Grapefruit French Macarons

Last year, someone decided that French macarons were the new “cool kids” in pastry.  I was definitely not this person.  In fact, if given the choice between one of these airy, chewy, colorful, gems, and a chocolate chip cookie, the chocolate cookie would always win.

Yet, I have a soft spot for these flashy, expensive, sandwich cookies.  Maybe it’s because they are so eye-catching, or because customers at the bakery always get a big smile on their face when they see them, or maybe it’s because, last year, I had to spend countless hours teaching myself to make them to perfection in the midst of the hottest, most humid, Houston summers ever (to keep up with said trend).

Mostly, I secretly admire macarons because they play hard to get.  Humidity must be low, the egg whites should be aged just long enough, the almonds must be ground to the precise consistency, you mustn’t over-beat the meringue or over-mix the batter, your piping must be exact and consistent, they need their beauty rest, and finally (whew!) your oven has to stay at temperature.  And even if you can get all those things right, for the ten minutes the suckers are in the oven, you anxiously hold your breath hoping that when you open the door you find a batch of cookies equal in size with smooth, shiny, domed tops and delicate airy feet (or pied) circling their base.

I’m no scientist, and despite having taken 5 semesters of chemistry in college, I am still relatively clueless when it comes to why certain reactions happen and the science that makes baking possible (although Alton Brown and this amazing book do help out a lot).  For me, baking is about feeling and gut instinct.  This worried me when beginning my quest for macaron perfection and was the reason I had never bothered making them before.  Over and over I had heard how precise everything had to be (see above) and while that is true, I found that being patient, failing a few times, and becoming familiar with how recipes look and feel (yes…get your hands dirty!) is a science in itself.

So, bear with me on this recipe.  I created it based on flavor, appearance, and feel.  I want you to have fun and enjoy the process (don’t get frustrated if it takes you more than one try, I have ruined an entire speed rack full of these buggers, just brush it off and try again).

Macarons are also exciting because there are endless flavor possibilities.  I have made everything from açaí to pumpkin spice to hatch chili (be creative!).  I thought grapefruit would be great this time of year, when citrus is so bountiful.  I flavored the cookie with grapefruit zest and made a quick buttercream with even more zest and freshly squeezed grapefruit juice.  The result, a refreshing, zesty, floral cookie!  Enjoy.

Makes about 30 sandwich cookies

Cookie recipe loosely based on my work at Central Market, but with many adaptations.

Note:  At the bakery, we use almond meal as it makes our lives a lot easier, however when making smaller batches at home, I prefer to grind my own blanched almonds.  This results in a slightly coarser meal which I feel results in more consistently beautiful cookies.  You can buy either at most grocery stores.

As for the egg whites, fresher is not better.  I would recommend using egg whites that have been in your fridge for 3-4 days (I have heard that French bakeries us 7 day old whites that have been at room temp the whole time…not so sure about that), for some reason the older they are the better the cookie.  Bring them to room temperature for a few hours before you make the cookies.

If you want to be super precise with your meringue you can use a food thermometer.  When the egg white/sugar mixture has reached about 250°F, it is ready to whip.  I, however, use my finger.  If the mixture has reached the point where it is too hot to touch for more than a second, its ready (works every time…for me).

Lastly, you will need some special equipment.  A kitchen scale, a stand mixer with whisk attachment, an 18″ pastry bag, #806 round pastry tip, and parchment paper.

Whew!!! Now have fun!

For the cookie:

8 oz granulated sugar

6 oz (liquid) egg whites at room temperature, separated (see note)

8 oz finely ground blanched almonds or almond meal

8 oz confectioner’s sugar (sifted if clumpy)

1 heaping tablespoon grapefruit zest, from 2 large grapefruit

2 very small drops red food coloring (optional)

2 very small drops yellow food coloring (optional)

1-2 tablespoons finely ground, unsalted pistachios for decorating (optional)

For the grapefruit buttercream:

3 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature

1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar

2 teaspoons grapefruit zest

5 tablespoons freshly squeezed grapefruit juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make the macaron cookies:

It’s best if you have everything measured and ready to go before starting and have 3 half-sheet baking sheets covered in parchment.  Bring about an inch of water to a boil in a medium sized saucepan.  Combine granulated sugar and 3 oz of egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and place over boiling water.  Whisking constantly, cook egg whites until hot (see note above), sugar is completely dissolved, and mixture is frothy.  Remove from heat and place on stand mixer with whisk attachment.  Whisk for approximately 5 minutes, on high speed, until mixture has cooled and medium-soft peaks have formed (you want them to be more firm that soft peaks, but not extremely stiff as this will result in a cracked/dry cookie).

