Must Make Martha's Macarons!!!

Photo from MarthaStewart.com

French Macarons, or Macaroons as they are more commonly referred to by English speaking people, are the most heavenly, sublime, wonderful treat on the planet. To my taste buds, at least. They are so delicate, the colors so sweet. Eating a macaron honestly feels so indulgent. Despite my recent discovery that Morton's Market now sell them, I really need to get over my intimidation and learn how to make them. As I'm notorious for losing or forgetting about recipes that I intend to make, I'm "archiving" this recipe on my blog from MarthaStewart.com. Have you made macarons? Do you have any advise to share? I would love to hear from you!

French Macaroons
The basic batter and the fillings for these delectable little desserts can be varied endlessly simply by adding different flavorings and colorings; for starters, there's chocolate, coconut, peanut, pistachio, raspberry, and vanilla bean.

Ingredients
Makes 35 macaroons.
1 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup almond flour
2 large egg whites, room temperature
Pinch of cream of tartar
1/4 cup superfine sugar
3/4 cup seedless raspberry jam, for filling

MACAROON VARIATIONS
Chocolate: Substitute 3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder for 1/4 cup of the almond flour.
Coconut: Substitute 2 tablespoons desiccated unsweetened coconut for 2 tablespoons of the almond flour, and add 1/2 teaspoon rum; sprinkle with additional coconut before baking.
Peanut: Substitute an equal amount finely ground unsalted peanuts (peanut flour) for the almond flour.

Pistachio: Substitute 1/2 cup finely ground unsalted pistachios (pistachio flour) for 1/2 cup of the almond flour, and add 2 to 3 drops forest-green gel-paste food coloring.
Raspberry: Add 1 tablespoon fresh raspberry puree, strained, plus 3 to 4 drops dusty- rose gel-paste food coloring.
Vanilla Bean: Add 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped, pod reserved for another use.

SUGGESTED FILLINGS FOR MACAROONS
Chocolate: Chocolate Ganache
Coconut: 1 cup Swiss Meringue Buttercream, mixed with 1/3 cup angel-flake coconut.
Peanut: Chocolate Ganache, or store-bought dulce de leche, jam, or peanut butter.
Pistachio: 1 cup Swiss Meringue Buttercream, mixed with 1/3 cup finely chopped pistachios.
Raspberry: 3/4 cup seedless raspberry jam.

Vanilla Bean: 1 cup Pineapple Buttercream , 1 cup Swiss Meringue Buttercream, or 3/4 cup store-bought jam or preserves.

Directions
1. Pulse confectioners' sugar and almond flour in a food processor until combined. Sift mixture 2 times.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk whites with a mixer on medium speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar, and whisk until soft peaks form. Reduce speed to low, then add superfine sugar. Increase speed to high, and whisk until stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes. Sift flour mixture over whites, and fold until mixture is smooth and shiny.
3. Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip, and pipe 3/4-inch rounds 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets, dragging pastry tip to the side of rounds rather than forming peaks. Tap bottom of each sheet on work surface to release trapped air. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake 1 sheet at a time, rotating halfway through, until macaroons are crisp and firm, about 10 minutes. After each batch, increase oven temperature to 375 degrees, heat for 5 minutes, then reduce to 325 degrees.
4. Let macaroons cool on sheets for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. (If macaroons stick, spray water underneath parchment on hot sheet. The steam will help release macaroons.)
5. Sandwich 2 same-size macaroons with 1 teaspoon jam. Serve immediately, or stack between layers of parchment, wrap in plastic, and freeze for up to 3 months.
Copyright 2009 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Want to give as a gift? One reviewer of this recipe, AmberLee, also left a link to her blog where you can get the cutest template for labels that she designed for a bake sale. Her blog was such a fun discovery with loads of gift ideas. French Macarons would make a great gift.

Morton's Market Has True French Macarons!!!

This was a very excited discovery for me. Ever since my first taste last October in France, I have been obsessively searching for macarons. Imported from France, these were slightly stale, but are more than adequate to fill my craving until I can next return to France. Morton's charge $1 per macaron, which isn't bad considering I was paying €1 each in France. The lemon has been the best, least stale flavor of the ones I've tried so far. Fingers crossed that they keep them in stock, or better yet, start making their own!

