Morsel Combat: Macarons

Foodaphiles-- Francophiles, macarons are tricky.  I've been defeated by this dainty confection before; it broke my confidence completely.  I didn't attempt to make them again for months, because I knew I would only suffer another crippling loss in the game of elusive French pastry.  But today, this gray, rainy day, I woke up with the Rocky fight song in my head, ready to come back swinging.  It took all day, and a small buttercream disaster, but ultimately, I came out on top.

Now, Philes, there are a few crucial rules to follow in order to win this war:

1.  While it is important to beat your meringue until peaks form, try not to overbeat it.  You don't need a stiff meringue.  In fact, if you beat it too much, it will be difficult to fold in the almond flour and powdered sugar mixture, and you will end up with an overly thick, dry batter.
2.  Pulse your almond flour and powdered sugar together thoroughly in the food processor for several minutes before mixing them with the meringue.  This will make the piping process easier.
3.  Use a size #2 pastry tip.  I know, it's tiny, but it prevents the batter from coming out too fast and ruining the shape of your macarons.
4.  Don't skimp on the amount of time that you let your macarons sit out before baking.  The skin that forms over them is critical to maintaining the shape of the macaron while baking and to getting those puffy edges (called "feet") that make your macarons look so professional.
5.  Instead of using jam for the filling, as I did, you can also use buttercream with the flavoring of your choice or a simple chocolate ganache.
6.  This is not the time or place for drunk baking.  Drinking wine does not make you more French by association, and therefore innately better at making macarons (as I mistakenly assumed the first time I tried this).  It only makes it harder to pipe out the macaron batter into uniform circles.

OK, you're ready.  Follow the rules of macaron-making, be careful when removing them from the parchment paper, and you have no reason to be scared of these little confections. Attack!

You will need:
a baking sheet
parchment paper (not wax paper)
food processor
electric stand or hand mixer
rubber spatula
pastry bag w/ size #2 tip
wire cooling racks

To make 25 Blackberry Almond Macarons:

1 cup almond flour
1 2/3 cups powdered sugar
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
food coloring, optional

for the blackberry almond filling:
1 cup blackberry jam
1/4 tsp almond extract

Preheat the oven to 325 deg. F, and line your baking sheet with parchment paper.

Pulse the almond flour and 1 2/3 cups powdered sugar in the food processor for about a minute, until the mixture is very fine.

Beat the egg whites and 2 tablespoons powdered sugar on high until soft peaks form, about 3-4 minutes.

Using a spatula, fold the almond flour mixture into the meringue until blended. Add food coloring if you wish.

Spoon the mixture into your pastry bag, and pipe out uniform 1 inch circles onto your lined baking sheet.  Let the unbaked macarons sit out for at least an hour before baking them.  They will develop a "skin" that will help them keep their shape while they bake.

Bake the macarons for about 10 minutes.  Keep a close eye on them, as you do not want them to brown.  They should puff up nicely but should not crack.

Remove them from the oven, and carefully remove them from the parchment paper and transfer to your cooling rack.

To make the blackberry almond filling, simply mix 1/4 tsp of almond extract with the cup of blackberry preserves.  Spread a thin layer over the flat bottom of a macaron, and place another macaron on top, bottom side down, to create a sandwich cookie.

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Death in the Afternoon

I have recently become aware of several unexpected perks that go along with cooking in my parents' kitchen.  Most notably, I have access to booze of a much higher quality than I would ever buy for myself as an unemployed twenty-two year old in grad school.  So, after a couple of glasses of delicious red wine, I decided to make my parents proud and put my own creative spin on Ernest Hemingway’s signature cocktail.

Inspired by his book, Death in the Afternoon, this cocktail recipe also appeared in a cocktail book compiled in the ‘30s by several famous authors.  Hemingway’s instructions were simple: “Pour one jigger absinthe into a Champagne glass. Add iced Champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness. Drink three to five of these slowly.”  Now, if I drank 3-5 glasses of champagne and absinthe over the course of an afternoon, I would probably at least feel like death.

But I don’t want you guys to die in the afternoon, or anytime, ever!  So, my fellow philes, I substituted pastis for the absinthe, and dropped a couple of blackberries in my glass to balance out the dryness of the champagne and pastis. My motives aren’t purely altruistic, though.  Pastis has a delightful anisette flavor, which makes it the perfect companion for my dark chocolate anise crinkles.  At least, they taste great together right now, but then again, I’ve been taste testing this cocktail for an hour or two by this point.

To make two glasses of Death:

4 tablespoons Pastis (I used Ricard’s Pastis de Marseille)

1 ½ cups dry champagne or Prosecco (I recommend Jaume Serra Cristalino Brut – very dry, and pretty cheap)

In each of two champagne glasses, pour ¾ cup champagne and 2 tablespoons of pastis, and stir.

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Advantage: Pumpkins

I have a lot of respect for pumpkins.  I always have; they are majestic fruits.  I will not rank my favorite foods here, but I will say this:  if I had to be in a relationship with one food, it would be pumpkins.  I would marry pumpkins, and I would be chocolate’s mistress… but I digress. 