While meringue is mixing, combine granulated sugar, ground almonds, and grapefruit zest in a large mixing bowl.  Mix with your hands until well combined and any clumps of zest have been evenly distributed.  Add remaining 3 oz egg whites and food coloring (if using) and mix with hands or a spatula until well combined.  Once meringue is finished, add in three additions to almond mixture until combined, but not mixed too much as you do not want to deflate meringue completely.  It typically takes me 2-3 minutes to mix properly.  Mixture should be sticky and loose, but not extremely liquid.

Fill pastry bag with some of the macaron batter.  Piping completely vertically (i.e. bottom of pastry tip should be perpendicular to pan), pipe batter into 1/2-inch rounds (once they spread they will be close to an inch in diameter) leaving about an inch between each cookie (I was able to fit about 20 cookies on each tray).  The cookies should spread and be perfectly smooth on top, if you are left will a little peak, dip your finger in some water and gently tap down peaks.  Sprinkle each cookie with a small pinch of ground pistachio, if using.  Allow cookies to rest for about 45 minutes, until they feel tacky and a little dry when touched and they have a slightly matted appearance.  While cookies are resting, heat oven to 350°F and place an oven rack in the center of the oven.

Working with one tray at a time, bake cookies for 10 minutes.  Don’t be tempted to open the oven to take a peak, this will drop the temperature and could deflate the cookie.  Repeat with the remaining cookie sheets.  Allow baked macrons to cool for one hour.

Meanwhile make the buttercream (and wash pastry bag,tip, and mixer bowl as you will need them again):

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter on medium high speed for about 1 minute.  Stop mixer and add confectioner’s sugar.  Mix on high speed until mixture is light and fluffy and sugar has dissolved completely.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add grapefruit zest, grapefruit juice, and vanilla extract.  Beat for another minute.  Taste buttercream, if you would like more grapefruit flavor add more zest and/or juice to your taste.

Assemble cookies:

Flip half of the macarons onto their backs and pipe a small dot of buttercream on the center of the cookie (about 1/2-1 tablespoon).  Find a good match (in terms of size) for each cookie and gently sandwich the two cookies together with buttercream in the center.  Repeat with all the macarons (you should end up with about 30 total).  Macarons will keep for about 3 days at room temperature.

When Life Gives You Lemons, Use the Whole Thing

I am a chocoholic and I have no desire to treat this addiction.  However, my appreciation for non-chocolate desserts has increased as of late and I have been enjoying trying out new recipes.

One such recipe is this lemon pie courtesy of the Tartine cookbook.

This humble pie places lemons on a pedestal emphasizing all of their bright, sweet, tart, and bitter flavors.

What amazes me about this recipe is that the whole lemon (minus the seeds) is used to make the lemon filling.  Typically, when making lemon desserts, you use only the juice and to get the full lemon experience, you have to use a lot of it.

Here, thin slices of the whole lemon are tenderized in sugar for a few hours, whisked with eggs, and gently sandwiched between flaky pie crust.  The result, a cross between lemon curd and marmalade and it’s all lemon.  Definitely one of my favorite pies I have made so far.

I also tried Tartine’s pie crust recipe and it is making me question my previous loyalty to this pie crust.  I could hardly believe how flakey and flavorful it was (probably due to the amount of butter) and I am already trying to come up with an excuse to make it again.

Lemon Pie

Makes one 9-inch pie

Courtesy of Tartine by Elisabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson

Note:  I highly recommend a big dollop of unsweetened whipped cream as a garnish.  The creaminess brings the dessert together and is perfect with the lemon.

For the pie crust:

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2/3 cup very cold water

3 cups + 2 tablespoons flour

1 cup + 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold

For the lemon filling:

2 medium lemons

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg yolk

1 tablespoon heavy cream

sugar for decorating

Make the dough.  In a small bowl, add the salt to the water and stir to dissolve.  Keep very cold until ready to use.

Using a food processor, put the flour in the work bowl.  Cut the butter into 1-inch pieces and scatter the pieces over the flour.  Pulse briefly until the mixture forms large crumbs and some of the butter is still in pieces the size of peas.  Add the water-and-salt mixture and pulse for several seconds until the dough begins to come together in a ball but is not completely smooth.  You should still be able to see some butter chunks.

On a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough into 2 equal balls and shape each ball into a disk 1-inch thick.  Wrap well in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours or for up to overnight.

