Macorons are the most ambitious dessert I have ever attempted. My friend, A, took a class and offered to teach us We made a little party out of the evening, with the girls beating, folding and whisking and the boys watching football.
On the menu for dinner: grilled flank steak with Korean BBQ marinade. I asked my mom for her recipe, and she faxed me a page out of a cookbook published in both Korean and English…..back in 1976! The directions weren’t the most stellar, so B only used it as a guideline. The steaks were beautiful and B got lots of complements. I was very proud of him! He did all the prep and cooking himself since I was suffering from the worse bout of sciatica that morning. I wasn’t able to walk let alone make it to work on time that morning.
Note the publisihng date!
FLANK STEAK
INGREDIENTS
2 while flank steaks (about 3 pounds total)
1/2 c sugar
1 Korean pear, pureed
1 TBSP pepper
1/2 c soy sauce
6 TBSP sesame oil
3 TBSP sesame seeds
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
2 TBSP fresh ginger, minced
1 TBSP fresh garlic, minced
INSTRUCTIONS
Marinade for about 4 hours, turning occasionally. Grill about 4 minutes on each side
Take remaining marinade and bring to a boil in a small saucepan. Strain and serve over rice and meat.
Now for the macrons! They are infamous tor being very particular and precise technique is key for them to rise, to have feet and to have their pillowy chewy texture. A and V painstakingly followed everything to a tee, and every singe batch was a success. I really can’t argue with the necessity to not use a spatula if its wooden handle is wet, but I’m really tempted to prove the macaron myths wrong. I’ll have to save it for another day.
We ended up making 3 different batches which took about four and a half hours! In my opinions, we had some great fillings: PB&J and PB & Nutella. We also made a batch of spiced macarons with dulce de leche and gingered mascarpone.
I’m thinking about revisiting the macaron effort for the holidays. They would make great little stocking stuffers, but for now I’ve got a fridge full of macarons and condiments!
MACARONS with PB&J and PB&NUTELLA
Yields 2 dozen 2 inch macarons
INGREDIENTS
4 egg whites, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 cups powdered sugar
2 cups of almond flour
1 pinch of salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Place dry ingredients EXCEPT granulated sugar in food processor to mix well
Beat eggs in a completely dry stand mixer bowl until white and foamy. Then slowly add granulated sugar and continue to beat until stilff peak form (like refrigerated Crisco)
Using a flour sifter, add the dry ingredients to the egg whites in three batches, gently folding in between (don’t push down on the eggs). Fold until a consistent ribbon of batter drips from the spatula
Add coloring at with the last batch of dry ingredients is adding (gel coloring is preferred)
**A trick A taught me is that you can’t overbeat the eggs, but you can certainly overfold which will result in flat macarons, so better to overbeat!
Pipe onto parchment paper and let set for 30 minutes at room temperature
Bake at 300 degrees for 15 minutes on the center rack
Allow to cool on pan for 10 minutes before removing the macarons
Carefully spread the fillings and assemble
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator
SPICED MACARONS with MASCARPONE and DULCE de LECHE
Add 1 tsp each of cinnamon and ground ginger along with a pinch each of ground cloves and ginger to the dry ingredients
Mascarpone Cream:
Combine 2/3 cups mascarpone cheese + 2 TBSP dulce de leche + 1 tsp fresh grated ginger + 1/2 tsp cinnamon and a pinch of salt till smooth
Nesting On A Hill 