Holiday baking, 2019 (part 1)

The holiday season is my favorite excuse to amp up on baking.  It's a year-round sport for me but come late November through the month of December, baking takes on a whole extra level of sweetness.  I'm savoring this time in the kitchen, and I thought it'd be fun to once again cobble together pics of some of the baking that's been going on in my kitchen.  We're baking plenty of family-favorites, with some new recipes mixed in.

Let's start with the peppermint-chocolate macarons shown above.  I'm no stranger to trying macaron recipes and even though it's always a high-wire act with uncertain results, I can't help myself.  Since it's the holidays, it's all about the peppermint - my son's favorite flavor this time of year - so I went with the chocolate and peppermint combo using Martha Stewart's recipe in her latest book, Cookie Perfection.  I wish I could say my macarons were perfection but I did have some cracked shells.  Overall, though, we ended up with a solid batch of macarons.  It was the first time I flavored the macaron shells with peppermint (as opposed to adding it in the chocolate ganache filing) and we really liked the result.

Did I mention it's all about the chocolate-peppermint right now?  I snuck in an early batch of my son's favorite peppermint brownies a few weeks ago.  By request, I'm actually making another batch today as I type this.  

For me, it's time to stock up on almond paste during the holidays.  A batch of pignoli cookies hit the table this season and I also made the cherry-almond macaroons just yesterday.  

They bake up, and disappear, very quickly.  I love having almond paste around and making some version of these chewy almond macaroons whenever I have extra egg whites on hand.

During this season of warm drinks, it's also nice to have simple cookies like hazelnut biscotti around for dipping.  I love a dry, crunchy biscotti filled with nuts!  It's also a great option when you want something a little less rich - that way, you have space for all the other chocolates and treats around us this time of year.  

Macarons, the Italian method

I've been curious about making macarons using the Italian method for a long time. Until now, it's always been the French method (so called because it's based on the method of making French meringue by simply whipping egg whites to stiff peaks).  It can be hard to force yourself out of your comfort zone, particularly one relatively hard-earned as was the case for me when it comes to macaron-making.  So I've been putting it off and waiting for the "mood" to hit...it finally did and I gave it a try last week (on Bastille Day, coincidentally).  

Almond macarons with chocolate-hazelnut ganache filling, made using the Italian method

When it comes to the Italian method of making macarons, the recipe involves an Italian meringue, where hot sugar syrup is poured into egg whites and beaten to stiff, thick, glossy peaks.  To hear it, that alone is a little intimidating.  Plus, it adds another step to the already intricate macaron-making process.  But I'd heard good things about this method - how it makes the meringue more stable and provides you with a more consistent result. 

So I'm here to report my findings; pardon me for being too wordy because I do realize this may only be this interesting to me...

The Process and the Result

For my inaugural batch of macarons made using the Italian method, I used Dorie Greenspan's recipe from Baking Chez Moi because what better teacher than Dorie for a project like this.  As I often do, I divided the recipe in half thinking I didn't need 45 macarons in the house (in the end, however, my quantity turned out quite a bit smaller than expected).  Dividing the recipe isn't difficult using a scale but working with a small amount of egg whites is a bit tricky.  In the end, it worked out just fine from what I can tell.  

To focus on the method itself, I made basic almond macarons (no food coloring or additional flavors; I did dust a few with cocoa powder for aesthetics).  The filling is a chocolate-hazelnut ganache, which I went with mainly because I wanted to use up some leftover hazelnut praline paste, and because it's delicious.  

Chocolate-hazelnut ganache filling - essentially chocolate ganache with hazelnut praline paste stirred in

There definitely is a learning curve here and while I'll need to give it another round or two to fully get the hang of it, I have to say that this method did make for a more "professional" (for lack of a better word) caliber macaron.  

I've almost always had trouble with hallow shells, or a bit of a gap/air pocket in my macaron shells, and this batch turned out dense and chewy, without that noticeable gap.  That's pretty major to me since that has always been the main thing bugging me about my homemade efforts.  These macarons were sturdier, less-fragile than the ones I make with the French method.

