HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Posted in Breads, Cake, Cookies, Desserts, Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

The date came and went (March 11th), but only now I have a chance to share a few things I made for the occasion. As you may know, most of the sweets I bake we don’t get to eat, but this series of bakes is the exception that confirms the rule. We got to savor all the sweetness! But let’s start with the bread components.

FOCACCIA ART

Maybe you remember the Quilted Focaccia Buns of a recent past? I got this idea from the book Beautiful Bread, which I highly recommend, as Theresa Culletto shares amazing designs and all the tips to make them happen. It is all a matter of making a big enough dough to cover a large baking sheet, and then planning decorations with veggies cut in shapes.

It is quite amazing how much flavor and smell little pieces of leeks impart to the dough. You can also use chives for the stems if you prefer, they will likely be easier to work with, no real prep needed.

Moving on, I had to bake a sourdough, and chose a Springtime design for it…

And now, to the sweets… From Molly Yeh’s new book Sweet Farm, one of the most delicious cookies ever, a Cherry Mahlab Linzer! I cannot share the recipe for copyright issues, but I’m tempted to tell you that the book is worth it JUST for that one. Mahlab is a Middle Eastern spice that resembles cinnamon and imparts great flavor to the dough. I will be using it often.

The dough rolls like a dream, browns beautifully in the oven, and crumbles in your mouth with that texture that only almond flour will provide. Absolutely a must-make!

From the past, I re-visited the German Chocolate Macarons, which I did not have a change to taste the first time I made, but the feedback was so great, I was intrigued and could not wait to make again FOR US. Wonderful they were, all modesty aside… Recipe available here.

TWO VERSIONS OF BRIGADEIROS

Red Velvet and Lemon. They were both made with the same basic method: 1 can condensed milk + 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan. To the Red Velvet I added one full tablespoon of cocoa powder + 1/2 tsp Red Velvet Emulsion from LorAnn and a pinch of salt.

To the Lemon version, I added 2 tablespoons Lemon Curd (store-bought), and a pinch of salt. On a later version I added a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and some lemon zest, I liked that better. Both versions cooked the way described in this old post of mine.

And now, for the Piece of Resistance, THE CAKE! Choice of the husband, who found the recipe online and twisted my 65 year old arm to make it. Recipe published here, and also in his cookbook SWEET.

This is one amazing cake! Luscious, moist, tender, almost feels like flourless. The ganache on top takes it exactly there: over the top. And of course, I had to add a Brazilian flair to it and topped with Red Velvet Brigadeiros. And some luster powder. Because if I cannot bling on my own Birthday, there would be something wrong with me.

ONE YEAR AGO: Incredibly Simple: Air-Fried Salmon Bites

TWO YEARS AGO: Chocolate-Covered Oreos

THREE YEARS AGO: Pan-Steamed Broccoli with Miso Vinaigrette

FOUR YEARS AGO: Cookies and Rubber Stamps

FIVE YEARS AGO: Macarons for all Seasons and Reasons

SIX YEARS AGO: Lentils and Radicchio? Yes, please!

SEVEN YEAR AGO: Tres Leches Cake

EIGHT YEARS AGO: The Joys of Grating Squash

NINE YEARS AGO: Auberge-Pecan Walnut Bread

TEN YEARS AGO: Gluten-free and Vegan Raspberry Bars

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Lasserre, a French Classic

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Sourdough Bread with Walnuts and Dates

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Braised Brisket with Bourbon-Apricot Glaze

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: The Real Vodka Sauce

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Pork Tenderloin and Blue Cheese

5Oct2024

GERMAN CHOCOLATE MACARONS

Posted in macarons by sallybr

These were made with a colleague from our department in mind, it was a big Birthday for our IT wizard who is also a lover of German Chocolate Cake. I decided to make a filling that started as a brigadeiro would, but with coconut for good measure. Some toasted pecans in the center. And a coating with chocolate. Gold luster powder to add the mandatory bling, as if you don’t sparkle on a Birthday there is something wrong with you!

