Food For Thought
Whisk up something delicious!
It's easy to have a love/hate relationship with these temperamental yet exquisite (and gluten free!) cakes..(or are they pastries?) I've tried many, many recipes, but recently found the Wilton recipe to be the simplest and most foolproof, plus quantities are in cups not grams! The full wilton recipe is http://www.wilton.com/french-macaron-cookies/WLPROJ-8606.html. I use Bob's Red Mill almond flour as it's superfine and makes for a smooth batter. You can see a picture of some of my summer macarons at www.bobsredmill.com/almond-meal-flour/reviews/?p=2 ( thanks Bob ! ), I love using your almond flour and am honored to be featured on your site ) ( pictured here are late summer Raspberry, Salted Caramel, Oregon Hazelnut and Lemon Lime.) Here's the recipe, with my own adjustments: FRENCH MACARONS Makes about 36 complete macarons 1c almond flour ( Bob's Red Mill - superfine) 2c confectioners sugar ( C&H ) 3 large egg whites ( room temperature) 1/4 tsp cream of tartar pinch salt 1/4 c granulated sugar ( C&H) 1 tsp flavoring ( I like a Lorann flavor or a pure vanilla extract) color Put the almond flour and confectioners sugar in a food processor and whirl a couple of times till thy are just mixed together.Do not overmix In a clean grease-free bowl, whisk the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar together till foamy. Add the granulated sugar and whisk till thick and holds stiff peaks. Gently stir in flavor and color* Gently fold in the almond flour mixtures and stir till well blended and the mixture has a 10 second hold - meaning when the mixture is dropped from a spoon it blends into the remaining mixture by the count of 10. * if making more than one color and/ or flavor, mix in the almond flour first, and before fully blended, divide mixture into separate bowls, add color and flavor, and mix in with the last few strokes of blending. Pipe mixture into 1" rounds on a Silpat or parchment paper. Let sit for 30 minutes. eat oven to 275F Bake for 18-22 minutes, depending on your oven. I check at 18, and have found 20 minutes works for a smooth crust, well formed "feet" and most but not wet inside . Let cool, then peel away from the paper or Silpat Sandwich together with Flavored Buttercream, whipped cream or preserves Unfilled macarons can be frozen for up to 1 month. Marveilleux!!
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My one English cucumber plant produced at least 18 large cucumbers in the last 4 weeks (with no sign of slowing down!) and since my neighbors are dealing with their own cucumber and zucchini explosions, I was looking for something other than salad to use up this increasing cucumber collection. What to do?... well if life hands you lemons, you make lemonade... so, why not make cucumber lemonade?! Now I'm obsessed with this cool, summery beverage.....its so simple, so refreshing and actually good for you cos it contains fruits and vegetables : ) You can make this to your own taste for sweetness, lemoniness or cucumberiness, though here's a basic recipe to start you off. CUCUMBER LEMONADE 2 good size ( 11") English cucumbers -chopped ( or remove seeds from equivalent regular cucumbers) 1/4 -1/2 c lemon juice ( I used the bottled kind) 1 lemon - chopped 1/3 c turbinado or demerara sugar ( gives a nice mellow sweetness) or granulated sugar 2c cold water Whirl everything together in a Vitamix or blender till it's chopped up to a pico-de-gallo/salsa-like consistency Strain through a fine mesh sieve Adjust sweetness, tartness - it should be lemony, but there should also be a hint of cucumber. Serve over ice. Can be dliuted with sparkling water or soda too. Sip away! A few days after the 4th of July we had a heatwave and I was craving something fruity, icy cold and refreshing. I also had a giant watermelon to get out of my fridge! What better way to cash in on that juicy deliciousness and gorgeous red color than combining that watermelon with some raspberries–they just go together. Hello Watermelon Raspberry Sorbet! Enjoy your summer, and stay refreshed! WATERMELON RASPBERRY SORBET 1 c granulated sugar 1 c water 1c frozen raspberries 2c diced watermelon Juice of 1/2 lemon 1. Make a simple syrup by boiling together the water and granulated sugar, stirring till the sugar is dissolved. 2. Stir in the frozen raspberries and lemon juice. 3. Put 1/2 the watermelon and 1/2 the raspberry mixture in a blender and process till there are no lumps. Strain mixture into a bowl. 4. Repeat with the remaining watermelon and raspberry mixture. 5. Chill the strained watermelon raspberry juice mixture. Once the mixture is cold you can pour it over ice for a fruity drink, freeze it in a cake pan till its slushy hard (you'll have to stir it every so often so it doesn't freeze solid) or you can freeze it in popsicle molds or in an ice-cream maker. I made double the recipe and used the Breville Smartscoop Ice Cream maker and used 3 1/2 c of mixture to make sorbet. I used the remaining mixture and Zoku popsicle molds to make 6 popsicles. A Vitamix is perfect to blend up the fruits. Have to admit I got the popsicle molds at Marshalls (lucky find!). The Breville ice cream maker was a bit of a splurge, yet one of my best buys ever. I use it a lot in summer, and in winter too actually. I love that it's always ready to go, no freezing a container beforehand, just mix up the ingredients, pour into the bucket and press start! The Breville Smartscoop is on sale right now at Williams-Sonoma and Costco always has the best price on the Vitamix. |