Overall, making these macarons was a learning experience.  I'm convinced it takes about 3 attempts at a macaron recipe to get it "right" or to be comfortable with it because there's so much like your oven temperature and so on involved that calls for a little "watch-and-see".  That said, I've learned not to sweat it.  Making macarons requires paying attention to the steps but they don't need to turn out perfect.

Much like the French method I've used in the past, I never really know exactly what I'm going to get.  Sometimes you get lofty height and prominent feet while, other times, that feet is not quite so pronounced.  It was the case here.  The macarons on the first baking sheet that went in the oven puffed up quickly and I was actually afraid the shell might split so I actually turned down the oven temperature a bit near the end.  Ironically though, the macaron shells settled down after baking and that first batch ended up with a less pronounced feet than the second batch! 

In the photo above, the plain macaron shells on the left came from the first batch that went in the oven while the cocoa dusted one on the right came from the second batch. The ones from the second batch (the left) had more pronounced feet.  You never quite know what you're going to get!  They tasted the same and had the same interior texture though.

Vanilla bean macarons with ganache filling

One of the benefits of starting this little blog 3 years ago is learning to make many things I'd otherwise buy. I've discovered lots of great recipes and I'm constantly craving something I've made before and itching to get in the kitchen to make it again.

Learning to make macarons has been one of the more memorable challenges.   It's not necessarily hard but a little unpredictable.  The learning process was a drawn-out one of trial and error (with a change in oven thrown in the midst) and to this day, I never know how a batch will turn out.  But, ironically enough, doing this blog has loosened me up a lot in the last few years.  I don't stress about things turning out perfectly (because they don't and you need to do things for the joy of it) though I'm obviously hopeful for a tasty outcome.  And with macarons, every time we spend $2.50-$3.00 buying one of them, I think to myself: I've got to make a batch so I don't get rusty! 

I won't be so silly as to compare my homemade macarons with the ones at the pastry shop but boy, you save so much money making them yourself - and a girl has to be practical sometimes!  Honestly, they taste great even if they don't turn out with perfect feet or in one uniform size.  

At home, I stick with the basics (chocolate, coffee, pistachio, etc.) and this time, I decided to make "plain" vanilla bean macarons with my default filling, chocolate ganache.  I attempted to fill some with strawberry preserves (and really, the almond-vanilla macaron shells are great to fill with just about any flavors you like) but I found it too thin as a macaron filling.  It's curious because I've often seen fruit jams as an option for macaron filling but I'm starting to think you'd need to reduce/thicken it a bit first, or stir it into some white chocolate ganache.  My mind always reverts to chocolate.

Macarons always make me think of Ladurée, the Parisian house where it all started. About 2 years ago, a Ladurée boutique opened in midtown Manhattan and earlier this year, another opened in Soho.  This location in Soho is not only a boutique but also a tea salon/restaurant.  Needless to say, I've been wanting to go and my fellas and I finally had a lovely breakfast there recently.

Living in New Jersey, we try to hop into Manhattan some weekends to do a little exploring and eating.  On this recent weekend morning, I had to be in the city for another appointment and having a quiet, early breakfast at Ladurée sounded like a great option since that rather-rambunctious 9-year old of ours would be in attendance.  We had tea, hot chocolate, croissants, breads, and dessert!  We had a lot to cover on my first sit-down visit.  And my, I had a lovely time - a better time than I expected, actually. Ladurée is a place that is somehow at once both whimsical and sophisticated.  I loved the ambiance and their signature color palette of pastels.  If I could convince someone to sell me those plates and cups, I would be in heaven.  

The visit to Ladurée definitely encouraged me to go home and "whip up" a batch macarons for myself.  

Macarons with mint chocolate ganache

I haven't made macarons in months and not since I replaced my oven so I thought it was time to make a batch.  After all, I wouldn't want my Le Cordon Bleu training to go to waste.  Ha!  I'm just kidding about that!!  I did take a class at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris but it was just for fun, and just one short macaron-making class for beginners.  We took that trip right around this time last year and thinking about it always puts a smile on my face (as well as makes me hungry).