Begin lemon filling.  Slice the lemons paper-thin (this would be a great time to use a mandolin, but I was too lazy), discarding the thicker stem end and any seeds.  Put them in a nonreactive bowl (stainless steel or glass) and, using a spoon or your hands, toss with the sugar.  Cover and let sit at room temperature for at least 3 hours or for up to overnight.

Assemble pie.  Use 1 dough round to line a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, easing it into the bottom and sides and leaving a 1-inch overhand.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and salt together until blended.  Add the eggs to the lemon mixture, mixing thoroughly.  Pour the mixture into the dough-lined tart pan.  the mixture will be very liquid, so you must evenly distribute the lemon pieces in the pan.

To make the egg wash, in a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and cream.  Brush the rim of the dough with the egg wash to help the top round adhere.  Lay the second dough round over the filling and trim the overhand for both round to 1/4 inch.  Crimp the edge as you would for a pie, making sure you have a good seal.  Brush the top of the pie with the egg wash and then sprinkle the sugar evenly over the top.  Chill for about 30 minutes in refrigerator.  While the pie is chilling, preheat oven to 350°F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Cut a few decorative slits in the top of the pie for air vents, and place the tart pan on the lined baking sheet.  Bake the pie until it is deep gold on top and the filling is bubbling, about 40 minutes.  If the top is coloring too quickly, place a piece of parchment loosely over the top.  Let the pie cool completely before slicing to allow filling to set properly.  Serve at room temperature with lightly whipped unsweetened cream.

Making the Most of Citrus Season: Blood Orange Caramel

It’s Citrus Fest at Central Market.  Our produce department is brimming with unique citrus: heirloom navel oranges, blood oranges, variegated pink lemons, honey tangerines, and Buddha’s hand are among a few.

In the bakery we are filling our case and shelves with stunning deep-dish key lime pies, lemon/lime/grapefruit tarts, tons of lemons bars (people are addicted to these things), and wonderful citrus sweet breads (my favorite is the clementine coffee cake).

In the midst of all this citrus madness, I got to take a class at Central Market taught by my all-time favorite pastry chef/blogger, David Lebovitz, all about incorporating citrus into desserts.  It was an amazing class, full of inspiration for citrus, pastry, and blogging.  The menu included: meyer lemon-buttermilk ice cream sandwiches with nonfat gingersnaps, spiced chocolate cakes with caramelized white chocolate (such a cool technique) and candied tangerines, goat cheese souffles with mixed citrus compote in sparkling champagne and yuzu jelly, and tangerine floating island with blood orange caramel.  Everything was superb, I can’t even pick a favorite.

It was the first time that I had tried a floating island and I was pleasantly surprised.  It was light yet flavorful and I particularly loved the blood orange caramel and candied salted almonds David used to garnish the meringue.  I definitely plan to make some floating islands very soon, but I really wanted to try those special garnishes again, especially when I could still get my hands on blood oranges.

Hopefully you run into some beautiful citrus this season!

Blood Orange Caramel

Makes 1 cup

Courtesy of David Lebovitz

Note:  The blood oranges lend their deep red color and tartness to traditional caramel.  If you can’t find blood oranges, regular oranges would work as well.

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1/3 cup water

1/2 cup blood orange juice plus 1/4 cup to finish

Spread the sugar in the bottom of a saute pan or saucepan with heavy bottom.  Pour the water over the sugar to moisten it.

Cook the sugar and water over low heat until the sugar dissolves, then increase the heat and bring the mixture to a boil.  Add a few drops of the orange juice.

Continue to cook the sugar without stirring, until the mixture turns a light amber color.  Keep a constant eye on the caramel as it will cook very fast at this point.  When the caramel turns a dark amber color and begins to smoke and foam a bit, turn off the heat and immediately add the 1/2 cup of blood orange juice (preferably through a strainer if you have one).

Stir the caramel to dissolve any lumps of caramelized sugar and allow it to cool for 5 minutes.  Once it has cooled down, stir in the remaining 1/4 cup of blood orange juice.  Let cool and then transfer to airtight container.  Serve over a meringue or ice cream…or just straight off the spoon.

Salted Candied Almonds

Makes 1 cup

Courtesy of David Lebovitz

Note:  In the class, Davide made these with sliced almonds, which was great, but I love the bite of a chunky almond so I used coarsely chopped almonds.  You decide which you prefer!

1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 cup sliced or coarsely chopped almonds

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Heat the water with 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar in a skillet.

Remove from heat and mix in the almonds until well-coated, then gently stir in the salt.

Spread the almonds on the baking sheet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the almonds are golden brown, 15-20 minutes.