September 2, 2021This is about...
Macarons and The Culinary Institute of America---YUM!!
Macarons and The Culinary Institute of America---YUM!!
YES, I'LL BE ATTENDING THE CIA IN HYDE PARK,NY, AS A FRESHMAN LIVING ON CAMPUS THIS FALL, 2021!! Hard to believe at my "mature" age that I'm going to go whole hog. But... while I was locked down with everyone else, I got to thinking. WHY NOT? I figured that if they accepted me, I would go. Well---they did, and gave me a scholarship too! How could I refuse such an offer.
But there's a small glitch. I had to sign an "intellectual property rights" form which means that I have to put this blog on hold for a while. BUT... I AM STARTING A NEW FUN ONE which will document my adventures at the CIA at:
www.janicegoestotheculinaryinstitute.com
So if you're interested, hop along for the ride. Now on to my self-imposed CIA food challenge of sorts---making macarons, but first a story.
A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to go to Paris for a week on my way to staying in Provence for another week where I stayed at Julia Child's house! IT WAS THE ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME! While in Paris, I stayed at an air B&B with my friend April in the 6th Arrondissement, the St. Germaine District. St Germaine is known for its' high-end fashion houses, gardens and lots of amazing food purveyors. April and I even took 2 cooking classes and a food tour of the area, walking from butchers, to chocolate makers, pate specialists and the finale ---Pierre Hermes macarons. HE IS KNOWN FOR THE BEST MACARONS IN THE WORLD!
If you are not familiar with them--no, they are not the Passover coconut macaroon--they are a light, crunchy, and yet still soft sandwich cookie/confection made of almond flour, egg whites and sugar. THEY COME IN ALL SORTS OF FLAVORS AND COLORS and are filled with all sorts of fillings--buttercreams, ganache, jams, curds or a combo of them. The variety is endless and they're coincidentally gluten-free. Made correctly they have smooth tops and layers on the bottom that rise slightly that are called "feet." And, at Pierre Hermes the assortment went on and on. So even though I was never the biggest fan of them, I knew that if I had any hope of ever loving them, that this was the place to taste the very best.
His flavors are quite exotic and they all look like little jewels in his bakery cases. His most revered flavor is called Ispahan, a beautiful pink rose-flavored cookie, filled with "the subtle alliance of sweet rose cream and the floral note of the litchi, heightened by the assertive brio of fresh raspberry." Each tender/crisp cookie sandwich is topped with a fresh raspberry and a red rose petal.
I'M A PUSHOVER FOR ANY BAKERY, BUT THIS HIGHEST OF HIGH-END BAKERIES WAS ON MY LIFETIME BUCKET LIST. . And there I was, at his shop in St. Germaine. So I wasn't gonna buy just one or 2--I wanted to try as many as I could--so how about a dozen?
Back at our apartment, I RESPECTFULLY DUG INTO EACH GORGEOUS CREATION. I started with the famous Ispahan and worked my way into Brazilian dark chocolate, coffee, black lemon (black lemons are from Persia), pistachio, passion fruit, salted butter caramel, verbena/lemon, strawberry and a few more. As I purposely tasted each one, I held each flavor on my tongue for a moment to get the full effect. I am so sorry to say that I wasn't blown away. I expected to be, but the flavors seemed too strong or not strong enough. And the flavor combinations like milk chocolate and passion fruit, rose and lychee weren't working for me. I CAME HOME FROM PARIS NOT LIKING MACARONS ANY BETTER THAN WHEN I LEFT.
Still, I've always wanted to tackle making my own macarons, but as they are known to be such a very finicky cookie to make, I always pushed it off. But now that I'm attending the Culinary Institute of America in the fall, I felt that I needed to know how to make them before school started. A LITTLE RESEARCH WAS IN ORDER FIRST. I had to decide which kind of meringue I was going to use for the cookie base---French, Italian or Swiss? Hermes uses Italian--using a very hot sugar syrup. French meringue, a fave of Food 52, is the easiest, and least stable with no hot sugar. But Swiss for me was just right, simply warming egg whites and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
I CAN'T TAKE ANY CREDIT FOR THIS RECIPE AT ALL. It comes from a master in my book, Camila Hurst from www.piesandtacos.com She perfectly describes all of the steps and includes a helpful video. Because of her, THERE WAS FINALLY HOPE FOR MACARONS ON MY HORIZON. And guess what? I LOVE these chocolate macarons! I did use a really good quality cocoa powder, Valrhona, and my own buttercream filling with a dab of raspberry jam in the center. Plus it's best to let them soften in the fridge for a few hours (or days). I also made a lemon version filled with a swirl of vanilla buttercream and a dab of homemade lemon curd in the center of them that I loved just as much!