So I decided to make macarons with mint chocolate ganache.  I started with basic almond macaron shells, tinted them lightly in green to hint at the peppermint chocolate ganache filling within.  I love the classic combination of chocolate and mint, and the cooling sensation from peppermint so I flavored my chocolate ganache with peppermint extract.  You could also use a bar of mint chocolate instead.

 

Well, I was definitely a little rusty!  These macarons were far from my best work (though my body of work isn't all that extensive to begin with) but I've learned - particularly with macarons - not to let perfection be the enemy of the good.  Through trial and error, I've figured out that while making macarons isn't as impossible as I first thought, it can be a little unpredictable.   Regardless, the results are usually very delicious, and the flavor of these did not disappoint us one bit!

 

I hadn't had a macaron in a few months (for a while, I kind of OD'ed on them) and one bite reminded me of why I adore them so much.  It's a taste and textural thing.  They're slightly crisp on contact until that outer layer shatters to reveal a chewy yet soft center that's stuffed with chocolate ganache (mint chocolate in this case).  The slight grittiness from the ground almonds makes them all the more interesting and tasty.

I made a few mistakes with this batch of macarons.  The first is something I can't seem to resist doing and that's making my macarons too big!   The more serious offense, however, was over-mixing by a few strokes so that the batter was thinner than it should have been.  And as I mentioned, I was using my new oven, which seems hotter than the old one.  As a result of all these factors, the feet on my macarons flared out too much and the tops browned more than I wanted (I think trying to tint macarons just *lightly* is tricky because of that).  Ironically though, I didn't have as much of a problem with hallow shells as I usually do.  The middle of these cookies actually looked quite lovely with their pure green hue but no one would stop eating them long enough for me to take a picture!

 

I've come to expect curveballs when making macarons.  I seriously think you need to make them pretty regularly to keep up with the rhythm of it.  It can sense your fear and doubts if you have any (please excuse me for being overly dramatic today).

That said, I really do love my homemade macarons!  While most people will tell you to refrigerate your filled macarons at least overnight before eating so that the flavors meld and the centers soften, we like them any way and time.  My family and I prefer our macarons chewy so we don't mind eating them straight away.

I'm glad to have completed this inaugural batch of macarons in my new oven.  Hopefully, I'll do better with the next batch (my little one and I figure we'll make chocolate again next).

To see some of my past - somewhat more successful - macaron making attempts, please click on...

Chocolate-hazelnut macarons

In the interest of full disclosure, I actually made these chocolate-hazelnut macarons a few months ago, before our Spring vacation in Paris and before I tackled the chocolate ones for the third time.  I just wanted to finish the saga behind the making of those chocolate macarons before talking about variations of it.  But a few months ago, after I had successfully made hazelnut macarons (which I love), I thought it'd be fun to combine the two and make chocolate-hazelnut ones. 

I had a delicious chocolate-hazelnut macaron at Bouchon Bakery in The Time Warner Center in NYC several months ago.  They have some seriously delicious food and baked goods there.  The chocolate-hazelnut macarons were screaming my name (or I was screaming for it) and it sure did not disappoint.

At the time, Bouchon Bakery only sold the rather large macarons, which I had no problems with.  In fact, we thought one of those was just the right portion as a satisfying snack.  The thing that struck me about their macarons was, not only were they delicious, they were so "perfect".  As in they looked perfect - perfectly smooth and uniform, each one looking like an exact replicate of the other, like compacts lined up behind the glass at a cosmetics counter.  Thinking back, it was around Christmastime when we visited (time sure flies) and they had a candy cane flavor macaron.  Of course, the little guy wanted one of those and wouldn't you know they even managed to make that tasty!  Kudos to them.

These chocolate-hazelnut macarons are literally a combination of the chocolate and  hazelnut versions - two flavors that are pretty tied as my favorite.  I use cocoa powder and a mix of hazelnuts and almonds in the batter.  For the filling, I made gianduja (chocolate-hazelnut) ganache again.  As my husband noted, the overall taste is reminiscent of a Ferrero Rocher (which I love), particularly when you eat one that has some crunchy hazelnuts sprinkled on top.  I love it!