The second temperatures drop below 70, I’m already making a pumpkin pie.  As such, when a cold front rolled through last night, I experimented with a new recipe with which to pay homage to the august pumpkin. This is a long-winded way to make a pumpkin pie, but I'm not messing around here.

I happened to have a vanilla bean and some pecans on hand, so I made some variations to the classic recipe.  Folding finely ground pecans into the crust dough offers an earthy balance to the spices in the filling, and it’s a quick and easy addition.  However, vanilla beans are expensive and, in my opinion, usually more trouble than they are worth, so unless you already have some, I recommend adding a teaspoon and a half of vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of bourbon instead of steeping a vanilla bean in bourbon.  You will have extra pecan crust dough scraps, so bake them at 350 for ten minutes and dunk them in your coffee.  You’re welcome.

For the pecan shortbread crust: 

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large egg yolks

2 1/2 cups cake flour

3/4 cup finely ground pecans (grind about 1 - 1 1/2 cups of chopped pecans in a food processor)

Beat together the butter, powdered sugar, and salt at medium speed for 3 or 4 minutes, until fluffy.  Add the egg yolks, one at a time, mixing after each addition.  Add the cake flour, and mix until just incorporated.  Fold in the ground pecans with a spatula until just incorporated; do not overwork the dough.  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour.  When ready to use, roll out the dough until about 1/4 in. thick and press into pie pan.  And I'll say it again, bake the scraps as cookies!  

For the filling:

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

2 large eggs

1 15 oz can pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling, only use 100% pumpkin)

1 12 oz can evaporated milk

1 vanilla bean and 3/4 cup bourbon (OR substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon bourbon)

If you aren't using a vanilla bean, skip this paragraph.  If you love and respect pumpkins as much as I do and are using a vanilla bean, do the following: bring 3/4 cup of bourbon and the vanilla bean to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Allow the vanilla bean to steep for 10 or 15 minutes, but keep a close eye on it.  You don't want it to boil too much.  Turn off the heat, remove the vanilla bean, and split it open with a knife.  Scrape the seeds inside the bean into the bourbon, and set aside.  Discard the pod.

Preheat the oven to 425.  

Combine the sugar, salt, and spices in a small bowl.  In a large bowl, beat the two eggs.  Stir in the sugar and spice mix and the canned pumpkin.  Slowly pour in the evaporated milk, stirring as you go. If using a vanilla bean, add 3 tablespoons of the bourbon/vanilla mixture.  Otherwise, add the vanilla extract and bourbon.  Place the prepared pie shell on a baking sheet, and pour the filling into the shell.  Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, and then reduce the temperature to 350 and bake for 40-50 more minutes, until a knife comes out clean.  Cool completely before serving.  

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Squash Risotto: An Inaccurate Anecdote

Sometimes, you have a glass of wine while you’re cooking.  Sometimes, you have three.  Sometimes, you have a recipe that you are cooking from, but then you have three glasses of wine, and you’re not following the recipe anymore.  You’re just throwing things in at random, thinking you’re being creative. 

This has happened to me more than once.  In college, my roommate and I bought a bottle of wine to use in a pumpkin risotto recipe we wanted to try.  As dictated by the recipe, we put a small amount of wine in the risotto; we drank the rest.  And it was the best damn risotto I’ve ever tasted. 

The tragedy of this story is that I can never recreate that recipe.  Sure, we used a lot of ingredients listed in that recipe, but we made up our own ratios, and we threw a lot of other things in there too.  Now, every year when the weather starts to cool down and the leaves start to turn orange and red, I think about how delicious our drunken pumpkin risotto was.  So, here’s the plan.  I’m going to get some ingredients together that look like they might be good in risotto, have three glasses of wine, and see what happens.  I’ll list my “recipe” below.  For best results, I encourage you to have three glasses of wine before you try this, and by all means, throw in whatever else looks good to you.

Ok, so here’s the product of my experiment.  It wasn’t the same as that one time, but it was pretty damn delicious.  Definitely worth getting drunk with and getting to know better.

For 6 servings:

3/4 lb. chicken sausage (Central Market makes a variety of fresh chicken sausage daily, and I used their basil parmesan links)
10-12 oz package of frozen butternut squash (if you want to use fresh, go right ahead, but I'm telling you right now it's the hardest thing to cut ever)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
1 quart chicken stock
8 oz package sliced mushrooms
1 cup frozen peas
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
small pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated parmesan (more for serving)

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Remove the casing from the chicken sausage, and saute, breaking the chicken into crumbles with your spatula, until there is no visible pink left on the chicken.  Remove from heat, and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the chicken stock and water, bring to a simmer, and then reduce the heat to low.  In a large, heavy-bottom skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, minced garlic, and sliced mushrooms, and saute about 6 minutes, until the onion softens, stirring to make sure no pieces stick to the pan and burn.  Add the arborio rice, stirring 3-4 minutes more.  Pour in the cup of wine, stirring until the wine has completely absorbed.  Add a cup of the broth, stirring until completely absorbed.  Repeat this process until only a cup of the broth remains.  Before adding the last cup, stir in the butternut squash, frozen peas, chicken sausage, spices, salt and pepper to taste, and parmesan.  Then, add the last cup of broth, and stir until completely absorbed.

