Red Apple Macarons

It's been a long time since I've made macarons. To be honest, I've never really considered myself a fan. I think I'm more of a frosting person than a cookie person. I love love love all things sweet but I'd pick a gooey custard bun with a scant dusting of icing sugar over a crunchy and dry meringue kiss any day. I think people tend to go a little overboard with sugar sometimes. I like to think of sugar as another seasoning like salt or pepper rather than as a main ingredient and only add just enough to make whatever it is I'm doing taste good. Except when the amount of sugar is directly related to texture, then whatever. Otherwise, less is more I say!


These red apple macarons are the result of many sleepless nights of tossing and turning, trying to come up with a secret santa present for someone at work. I work in the kitchen and he works on the floor. We really only ever speak in passing which makes thinking up a personal gift so much easier. Okay well.. I know he likes eating apples, he sits an apple on the shelf when he comes in and munches on it every now and then. Why not make him a gift bag with some of my jams (they have apple in them.. some of them), spiced apple cookies and to heck with it! I'll go all out and make apple macarons!

So for the Holiday Cookie Baking Event here's my recipe for not-too-sweet red apple macarons!
­
When making the apple butter, it is important to have the sugar syrup at room temperature or slightly below. If it is too hot it may cause the butter to melt and you may have to start again. If it is too cold it will set the butter while churning. You'll end up with a curdled looking mass and you'll need to bring everything back up to room temp by pouring out the syrup, beating the shit out of it until smooth then re-adding syrup. Any leftover butter can be stored in the freezer.
­
Red Macarons
Combine sugar and almond meal in a medium bowl & set aside.

155 g icing sugar, sifted
120 g almond meal
66 g egg whites
1/2 vanilla pod
4 g red liquid food colouring

Whisk egg whites until firm.
Add vanilla seeds, red colouring and whisk to combine.
Fold egg whites into dry ingredients.
Grease and line a heavy sheet pan with non-stick baking paper.
Pipe mix into 2 cm rounds with size 7 nozzle, spacing 2 cm apart.
Rest at room temp for 20 mins or until a light skin has formed.
Bake at 140ºC for 14 - 15 mins, turning halfway.
Cool on tray then sandwich together with apple butter.
­
Zesty Apple Butter
Heat sugar, salt and water together until dissolved.

150 g unsalted butter, chopped
35 g castor sugar
1 g salt
35 g water
2 g fresh thyme, leaves only
1 g lemon zest
10 g apple glaze

Cool to room temperature or cooler.
Beat butter until smooth.
Add thyme, lemon zest, apple glaze and beat until incorporated.
Slowly add sugar syrup, beat until smooth.
­

A Modest Spread

I always seem to be in a mad rush, stumbling over one idea and onto the next without really completing anything. This post included, which I originally intended to write a month ago when I made this chocolate cake.

­

My very first go at making chocolate cake was this torta cioccolata a few months back which makes this a momentous point in history as it is only the second chocolate cake I've ever made (if you don't count baking White Wings premix satchets at the tender age of fourteen har har!). I'm quite proud of myself actually. Despite its modest appearance and ingredients it really is quite a well-balanced cake, taking into consideration both the flavour and texture.

Old-Fashioned Choc Layer Cake
adapted from Death By Chocolate

4 (60 g) egg yolks
3 (100 g) egg whites
141 g castor sugar
107 g self-raising flour
115 g butter, melted
215 g dark chocolate, chopped

Cream yolks and 85 g sugar until pale and doubled in volume.
Fold through sifted flour and butter.
Beat egg whites to stiff peaks.
Add remaining sugar (56 g) and beat until glossy.
Fold through batter then fold through 115 g chocolate.
Pour into a greased and floured 6 x 10 x 1.5" tin.
Bake at 170ºC for 25-30 mins.
Cool in tin and refrigerate for 30 mins.
Turn onto a board and cut in half lengthways.
Cut each piece into 2 layers.
Spread each piece with buttercream and layer on top of one another.
Spread remaining buttercream over the top and sides.
Gently press remaining chocolate onto the sides.
Refrigerate overnight or until set.

Buttercream

114 g butter, chopped
29 g unsweetened cocoa
1 g salt
38 g icing sugar, sifted
3 g vanilla extract
42 g cream

Beat butter until smooth.
Add cocoa, salt, sugar, vanilla and beat until well incorporated.
Slowly add cream and beat until combined.

I'm On A Jam Roll!

I have successfully populated yoghurt cultures! I brought 3 spoonfuls of King Island yoghurt and a scant cup of full cream milk to temperature in a small pot with half a vanilla pod thrown in for good measure, switched off the heat and let it sit at room temp while I scurried off to another day at the office. 30 hours later (when I remembered..) I checked the mixture and voila! It had magically thickened. It was surprisingly creamy and did not exhibit the acute sourness I had so anticipated after my slight memory lapse. It is currently being housed in the refrigerator while we brainstorm ideas to transport it to a quaint little place down south called MY STOMACH.
­
Anyway, I've been on a jam making mission lately. Don't ask me why, there's nothing terribly exciting about it. I'm just waiting for these urges to stop and stop they will.. Any day now.. Last week aside from apple & blackberry jam I also made a raspberry marmalade and yesterday a black cherry jelly. It's a jelly because I added extra pectin to set it and left the fruit in relatively chunky pieces rather than wizzing it all up for a uniform texture.
­
When blanching peel I find the easiest method is to heat up a large amount of water in the kettle and with the peel in a bowl, pour over just enough to cover and let it sit for a minute. Then I tip out the liquid and repeat with boiling water sometimes up to 6 or 7 times until the liquid no longer becomes bitter.
­
Raspberry Marmalade

920 g navel oranges
215 g water
210 g frozen raspberries, thawed
385 g castor sugar
2 star anise
12 g jamsetta

Remove orange rind with vegetable peeler (100 g).
Cut into 1 cm wide strips and julienne.
Blanch peel 4 times and strain.
Chop up the orange flesh (445 g), keeping seeds aside.
Simmer seeds with 215 g water for 15 - 20 mins.
Strain, reserving pectin liquid.
Simmer rind, flesh and pectin liquid in a small pot for 20 minutes.
Add raspberries, sugar, star anise and jamsetta.
Simmer, stirring ocassionally until it reaches 105ºC.
Store in a sterile hermetic jar.
­
Black Cherry Jelly

270 g cherries, pitted and halved
160 g water
2 g citric acid
1/2 vanilla pod
220 g castor sugar
18 g jamsetta

Simmer cherries, water, acid and vanilla in a small pot for 20 mins.
Add sugar and jamsetta and bring to 105ºC.
Store in a sterile hermetic jar.
­