Bridal Shower Part 3 - Berry Cheesecake Macarons

As I wrote in my previous posts (here and here), I recently helped throw my very dear friend a Paris themed bridal shower. Of course I had to bake some macarons as part of the event’s dessert line up! The bride loves macarons, particularly the ones from Laduree, which she had for the first time when she went to Paris (and got engaged!).

I’m still on my macaron perfecting journey. I still cannot bake filled macarons (i.e., I end up with hollows). And I’m sad to say that I can’t bake them in the Winter/Fall/Spring because it’s so rainy and humid in Vancouver and I have a gas oven. After many trials and tears, I realized after talking to a foodie colleague, that gas ovens pump out moisture, which destroys macarons. I think it’s completely ridiculous that I can only bake them in the summer - to the point where I might change out my gas oven for an electric.

So good thing it’s summer! I decided on a berry cheesecake filling for the shower. Check out the verdict at the end of the post.

Berry Cheesecake Macarons

Macaron shells

Ingredients

1 ½ cups icing sugar

1 cup + 2 Tablespoons almond meal/ground almonds

3 egg whites

⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar

¼ + 2 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Gel food colouring

Directions

1. Line three baking sheets with parchment. Wipe the inside of a metal bowl and whisk with vinegar to get rid of any grease. Insert a round tip # 2A into a pastry bag, place in a tall cup, and fold the edge over the outside of the cup.
2. Combine icing sugar and almond meal in a blender or food processor and pulse a few times to mix and further grind the almonds. Set aside.
3. Place egg whites in the bowl and beat until frothy. Add cream of tartar and whip to soft peaks. Gradually add sugar while whisking and continue to very stiff peaks.
4. Add vanilla and combine. Add gel food colouring (I used a mix of pink and purple) and combine. Knock the meringue off the whisk by hitting it against the side of the bowl.
5. Sift the almond-icing sugar blend into the meringue. Set timer for 30 seconds and mix with a spatula to deflate the air.
6. Begin to fold and smear the mixture against the bottom/side of the bowl. Take your time and test the consistency periodically - hold some of the mixture up with the spatula and see if it flows down in a thick ribbon. If you can make a number 8 with the flow as it drips off the spatula, it’s ready. Check out this video for a reference on the consistency.
7. Fill the pastry bag with half the mixture (now called a macaronage). Pipe small circles. Refill and repeat with remaining macaronage. Bang the baking sheet 2x on the counter to release bubbles. Set aside.
8. Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees F. Let macarons sit and form a shell as the oven is pre-baking (15-30 minutes).
9. Bake one sheet at a time for 15 minutes. The shells should easily release from the parchment. Cool on tray before filling.

Berry cream cheese filling

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon of butter, softened

¼ cup cream cheese, softened

2 Tablespoon of your favorite berry jam

2 Tablespoons icing sugar

Directions

Beat butter and cream cheese together until fluffy and combined. Add jam and icing sugar and mix to combine.

Assembly

Spread jam on one macaron shell and add (or pipe) a dollop of cream cheese filling on the other. Combine. But wait, you’re not done! Be sure to ripen them in the fridge in a sealed container for a minimum of 24 hours. This will improve flavour and texture. Don’t skip this step! It’s worth it.

Verdict: The bride and the guests were delighted by the macarons, which of course made me really happy! It just added a really nice touch to the event. I send everyone home with leftover cake and macarons.

Cookie Exchange Part 3

Part three of the cookie exchange.  Check out what my colleagues made!

Cranberry Almond Florentines

Adapted by Justyna from here.

Florentines are traditionally baked on cookie sheets using sliced almonds to achieve a delicate feel. This recipe is for a thicker cookie, which is easier to cook in a tartlet pan. For more of a candy feel, use a mini-cupcake pan and replace the cranberries with the more traditional candied orange.

Ingredients

1 ¾ cups chopped almonds

3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 Tablespoons finely chopped dried cranberries

¼ teaspoon fine salt

½ cup sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

2 Tablespoons almond milk

5 Tablespoons unsalted butter

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Stir together the nuts, flour, fruit and salt in a large bowl.

2. Put the sugars, almond milk and butter in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a rolling boil and sugar is completely dissolved. Continue to boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, then pour mixture into almond mixture and stir just to combine.

3. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Set the batter aside until cool enough to handle, 30 minutes.

4. Scoop flat tablespoons of batter into each space on the pan (enough so that they will cover the bottom when spread out). Bake until the cookies are just golden brown, rotating pans halfway through baking time, about 8 to 11 minutes.

5. Cool on pan for 5 minutes. Give each cookie a small turn to loosen it from the pan and transfer to a rack to cool.

Lemon Tarts

Made by Vivian

Tart shells

From here.

Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Flour as necessary

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon sugar

pinch of salt

Directions 

1. Heat the oven to 410° F (210° C). 

2. In a Pyrex type oven-safe bowl, combine the butter, oil, water, salt, and sugar. 

3. Place in the hot oven for approximately 15 minutes, until the mixture is boiling and the butter starts browning. 

4. Remove from oven, add flour quickly, until it forms a ball. Keep adding flour, one spoonful at the time, until it pulls off the sides of the bowl. 

5. Once the dough is cool enough to touch, press it in to the tart mold evenly with your fingertips. 

6. Pierce the bottom with a fork, line the sides with the back of the fork to form ridges. 

7. Bake for 15 minutes or until the crust is light brown and shows fine cracks. 

8. Cool completely on rack.

Lemon Filling

From here.

Ingredients

½ cup + 2 Tablespoons lemon juice 

3 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

¾ cup sugar

Pinch of salt

1 cup unsalted butter

Directions 

1. Pour water to a depth of about 2 inches into a saucepan, place over medium heat, and bring to a simmer. 

2. Combine the lemon juice, whole eggs, yolk, sugar, and salt in a stainless steel bowl that will rest securely in the rim of a saucepan over, not touching, the water. (Never let the egg yolks and sugar sit together for more than a moment without stirring; the sugar will cook the yolks and turn them granular.) Place the bowl over the saucepan and continue to whisk until the mixture becomes very thick and registers 180° F on a thermometer. This will take 10 to 12 minutes. If you don't have or trust your thermometer, don't worry. It should thicken to the point that your whisk leaves a trail through the curd. 

3. Remove the bowl from over the water and let cool to 140° F, stirring from time to time to release the heat. 

4. Cut butter into 1-tablespoon (15-ml) pieces. When the cream is ready, leave it in the bowl if using an immersion blender, or pour it into a countertop blender. With the blender running, add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, blending after each addition until incorporated before adding the next piece. The cream will be pale yellow and opaque and quite thick. 

5. Spoon cream into tart shells. Top with whipped cream.  Store in refrigerator.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Snowballs

By Sophie

Makes 4 ½ to 5 dozen.

Ingredients

1 cup (250ml) smooth peanut butter                                      

½ cup (125ml) icing (confectioners) sugar                             

1 cup (250ml) Rice krispies cereal                                             

½ cup (125ml) finely chopped walnuts                   

1 Tbsp (15ml) butter or margarine, softened                      

4 x 1 oz. (4 x 28g) semi -sweet chocolate squares                             

2 Tbsp (30ml) grated parawax (paraffin)                               

A bag of coconut flakes

Directions 

1. Measure first 5 ingredients into bowl. With your hands, mix together well. Shape into 1 inch (2.5cm) balls. Chill for 2-3 hours. 

2. Melt chocolate and wax together. Dip balls to coat, drain and roll straight away in coconut flakes (chocolate dries very quickly) and place on waxed paper.

 
Stay tuned for Part 4 of the cookie exchange!