GERMAN CHOCOLATE MACARONS
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

For the shells:
200g powdered sugar
115 g almond flour, preferably super fine
115 g egg whites at room temperature (approx. 4 eggs)
1/8 tsp of cream of tartar (optional)
100 g granulated sugar
¼ tsp vanilla paste or extract
brown and a tiny bit of red gel food color

Line 3 heavy baking sheets with parchment/baking paper or Silpat mats. Layer the powdered sugar and almond flour in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture looks like fine meal, about 12 pulses. Pass through a sieve and transfer to a small bowl or to a sheet of parchment/baking paper. Set aside.

Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Make sure that the bowl and the whisk are impeccably clean. Starting on medium speed, whip the whites with the cream of tartar until they look like light foam. The whites should not appear liquid. The foam will be light and should not have any structure.

Slowly rain in the granulated sugar in five additions, trying to aim the stream between the whisk and the side of the bowl. Turn the speed up to high. Continue to whip the meringue until it is soft and shiny. It should look like marshmallow creme (marshmallow fluff). Add the vanilla. Whip the egg whites until the mixture begins to dull and the lines of the whisk are visible on the surface of the meringue. Check the peak. It should be firm. Transfer the whites to a medium bowl, add the gel color.

Fold in the almond flour mixture in two increments. Paint the mixture halfway up the side of the bowl, using the flat side of a spatula. Scrape the mixture down to the center of the bowl. Repeat two or three times, then check to see if the mixture slides slowly down the side of the bowl. Put the mixture in a piping bag fitted with your choice of piping tip (round, ¼ or ½ inch in diameter or 6 – 12 mm). Pipe circles. Slam each sheet hard four to six times on the counter/worktop. Let the unbaked macarons dry until they look dull but not overly dry. Drying time depends on humidity. In a dry climate, the macarons can dry in 15 to 20 minutes; in a humid climate, it can take 35 to 40 minutes.

While the macarons are drying, heat the oven to 300 F. Bake one sheet at a time on the middle rack. Check in 11 minutes. If the tops slide or move (independently of the ‘feet’ when you gently twist the top), then bake for 2 to 3 more minutes. Check one or two. If they move when gently touched, put them back in the oven for 1 to 2 more minutes until they don’t move when touched. Let the macaroons cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. The macarons should release without sticking.

Assemble the macarons: find two macarons similar in size and add a good amount of filling to the bottom of one of them. Place the other on top and squeeze gently to take the filling all the way to the edge. Store in the fridge for 24 hours for perfect texture.

For the filling:
1 can condensed milk
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1 tbsp cocoa powder
toasted pecans, chopped fine
melted dark chocolate or candy melts
toasted sweetened coconut
golden luster spray (optional)

Before filling the shells, melt chocolate or candy melts and dip ONE shell that will be the top half way into it. Immediately sprinkle toasted coconut on top.

Make a “brigadeiro” mixture by adding condensed milk, butter, cocoa powder and coconut to a sauce pan. Heat in medium heat constantly stirring until the mixture releases from the bottom of the pan. Transfer to a bowl and let it cool, but do not refrigerate. You can pipe it on the shells if it is still slightly warm, but not too hot.

Add a circle of coconut brigadeiro to a bottom shell, sprinkle a little bit of pecans in the center. Cover with the decorated and fully set top shell. Spray gold luster if you like. Place shells in the fridge overnight.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I normally prefer not to add cocoa to the shells, just to the filling, because macarons are finicky enough and sometimes “stuff happens” when you add cocoa. I had never used brigadeiro to fill them, and from the feedback I got, it worked quite well. I did not have a macaron but tried the brigadeiro mixture and that is one good tasting brigadeiro, I might repeat it and roll it like the traditional stuff.

