Birthday Macarons

Fifth time's a charm? That's how many times I have attempted this finicky sweet. The last two "failed" attempts, I didn't post because they didn't have the signature "feet" at the base, which is caused when the cookies push off from the baking pan. I also over-mixed the 4th batch in hopes of a smoother shell and no bumps, but they wound up not rising.

I had also been experimenting with different temperatures/baking times and the resting time before putting the macarons in the oven. *Note to self: If something isn't broken, don't fix it! I went back to the proven Martha Stewart recipe, maybe slightly undermixed my batter (but under-mixing is better than over-mixing)

Voila! My most perfect macaron yet! Oh, and I'm telling everyone it's because it's my birthday tomorrow.

Macaron Obsession

Simple almond macarons with home made lemon curd filling.



I never knew how easy lemon curd is to make! Some recipes call for butter, but really, why do you need butter? Save a few calories here, so you can eat that creamy mac and cheese later.

Simply mix in a small saucepan on low heat 1/4 cup sugar with the juice and zest of 3-4 lemons. When the sugar is melted, temper in 3 egg yolks (and you will use the whites for your macarons which is perfect!), and stir slowly until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and let cool, voila! Recipe courtesy of UseRealButter.com

French Macarons with Rasberry Jam

Despite the gloomy, rainy weather and my all day headache, one thing has managed to make me happy - I made macarons! In my months of research, this seems to be an intimidating recipe for a lot of cooks and bakers. The recipe looks simple enough and has very few ingredients, but for a perfectionist like myself, the idea of not being able to whip up the egg whites to a satiny finish, or pipe perfectly round circles, or a list of other potential problems is enough reason to make one hesitate until exactly the right moment to attempt them. But today I was ready. I used Martha Stewart's recipe because 1) Reviews made the success rate sound high and 2) the measurements were in ounces, not grams like 99% of the macaron recipes out there.

I bought my almond meal at Trader Joe's and the almonds are ground with the skins on, which creates a flecked cookie, which is fine by me. My pastry bag/tip setup was not ideal (no round tip, argh!!) so my first batch came out very lumpy. (The photo above is my second try.) I slightly undercooked the cookies to prevent them from browning and discoloring, but either way they still tasted deliciously sweet, like I remember from my first macaron in Tokyo. Yes, the Japanese love their French sweets, and food, and just about everything else.

Lacking ingredients to create proper buttercream or chocolate filling, I opted for a simple spread of raspberry jam. Though I could just eat them as is, and I did eat quite a few in celebration of creating a successful macaron - phew! Now to study some more colors/flavor combinations for next time.