Lunch at Restaurant Miramar in Marseille (10/09)

The pièce de résistance of our day in Marseille was lunch at the renowned Restaurant Miramar, whom are famous for their most authentic bouillabaisse. Situated overlooking the harbor, it was the ideal place to sit outdoors for lunch while soaking up the atmosphere of Marseille. We were entertained by several street performers, my favorite was very reminiscent of Django Reinhardt. The "main attraction" to le Miramar is most definitely the bouillabaisse which is served in the traditional fashion: fish and shellfish served on a platter with the broth in a separate bowl. This is all served with a rounds of bread spread with rouille (a mayonnaise like sauce with garlic, chili, and saffron). When ordering the bouillabaisse, you are presented with a selection of sea creatures to choose from. This is one occasion that I really wished I could have seafood. The ceremony of having bouillabaisse in the place that is argued to have the most authentic in the world would have been a badge of honor I would have proudly worn. We opted for a few land roaming choices and were treated to this leisurely, very enjoyable meal...

We were first treated to a slice of black truffle on toast. While I've had many things that were "truffle flavored", this was my first experience indulging in an actual, non-dried truffle. It was divine. The first bite was a little strange. It had a musty, pungent flavor, but the more I ate, the more I liked it. The second bite definitely had more of a mushroom/beefy tone. To completely savor the experience, I took little bites to optimize this course.

This was then followed by a small glass of chopped seafood in a soup very similar to gazpacho. I sadly had to pass, but I did enjoy the zucchini/olive bread that was served with it. It was yeast free and had the texture of a "quick bread". It would have also gone nicely with an olive or artichoke spread. Perhaps even a hummus.
We were feeling completely spoilt and relaxed by the time our main course arrived: potato galette - on top of filet de boeuf- on top of polenta with a drizzle of au jus and olive oil.
For dessert I opted for the selection of strawberry treats. There was a strawberry crème brûlée, strawberry milk shake (no ice cream involved, more like whipped strawberry milk), strawberry sorbet with a strawberry wafer (looks a bit like salami now) and in the center a few stewed strawberries, marinated strawberries, and the skewer on top a very interesting, chewy strawberry candy. The presentation was fantastic, and not to be outdone by the other courses, before you are even served your first, the pastry chef comes out with a separate dessert menu to take your order. I was very sad that all of this was coming to an end, and then came our coffee...

Our coffee was served with this delightful platter of sweets. Now this is a place I could get used to!

Le Miramar
12, quai du Port
13002 Marseille
Tél. : 04 91 91 10 40 - 04 91 91 41 09
Fax : 04 91 56 64 31
Email : contact@bouillabaisse.com

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Lunch at L’Aïgo Blanco ~ Forcalquier (10/08)

At the recommendation of my sister-in-law, we drove to Forcalquier in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence to have lunch at her favorite restaurant there, L’Aïgo Blanco. Located off a small side street from the Place Saint-Michel, L’Aïgo Blanco was a warm, bistro style restaurant that specializes in Provençale food. I had a look at some of the dishes walking in and decided that one course would definitely be enough. There were several things I could have happily ordered, but my sister-in-law said that their Lavender Honey Duck was very good. They served the duck as an entrée, but as I wasn't feeling up to a full main course with all of the trimmings, so I opted for the Roasted Duck Salad. This was partially down to the fact that the ladies at the table next to us had ordered it and it looked sublime. It also came with baguette with fig compote, need I say more? The duck came served in a crock, covered in sliced potatoes, and then was roasted. It wasn't too much duck, just the right amount. I don't remember the menu saying that it came with jambon de montagne, or if the chef took pity on me for only having one course, but it was a nice and very welcomed addition. The duck was nice, but I wish that it had a little rosemary to balance out the sweetness of the honey. There was so much salad to that I was completely full when I finished that I had to pass on the tempting desserts.Oops, I almost forgot to mention my favorite thing about lunch: upon ordering, our server brought us a bowl of olives that were coated in olive oil and fennel seeds. They were probably my favorite olives of the trip and if I remember to purchase fennel seeds, I would love to make.

L’Aïgo Blanco Restaurant

5, place Vieille - 04300 Forcalquier

Telephone: 04 92 75 27 23

~ * ~ * ~

My hunger had subsided enough by the time we reached Apt, so I stopped back into A Bouchard Pâtisserie for three more Passion Fruit Macarons. They were the tastiest of the ones I tried the night before and I couldn't leave Provence without having more.