ONE YEAR AGO: Dressing up the Oreo Cookie

TWO YEARS AGO: OMG Roasted Sweet Potatoes

THREE YEARS AGO: Air-Fried Eggplant Raita

FOUR YEARS AGO: Turkey-Pumpkin Roulade with Cider Sauce

FIVE YEARS AGO: Strawberry-Vanilla Mini-Cakes

SIX YEARS AGO: Bourbon-Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Pea Pesto

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Chocolate Chip Cookies from Naturally Sweet

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Little Bites of Paradise

NINE YEARS AGO: Maple-Glazed Pumpkin Bread

TEN YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, October 2014

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Grilled Steelhead Trout

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Brown Butter Tomato Salad

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Spelt and Cornmeal Rolls

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Roasted Potato and Olive Focaccia

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Multigrain Bread Extraordinaire

30Aug2024

CHERRY MACARONS

Posted in macarons by sallybr

And we are absolutely thrilled to have Prince ruling The Kingdom! Now, back to Cherry Macarons!

Shells were made using my default recipe, which you can find here. I added a mixture of red, orange and brown dyes, eyeballing everything, trying to get the color I had in mind. Never very easy to do with macarons, as the dye goes in the meringue component but then the almond mixture lightens it up a bit. Still, I am happy with the outcome…

CHERRY MACARONS
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

For the cherry compote:
(you won’t use the full amount)
1 pound sweet cherries, pitted and coarsely chopped
50g sugar (1/4 cup)
½ teaspoon almond extract
zest of 1/2 orange
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tablespoon of water

Cook cherries, sugar, almond extract, orange zest, and salt in medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until cherries release their juices, and mixture is visibly thicker, about 8 minutes.

Add the slurry of cornstarch and add to the cherries. Cook for a minute or two, transfer to a bowl and allow it to cool completely.

White Chocolate Cherry Ganache:
200g white chocolate (chopped fine)
70g Cherry Compote (made as above)
70ml heavy whipping cream
Red Food coloring (optional, but nice)

Melt the white chocolate very gently in the microwave at 50% power, whisking every 20 seconds or so. Bring whipping cream and cherry compote to a boil and mix well with the melted chocolate. Add a touch of red food dye if you like. Use an immersion blender to emulsify it all together, place it in the refrigerator covered with a plastic wrap until fully set (I made it 6 hours before using).

Use the cherry ganache to fill macaron shells made with your favorite recipe, or using the one I linked in the first paragraph of this post. Allow the filled macarons to sit in the fridge overnight before consuming them.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

To decorate the shells, I made a simple drawing of two cherries and a couple of leaves. I used food safe pens to color them. The easiest, fastest way is to use one color at a time, and just do them all as in a little factory line.

ONE YEAR AGO: Wafer Paper and Sourdough Baking

TWO YEARS AGO: Banana Bread from the Experts

THREE YEARS AGO: Shrimp Stir-Fry with Snow Peas and Cashews

FOUR YEARS AGO: Pickled-Roasted Chickpeas with Cashew Cream

FIVE YEARS AGO: Twice-Baked Goat Cheese Souffle

SIX YEARS AGO: A Star from England in the Bewitching Kitchen

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Hommage to the Sun

EIGHT YEARS AGO:The Fabulous Three
.
NINE YEARS AGO: Turkey-Chorizo Burger with Green Chile Dressing
.
TEN YEARS AGO:Taco Salad
.
ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Semolina Sourdough Boule
.
TWELVE YEARS AGO:Forgive me, for I have sinned
.
THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Cracked Wheat Sandwich Bread
.
FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Au Revoir, my Bewitching Kitchen
.
FIFTEEN YEARS AGO:French Bread

6Jun2024

LEMON GANACHE MACARONS AND ROYAL ICING TRANSFERS

Posted in macarons by sallybr

Super thrilled by this technique! I saw it on Instagram shared by the wonderful Melinda (see her page here). Basically she used Royal icing transfers right on the piped shells before crusting, and they stand well during baking, do not affect the shells and don’t get burned in the oven either. This opens up so many possibilities of decorating, and also makes it super easy. Once the macs are baked, they are already dressed up for party!

The recipe used for the shells is my default that you can find here. Simply divide the batter in three portions and dye one portion with yellow, one with green and one you can leave plain. Bake as normally, but right after piping and banging the pan to release bubbles, place your Royal icing transfer on top.