Pistachio macarons

Today, March 20th, 2012, is not only the first day of Spring but also Macaron Day in NYC.  I admit that I am far too lazy to participate in the actual event but I'm celebrating the occasion here with another macaron post.

This time, my French macaron-making continues with some pistachio macarons.  I'm really getting the hang of it.  I'm no longer slightly nervous about the prospect of making these.  Instead, I feel calm and ready, and the process is beginning to have a familiar rhythm to it.  So after successfully tackling the coffee and hazelnut flavors, I made pistachio ones.  I placed a few of them (below) in a gift box that I got from Ladurée, the iconic macaron maker.  I sometimes hold on to boxes as a memento.  It goes without saying that mine are no where near as good as theirs (that's laughable) but a girl can pretend.

The beauty of making macarons is you can essentially use one main recipe that works for you and tweak it for various flavors.  With pistachio, I used an equal mix of ground pistachios and almonds in the batter.  You can't really tell but I did use some food coloring (first time with macarons) to tint them a little green.  That was the intention but if there's one thing that does turn me off about macarons is when they have an artificially intense, almost neon-like, color to them.  So I tried to avoid that at all cost.  You can see the tinge of green in the wet batter but after baking, the color is more golden.  I could've used more of my green gel paste coloring but I'm satisfied with the results.  You really don't need to color them at all. 

In "real life," the macaron shells already have a subtle, natural tinge of green to them from the ground pistachios and you can see little specks of it on the surface.  Sprinkling some chopped pistachios on top of some of the shells is an easy garnish to show what they are.  Plus, it adds a bit of flavor.

I've mentioned before that I've decided to pair macarons I make with chocolate ganache.  That's because I love chocolate and I'm not generally a fan of buttercream.  Plus, I just don't have the skill to pull off a really good buttercream like the professional ones that blend so seamlessly with the shells. 

However, here's the thing about macarons.  Their flavor comes heavily from the filling.  I mean, we're really talking about a meringue cookie here so the overwhelming flavor coming from the macaron shells is sweetness - or sugar.  That's particularly the case if you're using pure almonds, which is rather mild.  The nuts (in this case, pistachios) do impart a distinct flavor but the filling can really go a long way towards underscoring and heightening the flavor or add something special if you want to get really creative.  I used semisweet chocolate for the ganache and added a light layer of filling so as not to completely overwhelm the pistachio shells.  But we love chocolate, period, so this works beautifully for us.

My son devoured that "macaron ice-cream sandwich" I made last time so I did play around again this time.  His had vanilla ice-cream (there is one particular brand of vanilla ice-cream he favors; otherwise, it's chocolate everything).  My husband and I shared the chocolate one you see above.  Since realizing macaron shells freeze well, I'm experimenting with it and have a couple in the freezer that I plan to defrost and use at a later date.  I'll let you know how that works out...

Hazelnut macarons with gianduja ganache

I think I'm starting to get comfortable with the rhythm of making macarons so I'm systematically tackling a list of my favorite flavors.  Today, it's hazelnut macarons, which I've paired with a gianduja ganache. 

I'm laughing at myself as I type "gianduja ganache" because it sounds like a lame attempt to sound more sophisticated than I am.  Truth be told, I'm probably not even pronouncing "gianduja" correctly (but I love to say it for fun) and I only learned the term a year or two ago.  La Maison du Chocolat makes these amazing almonds coated with a gianduja paste that I love.  Anyway, what I do know is I've always loved the combination of hazelnut and chocolate so whatever you call it, for me, it's simply delicious.  The filling is basically chocolate ganache that I've mixed with some hazelnut paste (leftover from the hazelnut cake I made recently) so I guess we could just call it a chocolate-hazelnut ganache filling.

I'm happy (and relieved) to report this was my second successful batch of macarons.  I would love to figure out how to get my macaron shells a bit denser, less hallow, in the center, but I'm not complaining.  I'm learning a little something and becoming more comfortable with the process each time.  As I get older, I realize things can't and don't need to be perfect, and it's futile to try to impress other people.  That attitude makes life a lot more relaxing.  Afterall, it's about enjoyment and things don't need to be perfect to be enjoyed thoroughly.