AFTER ALL IS SAID AND DONE, THEY REALLY AREN'T ALL THAT HARD TO MAKE. You just have to be precise with your measuring and mixing. So here's where you come in. If you're up for the challenge and love macarons, THESE ARE WORTH A TRY. Even if you're not a fan, these might change your mind, And don't worry, if they don't come out looking super pretty, they will still be every bit as delicious. Below is my chocolate frosting and lemon curd for you to try.
SEE YOU FROM THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA!
LESSONS Learned:
1. There are so many! And Camila at www.piesandtacos.com has all the answers.
2. Just know that they keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks (or more), and can be frozen for months, to be pulled out at the last minute as an impressive treat for guests or just for you.
Chocolate Fudge Frosting/Filling
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder, I like to use equal parts Hershey's and Valrhona
1 teaspoon espresso powder
pinch salt
1 1/2 sticks ( 12 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup whole milk
Make the Frosting:
Place a strainer over a medium -size bowl and sift the confectioners' sugar, cocoa, espresso powder and salt together through the strainer.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a medium size bowl with a hand mixer, beat the beat until light and fluffy. Add the confectioners' sugar mixture in 3 additions, mixing to combine after each. Add the milk and vanilla and beat on medium-high until smooth and shiny, about 2 minutes. Can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, frozen for 3 months. For a spreadable consistency, bring back to room temperature.
Makes about 3 cups. YUM!
Lemon Curd Filling:
Ingredients:
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
3 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice, from 1 to 2 lemons
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg, beaten
pinch salt
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
Make the curd:
In a small heavy bottomed saucepan, add all of the ingredients except the butter and stir together until well combined. Add the butter to the pot. Over VERY low heat, heat the mixture, stirring constantly until it becomes thickened. When it's ready, you will be able to coat the back of a spoon and draw a line through it easily and the temperature on an instant read thermometer will be about 170 degrees, about 5-7 minutes. Keep the heat on low the whole time or you will have scrambled eggs! Bring to room temperature and then chill in the fridge until ready to use. Store in fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Makes about 2/3 cup. YUM!
But there's a small glitch. I had to sign an "intellectual property rights" form which means that I have to put this blog on hold for a while. BUT... I AM STARTING A NEW FUN ONE which will document my adventures at the CIA at:
So if you're interested, hop along for the ride. Now on to my self-imposed CIA food challenge of sorts---making macarons, but first a story.
A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to go to Paris for a week on my way to staying in Provence for another week where I stayed at Julia Child's house! IT WAS THE ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME! While in Paris, I stayed at an air B&B with my friend April in the 6th Arrondissement, the St. Germaine District. St Germaine is known for its' high-end fashion houses, gardens and lots of amazing food purveyors. April and I even took 2 cooking classes and a food tour of the area, walking from butchers, to chocolate makers, pate specialists and the finale ---Pierre Hermes macarons. HE IS KNOWN FOR THE BEST MACARONS IN THE WORLD!
If you are not familiar with them--no, they are not the Passover coconut macaroon--they are a light, crunchy, and yet still soft sandwich cookie/confection made of almond flour, egg whites and sugar. THEY COME IN ALL SORTS OF FLAVORS AND COLORS and are filled with all sorts of fillings--buttercreams, ganache, jams, curds or a combo of them. The variety is endless and they're coincidentally gluten-free. Made correctly they have smooth tops and layers on the bottom that rise slightly that are called "feet." And, at Pierre Hermes the assortment went on and on. So even though I was never the biggest fan of them, I knew that if I had any hope of ever loving them, that this was the place to taste the very best.
His flavors are quite exotic and they all look like little jewels in his bakery cases. His most revered flavor is called Ispahan, a beautiful pink rose-flavored cookie, filled with "the subtle alliance of sweet rose cream and the floral note of the litchi, heightened by the assertive brio of fresh raspberry." Each tender/crisp cookie sandwich is topped with a fresh raspberry and a red rose petal.