LEMON GANACHE FILLING
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

250g white chocolate, chopped very finely
75g heavy cream
zest of one lemon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 tsp lemon emulsion (optional, I used LorAnn)

Place the chocolate in a bowl. Heat the heavy cream until almost boiling, pour over the chocolate. Let it sit for 5 minutes, whisk gently. If needed, place in the microwave for a minute at 50% power. Once the chocolate is melted, add the lemon zest and juice, and the lemon emulsion, if using. Whisk gently again, then place in the fridge for an hour or so.

Once the ganache is set, you can whip it with a handheld blender or use as it is. If you decide to whip the ganache, make sure not whip for too long or it will go grainy and hard. Use caution here.

Fill the macaron shells, and let them mature in the fridge overnight before serving.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

I don’t think I will ever get tired of baking macarons!

ONE YEAR AGO: Fresh Dill and Feta Sourdough

TWO YEARS AGO: Marinated Chickpeas with Slow-Roasted Red Peppers

THREE YEARS AGO: Passionfruit Millionaire’s Shortbread

FOUR YEARS AGO: Chai-Mango Rosette Macarons

FIVE YEARS AGO: Common Table, Something New in My Life

SIX YEARS AGO: The Daisy, a Bread with Brioche Alter-Ego

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Pork Tenderloin, Braciole Style

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Raspberry Buckle

NINE YEARS AGO: Seafood Gratin for a Special Dinner

TEN YEARS AGO: Cooking Sous-Vide: Sweet and Spicy Asian Pork Loin

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Farewell to a Bewitching Kitchen

TWELVE YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen. June 2012

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Goodbye L.A.

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: 7-6-5 Pork Tenderloin

3May2024

A DUET OF SPRINGTIME MACARONS

Posted in macarons by sallybr

The recipe used for the shells is my default that you can find here. Simply divide the batter in three portions and use the colors of your choice. For the Ruby Red Ganache Macarons, I used yellow, green and plain batter. For the Neapolitan Version I used brown, pink and plain. I added a small amount of cocoa powder to the brown component. Decorations were all made with fondant and a silicone mold, later painted with luster powder and vodka.

RUBY RED GANACHE AND JAM MACARONS

220g ruby red chocolate
80g heavy cream
pinch of salt
mixed fruit jam (store bought is fine)

Heat the cream in a small saucepan until bubbles form around the edges. Pour over the chocolate, add a pinch of salt, cover and let sit for five minutes. Whisk gently at first, continue whisking until the chocolate is fully dissolved. If necessary, place in the microwave at 50% power for a minute. Reserve at room temperature for 1 hour or place in the fridge for 30 minutes before using.

Fill the shells with a small dollop of jam and a circle of ganache around it. Proceed as normally, keeping macarons overnight in the fridge to mature.

The jam is a nice contrast with the sweetness of the ganache and the shells. We love this brand of jam, or I should say Phil loves it, I don’t eat jam that much, prefer to use it in recipes such as this one…

Moving on…

STRAWBERRY GANACHE MACARONS

230g white chocolate, finely chopped
80g heavy cream
1/4 tsp strawberry natural flavor (I used Olivenation)
a drop of pink food color
1 tbs strawberry jam (store bought is fine)

Heat the cream in a small saucepan until bubbles form around the edges. Pour over the chocolate, cover and let sit for five minutes. Whisk gently at first, continue whisking until the chocolate is fully dissolved, then add the jam. If necessary, place the bowl in the microwave at 50% power for a minute. Reserve at room temperature for 1 hour or place in the fridge for 30 minutes before using.

Fill the shells with a small dollop of ganache and keep the macarons overnight in the fridge to mature.

ENJOY!

to print both recipes, click here

Adding a little drop of pink food gel is a good idea, otherwise the ganache tends to have a pale brownish color. Ganache fillings pair well with fruit, so both recipes today take this approach, and they are perfect for Springtime.