grapefruit white chocolate macaron

2.25.2020


So, I am continuing to experiment with macarons... and this might have been my best batch to date. They were great for so many reasons. One, the flavoring was very solid. Two, the consistency and shell structures were real good.

What did I do differently? I finally bought a scale. I always thought using scales would be more work than I wanted to spend... but boy was I wrong. I love using a scale now. It is so easy and making cooking cleaner some how. For example, it was really clear to me that 120 grams of egg whites was significantly more than 3 eggs worth. It ended up being close to 4 eggs. The other difference was that I added a little bit of granulated sugar to the whipped egg whites. This is the website that I used as a guide. Although not a video, there are a lot of detailed pictures to show progress.

I made these babes for a Galentine's Day dinner with family ladies. They were rather perfect and it was hard to not keep eating them. I think the next time I make macarons, I might try for some itty bitty ones. Then I could eat 3 and not feel bad about it.
  1. Place the confectioners’ sugar and almond flour in a food processor or blender and pulse or blend for 30 seconds until thoroughly combined and fine in texture. Set aside.
  2. In a completely dry and grease-free bowl, beat the egg whites and salt together on medium speed for 1 minute. Switch to high speed and beat *just* until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Do NOT overbeat. Using a metal spoon or rubber spatula, gently fold in the sifted granulated sugar, 1 Tablespoon at a time.
  3. On low speed, beat in any flavor or color at this point. Do not overmix.
  4. Fold in the confectioners’ sugar/almond flour mixture until combined. Be very gentle and light-handed while doing so. Once completely combined, the mixture will be smooth, sticky, and glossy.
  5. Let the batter sit uncovered at room temperature for 10-30 minutes. Meanwhile, fit your piping bag with the piping tip. Line 2-3 baking sheets with silicone baking mats.
  6. Fill the piping bag with the batter and pipe evenly sized rounds onto the baking sheets. Gently tap the bottom of the baking sheets on your counter to rid any large air bubbles. You can lightly sprinkle a few sprinkles or any edible decorations onto the wet round shells at this point.
  7. Let the piped rounds sit for at least 45 minutes and up to 1 hour. This is crucial to making macarons! The air will will help the rounds set and form a dry shell. They should not be sticky going into the oven.
  8. Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Bake the macarons for 10 minutes, one baking sheet at a time. Rotate the pan at the 5 minute mark. The tops should be crisp and the macarons should have formed their signature crinkly “feet.” Allow to cool completely on the baking sheet before filling.
  9. Fill with buttercream and sandwich two shells together!
Shopping List
200g confectioners’ sugar (close to 2 cups)
100g almond flour (close to 1 cup)
120g room temperature egg whites (around 3 large egg whites)*
1/8 teaspoon salt
40g sifted granulated sugar or caster sugar (3 Tablespoons)
flavoring or color* --> I used like 1 tbsp of grated grapefruit zest
your desired filling* --> I used a standard buttercream but flavored with coconut extract and grapefruit zest

bagel egg bake

2.09.2020

Let me introduce you to a very easy and impressive brunch recipe. I honestly have no idea what to call it - but perhaps a "bagel egg bake"? 

I've attempted several different brunch casseroles over the years and this is one of the best. It is also one of the easiest. There are only 6 ingredients! I ended up making a slightly larger batch than the recipe called for... which necessitated in getting some emergency eggs from my neighbor.

This made for a great accompaniment to the brunch. It was not too eggy and the green onions made a great addition. I also made a blood orange cardamom cake to go with it... and some other nice ladies brought a fruit salad and tasty pink donuts. The best and worst part about hosting brunch is that I'll be eating all these leftovers for two more days. 

A few notes:
  • prepare the dig the night before for ultimate ease
  • I bought fresh bagels from Trader Joes... but this would be a great opportunity to get a bargain on some day old bagels
  • i swapped out regular bacon for turkey bacon... frankly, I didn't even notice the difference and I love bacon. You could also swap in pancetta or anything salty.
  1. Arrange bagels in 2- to 2 1/2-qt. baking dish. 
  2. In large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cheese, bacon, 4 sliced green onions, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. 
  3. Pour over bagels, pressing down slightly to submerge. 
  4. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or up to overnight. 
  5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Uncover dish and bake 45 to 55 minutes until set. 
  6. Let cool 15 minutes before serving; garnish with green onion.
Shopping list
4 "everything" bagels, toasted and chopped 
6 large eggs 
2 c. milk 
4 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded 
4 slices cooked turkey bacon
4 green onions, sliced, plus more for garnish

blood orange cardamom cake

Hello there beautiful. That is what you can say to this cake once you flip it out of the pan. 

I was looking for something a little bit red and a little bit fun to make for a galentine's brunch this weekend. It was incredibly easy to make and a bit of a shocker to me honestly. I am probably now going to see what other fruits I can put in cake pans and flip upside down.

A few takeaways:
  • amount of fruit? I saw some versions of this cake with a ton of overlapping oranges... and then a lot less. I think somewhere around my amount was correct. Perhaps a little bit more so you are guaranteed some in each slice
  • crazy moist? I accidentally left this cake out on the counter overnight... and you'd never know.
  • rind on the fruit? I left mine on because I liked how it looked on a baked cake. The rind completely bakes down and is very easy to cut through. The internet says that sometimes it could be a bit bitter, but I didn't notice.
  • the original recipe from "The Broken Bread" had the steps in a slightly different order... but I rearranged them to make a little more sense. 

Here's how it goes.
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease the edges of a 9″ spring form pan with nonstick spray or butter.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, cardamom, baking powder, and salt together until combined.
  3. In another bowl, whisk eggs, ricotta, vanilla, and orange juice until smooth. Once combined fold the ricotta mixture into the dry ingredients with a spatula until just blended. Then, gently fold in melted butter.
  4. Place 3 tablespoons butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan and cook on low heat just until the butter melts. Whisk the mixture a few times until smooth and pour into the cake pan, making sure that it evenly coats the bottom; set aside.
  5. Place orange slices on the bottom of the cake pan, arranging the slices to fit. Carefully pour in the cake batter over the top of the oranges and place in the oven and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. 
  6. Allow the cake to cool for 15-20 minutes before removing from the pan. Invert the cake onto a plate and serve once completely cooled.
Shopping List (original recipe)
1 1/2 Cup (180g) All-Purpose Flour
1 Cup (200g) Evaporated Cane Sugar
1 1/4 Teaspoon Cardamom
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
3 Large Eggs
1 1/2 Cup Ricotta Cheese
1Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 Tablespoons Fresh Orange Juice
1 Stick Butter, melted
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