dozen miniature macarons
Preheat oven to 305°F
Place almond powder, powdered sugar, and matcha in a food processor. Process with metal blade until thoroughly combined.
Beat whites in a bowl with an electric mixer at high speed. As the whites begin to foam, add sugar in a slow stream while mixing. Continue mixing at high speed until whites reach stiff peaks.
Fold almond mixture into egg whites in three additions. The mixture will deflate quite a bit. Continue folding until mixture is fully combined and shiny.
Immediately fill a pastry bag 
fitted with a 11mm round tip 
and pipe into rounds onto a baking sheet lined with a silpat baking mat.
Leave macarons out to dry for about 30 minutes or until they do not stick to your finger when touched.
When macarons are sufficiently dry, place in the oven to bake. After about five minutes, a ruffled skirt should develop around the bottom edge of each macaron. Rotate the baking sheet by 180 degrees, and bake for another five to seven minutes.
Check to see if macarons are done by grabbing the top of one macaron and trying to shake it. They are done when the top barely slides against the skirt. If they are not done, extend baking time by two minutes intervals, checking after each extension.
Move silpat to a cooling rack. After macarons have cooled enough to touch, remove them from silpat and place upside down on rack.If they do not easily come off silpat, place in freezer for a few minutes and try again.
Sandwich macarons together with smooth red bean paste.
Keep macarons in the freezer and serve chilled. Macarons are best the day after baking, giving them time to dry out a bit.
Makes about five dozen macarons.
Category: pastry |
2 Comments »
