1 Easy Chocolate Macaron Recipe, 3 Japanese Wine Fillings, #SundaySupper

My love affair began in Paris…Alluring, elusive and addictive...



Paris: The City of Lights and macaron cookies!

(Photo courtesy of David Cassidy)


I just can’t seem to quit my obsession with macarons!

My first encounter with the French macaron cookie was at the famed French Le Cordon Bleu cooking school. After the macaron-making workshop, a flush of excitement coursed through my veins. 


Like an adolescent after her first kiss I was a-flutter as I rode the Metro clutching the box of my precious macarons. Safely joining my sister and friends from the UK at our Paris apartment, we all oo-la-la-ed while biting into the soft chocolate filled centers of the delicate shelled macarons. Between bites, I cavalierly stated, “Macarons are not that hard to make.”

Words I swallowed back in the States. Although my passion for the macaron never died, rediscovering the je ne sais quoi quality that produced perfection in Paris alluded me. I’ll spare you the stories of failed attempts. But I will share the joy of macaron-making progress. Ruffled edges - cute little pied (feet) - actually appeared on my chocolate macarons!



Chocolate macarons with chocolate frosting middles.


Thanks to Carla Hall - of The Chew and Top Chef TV fame -  I feel a tiny bit closer to my goal of replicating the Parisian macarons: The French cookies that has tantalized the taste buds of admirers worldwide.

Chocolate Macaron Cookies

Bite into the delicate shelled chocolate macaron cookies and discover fudgy centers.

A few tips: 
To get the macarons to rise, do not over or under mix the batter. 
Make sure all ingredients are room temperature.

This recipe is adapted from The Chew's Carla Hall.

Ingredients: 
  • 6 egg whites
  • Big pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar
  • 1½ almond meal flour
  • 4 cups confectioner’s sugar
  • ½ cup unsweetened cocoa
Directions: 

Whip the egg whites into frothy foam in a stand mixer. Add a pinch of salt. Allow soft peaks to appear. Pour in the cream of tartar and sugar. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form.

In a food processor, give the almond flour, confectioner’s sugar, cocoa, and salt a good whirl. When thoroughly combined, gently fold the dry ingredients into the whipped egg whites.

Use a small ice cream scooper or pipe small circles onto parchment lined cookie sheets.
Leave the macaron cookies alone for 30 minutes. The goal is to see a drier surface on the macarons.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

Fill with a cream, frosting or jam filling.

As today’s virtual #SundaySupper theme is all about our favorite food covers, I felt compelled to offer up macarons: The pièce de résistance cookies which cover spectacular fillings. (Please scroll down for details about the weekly #SundaySupper at Twitter.) 

In honor of the upcoming Christmas holiday, I created cream fillings of Japanese plum wine pink/red, Midori Melon liquor green and white Japanese sake. 



Chocolate macarons dressed up for Christmas with Japanese wine fillings.
Japanese plum wine, sake and Midori Melon.


Whipped cream served as a base for the Japanese plum and Midori Melon flavored macaron fillers. Into a half pint of heavy cream, I tossed in 1½ tablespoons of fruit wine along with ¼ cup of confectioner’s sugar, ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract plus drops of food coloring. (Pink for the Japanese plum wine and green for the Midori Melon liquor.)



The Japanese plum wine flavor translates the strongest wine taste.
I was fine with the subtle hint of Midori Melon but you might like it stronger.
(À chacun son goût – each to his own taste.)
 


For the white sake filling, I poured 2½  tablespoons of sake into vanilla frosting. A hint of sake rice wine was detected. Pouring more sake rice wine into the mix would have sacrificed the creamy texture…So, for a true sake flavor, next time I’ll make a stiffer buttercream. Where the recipe calls for milk and extract, I’ll drizzle in sake.  However, the fudgy chocolate macaron covers for any missed wine flavor.



Chocolate macaron with sake rice wine filling
(on a sake wine cup used for wedding celebrations.)


Today’s #SundaySupper covered theme is hosted by DB of Crazy Food Stunts …Expect only gourmet excellence at his site. And anticipate delicious delights from DB and the following Sunday Supper foodies.

Sunday Supper Movement Covered Appetizers and Entreés

Covered Desserts Not Sure What To Do? We Got You Covered Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy! You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.


Wishing you macarons which make you tipsy with joy!

The Ninja Baker

© ™ Watkinson 2012

The Ninja Baker has guest blogged and contributed recipes to numerous food sites. These additional recipes can be found here.

 

 

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#Christmas macaron
chocolate
Japanese wine
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#SundaySupper