Allow the risotto to sit for about 10 minutes before serving.  Top each serving with a sprinkle of parmesan.

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Cardamom Espresso Bread

Every year since I turned 20, around this time, I start to have an acute bout of "quarter-life crisis."  When I turned 20, I cried for a week.  When I turned 21, I drank.   22 was the worst.  I couldn't get out of bed. Morrissey's most depressing hits were playing on a non-stop loop.  I brooded over mortality, and I turned to Hemingway for answers, which obviously perpetuated the problem.

Last week, I had a brief, albeit rattling, panic attack when I realized that 23 is just around the corner. Afterward, I decided I needed to get it together.  "23's not so bad," I told myself.  "This just means that I need to learn more about wine, and probably delete *nSync and Britney Spears from my iTunes library.  I can handle that."  To keep my mind's eye from staring down an ever-shortening lifespan, I have taken a vow to focus only on the positive.  Since, in my mind, almost all positive thoughts relate to food, I am coping with my unreasonable anxieties by introducing some sophistication into my cooking.

I am trying to become more familiar with the art of bread-making, so I found a basic dinner roll recipe in an old French pastry textbook, which I have transformed into a savory-sweet loaf that showcases some beautiful autumn flavors.  As is the case with all yeast breads, this takes some time and work.  If you have a high-powered stand mixer with a dough hook, it will make this process much less labor-intensive, but I enjoy kneading the dough myself when I can find the time.  After a particularly long run this morning, I enjoyed a warm slice with a thin spread of fig preserves and a cappuccino.

Yield: 1 small loaf

2 cups high-gluten flour (bread flour will work fine)
1/8 cup granulated sugar
scant teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
1/4 cup brewed espresso (or very strong coffee)
1/4 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
flour for dusting
egg wash (1 egg beaten with a tiny pinch of salt)

Combine the flour, sugar, salt, ground cardamom, and yeast in a large mixing bowl.  Add the egg yolk, espresso, milk, and vanilla, and stir until a rough dough begins to form.  Add the butter and mix until incorporated.  Stir in the mini chocolate chips.  Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel, and allow the dough to rise for 15 minutes.

On a floured work surface, knead the dough for 10 minutes.  It will become very stiff.  Cover the dough with the towel, and allow the dough to rest for another 15 minutes.

Return the dough to the floured surface and knead for another 10 minutes.  It should become much smoother.

Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in it, and cover with the towel.  Allow the dough to rise for 1 1/2 hours in a warm place, until doubled in size.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Divide the dough in half, cover with the towel, and let rest for 5 min.  On the floured work surface, roll each half of the dough into a rope about 16 inches long.  Carefully twist the two ropes together, form them into a circle, and press the ends together to make a ring.  Carefully place the ring on the lined baking sheet.  Cover the ring with the towel, and allow it to rise for another hour and a half in a warm spot.

Preheat your oven to 375.  Remove the towel from the ring, and lightly coat it with the egg wash using a pastry brush.  Bake for 15 minutes, rotate the baking sheet, and bake for another 15 minutes.  After 30 minutes, the ring should be a nice, deep golden brown.  Remove from the oven, and allow to cool for 20-30 min. before serving.  Spread some fig preserves on it; it's the best!

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Dark Chocolate Anise Crinkles

I am known for my stress baking; it's probably my most defining characteristic.  Maybe it's just my Southern roots, but for as long as I can remember, when anxiety strikes, the soft, fudgy texture of chocolate crinkles has never let me down.  I use bittersweet chocolate instead of semi-sweet, for a darker, more intense hit of chocolate.  This time around, I decided to add some ground anise seed for complexity.  It was perfect; I will never make the plain version again!  I'm not a huge fan of licorice flavor, but with just 1 1/2 teaspoons, it offers a delicious balance to the dark chocolate.  If you are absolutely opposed to anise, try it with 1 teaspoon of ginger instead.

Yield: 2 dozen cookies

1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate (NOT semi-sweet!!)
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground anise seed (I only had whole seeds on hand, so I ground them in my food processor)
1 cup powdered sugar

Carefully melt the unsweetened chocolate in the microwave or over very low heat on the stove - it burns easily.  Whisk together the vegetable oil, melted chocolate, and granulated sugar.  Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking after each addition.  Stir in the vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, ground anise seed, and salt.  Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture in several increments, stirring after each addition.  Wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least three hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease your cookie sheets.  Roll the dough into 1 1/2 in. balls, and then roll in powdered sugar until generously coated.  Place the balls at least 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets, and bake for 10-12 minutes.  Be careful not to overbake the cookies, as they should have a soft, cakey texture.  Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheets for 5-10 minutes, and then use a spatula to move the cookies to cooling racks to cool completely.

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