Suppose I could have taken them out of the bag before photographing. The oil marks on the paper don't add much to the appeal, but I can assure you that they were heaven!

An Apt Dinner at La Colombe d'Ocre (10/07)

Our local boucher in Roussillon was closed that day, so we set off to Apt where we found a fantastic Boucher - Charcutier - Traiteur: J. C. Malavard. He had an amazing selection of meats (that you could have cut to order) and prepared foods. We chose a heavenly Gratin de Chou-Fleur to go along with our steaks (seasoned with a little herbes de provence). We had some left over ratatouille to finish off and roasted some tomatoes and onions too. As we were nearing the end of our two weeks in France, we were trying to finish off the edibles that we had accumulated while there.

La Charollaise - Apt en Provence
Boucherie ~ Charcuterie ~ Traiteur: Jean-Claude Malavard
8 rue de la Sous Préfecture, 84400 Apt en Provence
Tél. : 04 90 74 14 16

To finish off dinner, I had three beautiful macarons from a place I discovered while in search of beef. We were walking through Apt and it was sort of like I had a honing mechanism: I had this strong urge to look right and there to my surprise was a massive display of macarons in all of the colors in a box of crayons. With approximately 16 flavors to choose from, I walked out with Passion Fruit, Lavender, and Rose. There isn't anything to say other that I was pretty sure that I needed to move to Apt. They also had floral flavored marshmallows, which I regretfully didn't try. Still, I guess it gives me a reason to return.

Alain et Valérie Bouchard Pâtisserie

34, rue des Marchands 84400 Apt en Provence

Tél. : 04 90 04 84 71

Goat Cheese Tart, Carottes Râpées, & Celeri Remoulade (10/06)

We didn't want a huge dinner that night, so before we left for Avignon, stopped at the local boulangerie where I scored myself one of these luscious Goat Cheese Tarts. It was heaven in a pastry crust. The tart consisted of red and yellow tomatoes, fresh basil, and that creamy chunk of my favorite cheese. After seeing it, I nearly didn't make it to Avignon!
To keep it light, we served it with several salads: lettuce, Alison's tomato salad, and two French classics: Carottes Râpées (shredded carrots dressed in a light vinaigrette) and Celeri Remoulade (shredded celery root in a mayonnaise sauce). Now, I adore celeriac and have been to France several times, but this was a first for me. It was one of my favorite foodie discoveries (along with Perrier Menthe and Macarons) and I will definitely be adding it to my staple recipe collection, once I have mastered it. In the upcoming weeks, I'm going to give it my all to see if I can recreate the taste, and once I do - will be sharing it with you.

This was all washed down with a lovely bottle of chilled Pouilly-Fumé. Pouilly Fumé is a fantastic budget friendly alternative to the pricier Sancerre.

Our Market Treasures (10/05)

We ended up back at La Colombe d'Ocre for a nice, relaxing dinner that night were we sampled some of the treasures that we found at the market. We had some lovely jambon de montagne from the local charcuterie in Roussillon. It was total heaven, not too thinly sliced, and divinely smoked. This was joined by some beautifully marinated olives, conrichons (Maille, of course), radishes, and a few other gems that didn't make it into the photo. This was finished by the macarons that were left over from L'Auberge du Pere Bise and the boulangerie in Duingt.

Ah, what bliss!!!

Dinner at Le Clos de la Glycine, Roussillon (10/04)

We had a very indulgent dinner at Le Clos de la Glycine on our first night in Roussillon. The hotel was around the corner from La Colombe d'Ocre, so driving wasn't an issue. The staff were so welcoming and friendly and the menu was superb. With courses chosen, we sat back to enjoy the view of the illuminated ochres out the panoramic window in the dining room. They had an outside terrace for dining, but it was a little too cold that night, so we stayed indoors.

We were promptly treated to a plate of salmon sandwiches, chilled tomato and basil soup, and a lovely dish of spicy olives. This was followed by an onion stuffed with mushrooms. I had never thought of stuffing an onion before, so really enjoyed this unusual dish. After the first bite I felt an idiot for not thinking of it before. The flavor of the mushrooms cooked in wine with rosemary complimented the mellow taste of the roasted onion so well that I was almost sad when I had finished. That was until I saw the next course:
My next course was a lovely medium-cooked pork with a mushroom, rosemary, wine reduction. This came served with Braised Endive Gratin. The Endive Gratin was also a first for me, and left my head swelling with ideas on new ways I'd like to try cooking vegetables.
Then the ending: dessert. This was not a disappointment. I had a poached pair, some chocolaty/melting ice cream thing pictured on the left hand side and in the middle: my favored MACARON!!! It was a lovely chocolate macaron with a heavenly deep, dark chocolate ganache in the center. If I could have a plate of those now, I could never want for anything else...