I had a lot of fun making and eating these hazelnut macarons.  Hazelnut macarons are sometimes labeled as praline flavor at the bakeries.  Instead of using all almonds in the batter, you substitute half with toasted hazelnuts.  If you're like me, you might wonder why half and not all.  I've seen recipes doing either but I decided to stick with Helene's (from her beautiful blog, Tartelette) advice.  She explained to me that nuts other than almonds have a higher fat content, which is less conducive to making macarons.  Hence, the inclusion of the almonds is a good thing even when you're making other flavors.  I asked her about this on her blog and she answered - how cool is that!

Just for fun, I sprinkled some toasted chopped hazelnuts on top of a few of the macarons.  It's nice to look at them and be able to tell what you're about to bite into.  I was concerned that the hazelnut flavor would not be strong enough using the equal mix of almonds and hazelnuts but the toasted hazelnut flavor was quite prominent.

And I know it's still winter (even though it's been a relatively mild one here) but I thought I'd played around a little more.  If you've visited macaron shops like Ladurée in the summer, you might have seen they sell ice cream with a macaron shell on top.  So I made my own imitation of that. 

Then I thought to myself, why not make an ice-cream sandwich out of it?  And so I did!  Our resident macaron connoisseur (you know, the six-year old) devoured it.  It actually holds up pretty well in the freezer (though I only stored it there a few hours).  Just take it out of the freezer and let it sit out at room temperature for a little bit before eating.  Let me just say that macarons do indeed go very well with ice cream.  It helps that the shells freeze quite well.

Other macaron experiments to be continued...

The sweet taste of success - Coffee Macarons

You know that saying, "if at first you don't succeed, try, try again," or maybe "third time's the charm".  There must be some truth to it because I finally did it!  My third attempt at making macarons worked!  They all came out with "feet" and peeled off the baking sheets beautifully.  I nearly jumped for joy.  So I present you with my six-year old son's favorite macaron flavor: coffee.  I topped some with a sprinkling of cocoa nibs and filled them with chocolate ganache.  Being the proud chocoholic that I am, I've decided to stick with ganache filling as opposed to buttercream.

At first, I intended to try chocolate macarons one more time to try and finally get it right.  My very first attempt was delicious but a delicious disaster.   The second try came out a lot better but was inconsistent and the macarons still stubbornly stuck to the baking sheet.  I really wanted to get it right and make the chocolate ones (my personal favorites next to hazelnut/praline and maybe pistachio) one more time before moving on to other flavors.  But I thought to myself: "why be so rigid?"  I should try something different.  My son loves the coffee ones and has asked me to make them so I decided to give those a whirl instead.  And it finally happened.  We have authentic macarons in the house!

The first, and major, advantage I had this time around was a properly working oven.  I didn't realize the first time I made macarons that there was something off with my oven.  The second time around, I started to have an inkling.  Turns out, the lighter in the oven needed replacing, and now it quickly fires up nice and hot.  I also learned from books I've read and websites I've visited.  All the information confused me but also helped.  Specifically, the tips in Alice Medrich's book were very helpful and I took her advice about giving the macarons a head start (to "lift off") by heating the oven at a high 400 degree before turning it down to 300 when the cookies went in.  I also baked them longer this time.  It worked.

And miraculously, the macarons came off both the parchment paper and silpat with ease.  Despite how good they looked out of the oven, I was dreading the removal because I'm used to them sticking stubbornly to the parchment paper.  But in this case, the overwhelming majority of these practically peeled right off.  No need to pour warm water under the parchment paper or other tricks.  The backs are so smooth and undamaged, they almost look like the tops.

I really adore macarons.  Not only do they look lovely but I love the taste of the ground nuts in the macarons and its texture.  The outside is crisp and shatters under your bite into that chewiness that surprises you even though you expect it.

So I'm happy to report my successful macaron story today.  I know I still have a lot to learn and who knows how the next endeavor will turn out, but that's alright.  I thoroughly enjoyed the appreciative "mmm..." sound that came out of my little guy's mouth when he tasted these.  We definitely share a love for pastry and confections.