Macarons & Lunch
As promised a while ago, I made a public announcement and organized a French macaron themed get-together in my kitchen. People expressed interest, they signed up, we picked the date and made it happen. One interesting thing to note: only ladies signed up, and not a single guy. My two own guys also expressed no interest in macaron making. I hope that’s not due to some stigmatizing stereotype that macaron making is not a manly activity. I guess it just happened that the men I know aren’t all that passionate about the art of fine pastry. I hope it is not the stereotype.
The season and the weather in our area are still macaron-friendly: the artifficial heat is still on, air humidity is non existant, and as a result, under such conditions macarons come out perfect, every time, effortlessly and without too much hassle.
We got together, three of my girlfriends, and me. Girls brought me flowers. We all made macarons, two batches: one with almond flour, and another – with hazelnut. While macarons were drying, we had lunch, and we talked, and we laughed with no end. The afternoon was a total blast. We have learned some new things, and at the end of it all there was plenty of sweets to pack and take home.
The only thing that I haven’t done during our little party is I have not taken any photos. I did it intentionally, kept my camera away and focused on my guests. It was so much more pleasant that way, no photos, no clicking, no hiding behind the lens, but instead being a part of it all, enjoying the process, and the company.
If you decide to organize something like this yourself, in your kitchen, with your friends, keep in mind that macaron making is weather sensitive, unless your kitchen is enclosed, climate controlled, and otherwise super fancy. If you live & cook in a non-controlled, non-fancy, domestic/amateur kind of setting, pick a dry day that is not too hot, and have a floor fan ready, just in case.
For those who could not make it to the party, and for everyone, who would love to try making French macarons at home, I am posting the recipe, again, the same exact one as I’ve posted numerous times before. It is easy, and simple, and really fun activity. Plus, the cookies are totally scrumptiosly delicious: light, airy, melting in your mouth sweetness. You can make them in millions kinds of flavors, and colors, with any kind of filling & no limits to your creativity or desire to experiment. It truly feels more like an art, rather than just plain baking.
Thank you, Liz, Beth and Jennifer, for making this happen.
Thank you all for stopping by and for taking time to read this.
Aušra
French Macarons
In a bowl of stand mixer combine three egg whites and 100 g of sugar. Place the bowl on top of the pot with boiling water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Whisk egg whites with a handheld whisk, continuously & rather energetically, until the mixture is hot to the touch, about 2-3 minutes or so. When the mixture is hot, remove the bowl from steam, transfer it to your stand mixer and whisk on maximum speed until completely stiff. Egg whites are ready if they don’t move when the bowl is turned upside down.
While egg whites are being whisked, in a food processor combine 100 g of almond or hazelnut flour and 100 g of powdered sugar. Process until uniform. Add dry ingredients to egg whites and mix on low speed just until fully incorporrated. Transfer batter into pastry bag with wide round tip. Pipe round cookies onto parchment-lined baking sheet. Let cookies air-dry at room temperature for at least 1 hour.
When cookies are dry to the touch, transfer them into preheated 300oF oven. Bake until completely dry, 17-20 minutes. Remove from oven. Let cool completely on a baking sheet. Use desired frosting to sandwich two cookies together. Store in airtight container, in refrigerator.
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