Your Daily Cookie-
© 07/1/08
By Dahni
French Macaroon – Certified organic
Good day, here is your cookie for today. It’s really a cookie. OK, it’s another real cookie recipe. The French macaroons differ from the American in that that do not contain coconut.
Hazelnut Almond with Orange Semi-Freddo
For Macaroons
3 large egg whites
3/4 cup superfine granulated sugar
1/2 cup coarsely chopped blanched almonds (2 3/4 oz), toasted
1/2 cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts (2 oz), toasted
For Semi-Freddo
9 oranges
4 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons potato starch
For Wine Syrup
1 orange
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Special equipment: parchment paper, a large pastry bag fitted with a 1-inch plain tip, and an ice-cream maker
Make macaroons:
Preheat oven to 200°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Draw or trace 12 (3-inch) circles 1 inch apart on parchment and turn paper over on baking sheet.
Put egg whites in a metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water and gently whisk constantly until barely warm. Remove bowl from heat and beat whites with a pinch of salt with an electric mixer until they just hold soft peaks. Gradually add 1/2 cup superfine sugar, beating until whites just hold stiff, glossy peaks. Fold in remaining 1/4 cup sugar, then nuts.
Transfer meringue to pastry bag and pipe 12 rounds of meringue inside drawn circles on parchment. Bake in middle of oven until dry to the touch and crisp, about 1 1/2 hours. If macaroons are not crisp after 1 1/2 hours, turn off oven and let stand in oven 30 to 40 minutes more. Peel macaroons off parchment and transfer to a rack to cool (macaroons may stick if cooled on paper).
Make semi-Freddo: Finely grate enough zest from oranges to measure 1 1/2 teaspoons. Squeeze 2 cups juice.
Whisk together yolks, sugar, and potato starch in a 1-quart heavy saucepan. Gradually add juice, whisking until smooth. Cook over moderate heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and registers 170°F on an instant-read thermometer, 5 to 6 minutes. Pour through a very fine sieve into a metal bowl and stir in zest. Set bowl in a larger bowl of ice and cold water and stir occasionally until mixture is cold.
Freeze in ice-cream maker until soft-frozen. Spread semi-Freddo on flat (bottom) side of 6 macaroons and top with remaining macaroons, flat sides down. Wrap each in plastic wrap and freeze until ready to serve.
Make wine syrup: Remove zest from orange with a vegetable peeler, and then remove any white pith from zest. Julienne zest. Squeeze 1 tablespoon juice.
Cover zest with cold water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Drain in a sieve and rinse under cold water. Pat dry.
Cook sugar in a dry 1-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, undisturbed, until it begins to melt. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally with a fork, until sugar is melted into a deep golden caramel.
While caramel is cooking, bring wine and zest to a boil in a small saucepan. Tilt caramel pan and carefully pour in wine with zest (caramel will harden and steam vigorously). Cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until caramel is dissolved. Stir in orange and lemon juices, and then cool.
Let filled macaroons soften 20 to 25 minutes at room temperature, then serve with wine syrup.
Cooks’ notes:
- Filled macaroons can be frozen up to 2 days.
- Wine syrup can be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before serving
A little Short History of Macaroons
Almond macaroons originated in an Italian monastery around 1792. The name comes from the Italian word for paste, maccarone, which refers to almond paste. (Macaroni means flour paste.)
The first macaroons were almond meringue cookies similar to today’s amaretti, with a crisp crust and a soft interior. They were made from egg whites and almond paste (a combination of equal parts of ground blanched almonds and sugar, mixed with egg whites-today glucose or corn syrup can be substituted).
The name of the cookie comes from the Italian word for paste, maccarone (it is also the word for pasta-macaroni-and dumplings).
French macaroons are delicate, meringue-like and almond flavored (unlike the dense, chewy American coconuty version — which is also pretty good). This sweet treat became popular in France in the mid-17th century and didn’t evolve much for nearly 300 years. In the 1930s, bakers at the famed Laduree tearoom and pastry shop in Paris started sandwiching frosting between two traditional macaroons. They have been described as “at once fluffy, a little chewy, and lightly crisp.”
Your cookie for this day, Macaroon Recipe. Enjoy.
Tomorrow’s cookie – Taking a mini busication (business + vacation = tax deductible)
Will probably resume posting on or about 7/8/08. Have a nice Fourth of July. :)
Baking cookies just for You,
Dahni the cookie man
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