Le Clos de la Glycine

Place de la poste – 84220

Roussillon - France

Tél. +33 (0) 4 90 05 60 13 / Fax 04 90 05 75 80

E-Mail: mailto:le.clos.de.la.glycine@wanadoo.fr

The View from Duingt (10/02)

After lunch we decided to go into Duingt, where there are lovely views of the lake. We stopped at a boulangerie for some quiche on the way in.
The "Dog Parking" out front is a complete give-away that we are in France. Yes, they love their dogs so much that there is a specific place outside for you to tie-up your faithful friend while you go inside to get your baguette.

City Hall and Church in Duingt.

A short drive up into the mountain provided stunning views into the valley looking onto Lac d'Annecy.

Here is a close up of the Château de Duingt or "Châteauvieux", the 1896 subject of a painting by Paul Cézanne. The village across the lake to the left of the photo is Talloires, which you might remember from an earlier post.

While they were not open for service, we utilized the parking of the restaurant at Auberge Terre de Bellevarde. This appears to be a collect enterprise consisting of Restaurant, Guest Houses, and Apartments.

They had a kitchen garden next to the road where these lovely little beauties were sticking out.

Here is their kitchen garden. While there wasn't much there, I'm pretty sure they were just finishing up for the summer and were beginning to let the land rest. However, with the size of the garden and the position looking into the valley and lake, I would be in absolute heaven calling this home.

Je T'aime: My First Macaron (9/29)

This was my very first macaron, and if I'm honest, the iridescent lavender flecks on the top also added to appeal of a blue colored bite sized treat. The blue macaron, as I had hoped, turned out to be violet... and violet perfection it was: not too perfumey, yet not too sweet. It was absolutely divine. The meringue part was nice and light - crunchy on the outside and chewy in the inside, and the filling more like a mousse texture. It has almost been a month now since I put that little blue dream of a confection in my mouth, and I remember it like it was 5 minutes ago. It was a perfect introduction to the macaron, and set the bar high. I am only wishing that I could have one right now... sigh...

Talloires: Heaven in the Alps (9/29)

After lunch we headed off to Talloires, a small town and commune of the Haute-Savoie département. A popular tourist spot, it has also been referred to as "most romantic village" in France. It is a beautiful town, and was sunny and warm that afternoon - which sent us quickly looking for liquid refreshments. We found a quaint little bar in which J was excited to discover offered Wi-Fi (pronounced Wee-Fee, of course).
Enter the Perrier Menthe, which completely quenched my thirst.

Afterwards we had a look around the boutique of L'Auberge du Pere Bise. This is a very well known, very upscale Hotel and Restaurant. Much to the dismay of the boutique girl (and much to the amusement of my sister-in-law), I opted to buy one Macaron. This was an extreme faux pas, but at 60 cents euro a piece, I was only curious enough to try one of the blue ones in case they tasted of lake scum. I can happily report that they did not, and I returned to buy an entire bag.

This was a narrow house that took my fancy. Not only did it have fantastic views in all direction, but porches on each floor! Now I have to admit, I have sort of an obsession with porches and my knees go weak at the thought of Charleston's historic section. On a hot day, this house would be a dream. Just open the windows and I would imagine that you'd have a fantastic breeze.

The entire area was full of hang gliders. We noticed about 10 in one area, all with different color gliders. It looked like the sky was raining Crayola drops!

With the Alpine mountains in the backdrop, and the town sitting on a lake, you can see why this is THE ideal tourist spot.

The water was so blue and clear, it looked as though the boats were floating on air.

For more information on L'Auberge du Pere Bise, please click the link to their website: http://www.perebise.com/

AUBERGE DU PERE BISE

303 ROUTE DU PORT - LAC D'ANNECY - 74290 TALLOIRES

Tél. : +33 (0)4 50 60 72 01 - Fax : +33 (0)4 50 60 73 05

eMail : reception@perebise.com