I'M A PUSHOVER FOR ANY BAKERY, BUT THIS HIGHEST OF HIGH-END BAKERIES WAS ON MY LIFETIME BUCKET LIST. . And there I was, at his shop in St. Germaine. So I wasn't gonna buy just one or 2--I wanted to try as many as I could--so how about a dozen?
Back at our apartment, I RESPECTFULLY DUG INTO EACH GORGEOUS CREATION. I started with the famous Ispahan and worked my way into Brazilian dark chocolate, coffee, black lemon (black lemons are from Persia), pistachio, passion fruit, salted butter caramel, verbena/lemon, strawberry and a few more. As I purposely tasted each one, I held each flavor on my tongue for a moment to get the full effect. I am so sorry to say that I wasn't blown away. I expected to be, but the flavors seemed too strong or not strong enough. And the flavor combinations like milk chocolate and passion fruit, rose and lychee weren't working for me. I CAME HOME FROM PARIS NOT LIKING MACARONS ANY BETTER THAN WHEN I LEFT.
Still, I've always wanted to tackle making my own macarons, but as they are known to be such a very finicky cookie to make, I always pushed it off. But now that I'm attending the Culinary Institute of America in the fall, I felt that I needed to know how to make them before school started. A LITTLE RESEARCH WAS IN ORDER FIRST. I had to decide which kind of meringue I was going to use for the cookie base---French, Italian or Swiss? Hermes uses Italian--using a very hot sugar syrup. French meringue, a fave of Food 52, is the easiest, and least stable with no hot sugar. But Swiss for me was just right, simply warming egg whites and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
I CAN'T TAKE ANY CREDIT FOR THIS RECIPE AT ALL. It comes from a master in my book, Camila Hurst from www.piesandtacos.com She perfectly describes all of the steps and includes a helpful video. Because of her, THERE WAS FINALLY HOPE FOR MACARONS ON MY HORIZON. And guess what? I LOVE these chocolate macarons! I did use a really good quality cocoa powder, Valrhona, and my own buttercream filling with a dab of raspberry jam in the center. Plus it's best to let them soften in the fridge for a few hours (or days). I also made a lemon version filled with a swirl of vanilla buttercream and a dab of homemade lemon curd in the center of them that I loved just as much!
AFTER ALL IS SAID AND DONE, THEY REALLY AREN'T ALL THAT HARD TO MAKE. You just have to be precise with your measuring and mixing. So here's where you come in. If you're up for the challenge and love macarons, THESE ARE WORTH A TRY. Even if you're not a fan, these might change your mind, And don't worry, if they don't come out looking super pretty, they will still be every bit as delicious. Below is my chocolate frosting and lemon curd for you to try.
LESSONS Learned:
1. There are so many! And Camila at www.piesandtacos.com has all the answers.
2. Just know that they keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks (or more), and can be frozen for months, to be pulled out at the last minute as an impressive treat for guests or just for you.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder, I like to use equal parts Hershey's and Valrhona
1 teaspoon espresso powder
pinch salt
1 1/2 sticks ( 12 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup whole milk
Make the Frosting:
Place a strainer over a medium -size bowl and sift the confectioners' sugar, cocoa, espresso powder and salt together through the strainer.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a medium size bowl with a hand mixer, beat the beat until light and fluffy. Add the confectioners' sugar mixture in 3 additions, mixing to combine after each. Add the milk and vanilla and beat on medium-high until smooth and shiny, about 2 minutes. Can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, frozen for 3 months. For a spreadable consistency, bring back to room temperature.
Makes about 3 cups. YUM!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
3 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice, from 1 to 2 lemons
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg, beaten
pinch salt
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
Make the curd:
In a small heavy bottomed saucepan, add all of the ingredients except the butter and stir together until well combined. Add the butter to the pot. Over VERY low heat, heat the mixture, stirring constantly until it becomes thickened. When it's ready, you will be able to coat the back of a spoon and draw a line through it easily and the temperature on an instant read thermometer will be about 170 degrees, about 5-7 minutes. Keep the heat on low the whole time or you will have scrambled eggs! Bring to room temperature and then chill in the fridge until ready to use. Store in fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Makes about 2/3 cup. YUM!
More YUMMY
Recipes!
Featured
