Get on the bandwagon!...... Macarons are IT!!!!!

Food trends come and go and culinary professionals have to be on top of the wave or get left behind. We get that, ok? We all do our homework, research and get with it..... people's tastes change, like the seasons, and so new (or recycled that is since there is nothing new under the sun) ideas pop up and call attention to the "newest" stuff around..... although they're not new at all....

Credit for these little tidbits can be traced all the way to Catherine de' Medici in 1533! She brought her Italian Chefs with her when she married King Henry II of France and couldn't conceive going without her favorite foods (smart girl that Catherine, heh?).....  But then the French claimed their existence to their culinary superiority (naturellement!....) and while the macarons themselves aren't new, some of the new twists given today by Pastry Chefs give these little tidbits new excitement and amazing new flavors!....

You might think that these are those lovely moist coconut cookies, right? But you'd be wrong as those are "macaroons", while these are typically "Parisian Macarons" which are composed of two almond meringue discs filled with a layer of buttercream, jam or ganache. They have taken the US, and a great part of the world, by storm and are one of the latest food trends around. Rene brought us some of the best we've had the last time he came home from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) where they are known for their amazing Macarons! Some of the flavors he brought us were: Caramel, Coffee, Goat Cheese & Apricot, Lichi & Raspberry, Orange Dreamsicle, Pistachio & Cherry, Strawberry Rhubarb, Vanilla White Chocolate, Lavender, White Chocolate Hazelnut!

They're light, tasty, not too sweet, amazing and just the right mouthful of wonderful..... Now you can also find new flavors for these like Green Macha Tea, Truffle, Cassis, Salted Caramel, Passion Fruit, Espresso, Cognac,    Rose Water, Yuzu and Vanilla Flower..... but there is no limit to the flavors you could create, so why not try some today? Your friends and family will be so happy!.....

Parisian Macarons: Lovely texture, amazing flavor and giving cupcakes a run for their money.... This recipe will make about 16 Macarons....


1 1/4 cups plus 1 teaspoon confectioners sugar
1 cup (4 oz) finely ground sliced, blanched almonds, peeled
6 tablespoons fresh egg whites (from about 3 extra-large eggs)
Pinch of sal
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a bowl, whisk together confectioners sugar and the ground almonds. In the mixer bowl with a whisk attachment, whip the egg whites with salt on medium speed until they get foamy. Increase the speed to high and gradually add the granulated sugar. Keep whipping until stiff peaks form. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in the confectioners sugar mix until completely incorporated.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Put a pastry bag with a 3/8-inch or #4 round tip, and fill with the batter. Pipe 1 inch disks (rounds) on the prepared baking sheets, be sure to leave 2 inches between each cookie since the batter will spread a little and you don't want them to touch and stick. Let them stand at room temperature until dry, (a soft skin will form on the top of the macarons and the shiny surface turns dull and looses the shine after about 15 minutes). Bake, keeping the door of the oven slightly open, until the tops of the macarons are completely dry, about 15 minutes or so.

Remove the baking sheet and place on a wire rack to let the macarons cool completely on the baking sheet. Don't touch them. Afterwards, when they're cool,  gently peel them off the parchment. Their tops are easily crushed, so take care when removing the macarons from the parchment and use a very light and delicate hand.

Use immediately or store in an airtight container, refrigerate up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month.

Macaron Filling.- This is a basic filling and you can take it from there.


3 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces

In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk egg whites and sugar. Now set the mixer bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and heat mixture (bain marie), whisking often, until it feels warm to the touch and sugar is dissolved, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Transfer the bowl back to the mixer, and use the whisk attachment. Whip on high speed until the mixture is stiff and shiny, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the butter, one piece at a time, and continue mixing until butter is thoroughly incorporated. This filling can be kept covered and refrigerated, up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature before stirring.

Variations: To make hazelnut-honey filling: In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup of macaron filling with 1/3 cup finely ground hazelnuts and 2 tablespoons good-quality honey.

To make coffee-flavored macarons: Add 2 drops brown food coloring to the egg whites after they are whipped. Blend 1/2 cup macaron filling with 1 1/2 teaspoons espresso powder dissolved in 1/2 teaspoon warm water for the filling before you put the frosting into the piping bag, be sure to mix gently and well.

To make cassis-flavored macarons: Add 2 drops purple food coloring to the egg whites after they are whipped. Use 1/3 cup good-quality cassis jam for the filling instead of the frosting.

To make pistachio-flavored macarons: Add 2 drops green food coloring to the egg whites after they are whipped. Combine 1/2 cup macaron filling with 1 tablespoon pistachio paste for the filling before filling the pastry bag.

To fill the macarons: Fill a pastry bag with the filling. Turn macarons so their flat bottoms face up. On half of them (you're using the other half as the top part of the cookie) , pipe about 1 teaspoon filling. Sandwich these with the remaining macarons, flat-side down, pressing slightly to spread the filling to the edges. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
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As with other recipes I give you, please take into account YOUR equipment and how it works. In our other house I had to lower the oven temperature to 320-330 F or the cookies would be kind of burnt. They still tasted great but didn't look perfect, however in my present, electric (eeww!) oven, the 350F is ok. So keep checking the cookies and judge for yourself.

I love being able to put different colors on each flavor since this makes it easy to recognize your favorites. I love Lavender, Espresso and the Goat Cheese & Apricot is to die for!..... so go ahead and make them in your favorite flavors and impress everyone! Do you have a Macaron bakery where you live? We do! There are several French Bakeries (ooo la la! Fancy!) on the Strip that are awesome!..... But I love the aroma of pastries baking at home, the best comfort food of all!..... Hope you enjoy these!

The best reason of all to make these is not just the inspired flavors and wonderful cookies but top of the line bakeries sell them at $2.50 each all the way to $7.00! and if you love them.... it's worth it. They  make fantastic gifts, create converts (addicts more like it) and make you join the ranks among the best! Try them!