thanksgiving: part 2

Chocolate time! Making these at 10:30 with my mommy. Got to get everything done before the big day! We're using the tried and true David Lebovitz recipe. Everything went pretty smoothly, disregarding the powdered sugar which coats my eyelashes.

The most exciting part of this is we finally get to make real ganache! The perfect ratio is 9 ounces of chocolate to 1 cup of cream, but I am cutting the recipe in half. Chop the chocolate finely if you are using a block of chocolate, but chocolate chips are fine. But please-- dark chocolate. Simmer the cream, then pour it over the chopped chocolate. Let the cream melt the chocolate, then blend the mixture. If you want, add a teaspoon of dark rum or flavored liqueur. I used amaretto. the ganache should be smooth and shiny and ridiculously yummy.

Depending on your preference, there are two ways to apply the ganache to the macarons. If you are a fan of piping, pour the ganache into a piping bag and squeeze it onto every other mac. I was too tired for that, so I put the ganache in the refrigerator over night so that it set up. Then spread it on. And the beauties....

Happy Thanksgiving!

xoxo,

allie

thank you very much.

It's almost Thanksgiving and to alleviate the stress of baking with guests here, we are getting a head start. It has been requested that I make two flavors because a. everyone loves them and b. they are gluten free! My grandma has celiac disease (a.k.a she can't eat gluten) so she often misses out on desserts. Macarons are perfect! I will be making chocolate (everyone's favorite) and pistachio (new and exciting).

I have been aging 5 egg whites for almost a day. Each recipe really only requires 2 eggs, but with my egg cracking blunders yesterday, measuring out half will be just fine.

I am going to start with the pistachio macs. The cookie is still the same, unless you can find pistachio extract (which you can add 1/2 tsp. of to the batter). The filling, however, is going to be way different. It came from Martha Stewart's macaroon recipe, actually. But more on that later.

I ground my own almonds into flour which seemed like a great idea, but it was a little too moist, making a doughy mass. I sifted the sugar and almonds together to kind of absorb the liquid. It took literally half an hour to sift, but the results are lovely.

Then I found that 5 eggs makes 2/3 cup of egg whites. What is half of 2/3? How did I get into magnet? Wow -- stupid moment. 1/3! I whipped the eggs, added granulated sugar, and whipped some more. Then I added the dry ingredients and green food coloring. It looks greener in the picture -- it's actually perfect pistachio green. Macaron batter is supposed to "flow like magma" as many chefs have put it. This is pretty much the first time that has happened for me. The good part is that they flattened out and don't have marks from piping. The bad part is that they ran into each other, but I figure I can run a toothpick between them while they have a filmy crust and take away the batter. Then pipe and let them sit for an hour while they develop a crust and the oven preheats to 325.

Ok, well, I baked them for 10 minutes and they sort of... imploded. They stuck to the parchment and were... icky. I am making another batch without looking at the recipe (I've memorized it) and without sifting. Too time consuming. My grandparents should be here soon! The batter was significantly thicker, making piping pretty frustrating. But, as I write this, I am staring at beautiful puffy macs. Victory!

Now it's time for the filling. Martha's recipe seems to be giant, and with Thanksgiving, I would do anything to have zero leftovers. I'm cutting her recipe in half even if it does mean using half an egg... So I followed the recipe and it turned out pretty well. There is an entire stick of butter in it an you can definitely tell, but butter is yummy!

My sister iced them. Here is a pic of the beautiful products.

Now on to the next batch.

xoxo,

allie

comfort food.

School is getting harder, the weather is getting colder, and I am craving some comfort food. Warm, sweet, and carb-y foods make me think of sitting by the fire without going through the trouble of lighting one. Recently, I have been making bento lunches, japanese lunchboxes usually loaded with small "side dishes" and a rice based somethingorother. I make rice in a rice cooker, not on the stove, and I always end up making too much - even for a whole week. Japanese sticky rice is the perfect base for a simple, comforting desert.

The obvious way to go is a rice pudding, right? I make something even easier. Warm up some rice with a pat of butter. Sprinkle with any kind of sugar you like. I recommend brown sugar, or if you can get your hands on maple sugar, that would be even better. In the picture, I used maple flakes, which are large, crunchy sugar flakes, best compared to crushed up maple sugar candy. You know the kind that is molded into shapes and melts in your mouth? It melts into the rice, spreading the flavor throughout. To make it super special, you can use coconut rice - rice made with coconut milk instead of all or a portion of the water. It is creamy and more suited for sweets or as a good contrast for spicy foods.

If the idea of sweet rice freaks you out, think of it as the same concept as hot cereals with sugar. To me, rice has become a comforting, homey food which a good portion of my diet is based on. My life is like that song.

I'm turning japanese.

xoxo,

allie