LCG Is An Auntie: Meet Daniel Paul

On Monday my adorable sister-in-law gave birth to Daniel Paul. Already a big boy at 8 lbs. 7 oz, Daniel arrived in style, behaving like an angel and making soft cooing noises when Auntie LCG held him for the first time, and showing off his perfectly developed lungs to the nurses when they poked and prodded him, counting up fingers and toes. Little Danny, clearly advanced for his tender age, seems to have no problem expressing his emotions. My older brother is already smitten with his first born, who in my humble opinion has his lips and eyes and his mother's nose and cheeks (at least for the time being). Watching my brother melt as he gazed into Danny's baby blue eyes brought tears to mine. As soon as I held him and caught the first trace of his baby smell, I felt an instant connection, and knew with certainty that I will love this child and protect him just as surely as if he were my own. The miracle of Daniel's birth reminded me, for the first time in a while, how powerful and unshakable is the bond of family.

Meet Daniel, day 5:

Twice as Nice: French Macarons Two Ways

On my last trip to Paris, I tasted a little piece of heaven in a bite sized cookie: the delectable French Macaron, not to be confused with the coconut macaroon. I love macarons so much I served them at my wedding (along with creme brulee) in lieu of traditional cake. The macarons for my wedding were created by local macaron artist, the very sweet (and very French), Paulette, who custom made them in the colors of my wedding.

I've also tried to master baking macarons so I can enjoy them regularly. But not being a pastry chef has left me somewhat disadvantaged. You see macarons are temperamental. Over mix your batter and they collapse. Fail to use the correct almond flour or proportions of egg whites, and the cookies come out dry and boring. Use the wrong baking sheet, or try silpat instead of parchment paper liners, and the cookies fail to crisp on the edges. In my quest to master macarons, there have been several failed attempts, and I was so disheartened that I stopped trying.

This weekend however, I was inspired to try again. My dear friend "Dolce" is getting married today. She was the one who picked up the macarons for my wedding from Paulette and hauled the delicate cookies all the way to Ojai; no easy feat. Last night I decided to repay the favor by baking macarons as a special treat for her before her wedding. Luck was on my side-- the macarons I created for Dolce, Green Tea with Coconut Cream and Toasted Coconut, were nearly perfect! The cookies came out crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, and the coconut butter cream frosting was sweet, but tempered by the toasted coconut.

I was so pleased not to have messed them up, that I baked another flavor this afternoon to bring to my friends Sage and Turquoise's house for Turquoise's birthday tomorrow: Chocolate with Tahitian Vanilla Bean Frosting and Fresh Raspberries. (I brought the Tahitian vanilla beans back from Tahiti on my honeymoon). Recipes for both macarons follow, but make sure you put on your "patience" cap because speaking from experience, it may take you a few attempts to get these right. Trust me when I tell you however, they're worth the effort.






French Macarons:
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
7/8 cup almond flour
1/2 cup egg whites (from about 3 large eggs)
2 tablespoons sugar
For green tea cookies, add 3 tablespoons matcha green tea powder, plus a few drops of green food coloring to the egg whites
For chocolate cookies, add 3 tablespoons of good quality cocoa powder

Sift confectioners' sugar, almond flour, and green tea or cocoa powder, set aside. Whip egg whites until frothy, and add sugar and food coloring if using; whip until stiff. Gently fold in the almond flour mixture, 1/3 at a time, until the batter looks like deflated marshmallows; be careful not to over mix. Place batter in pastry bag with large tip and pipe onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Let sit for 20 minutes (to let the batter dry a bit so it develops a harder shell). Bake at 300 degrees for about 17 minutes.

Frosting:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
For coconut frosting, add 1 teaspoon imitation coconut flavoring
For vanilla bean frosting, add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and scrape one full Tahitian vanilla bean

Using whip attachment, cream softened butter. Add confectioners' sugar and mix. Drizzle in flavorings and mix again until incorporated.

Extras: toasted coconut (toast sweetened flaked coconut in the oven until fragrant and crunchy), or fresh raspberries

Assemble macarons by spreading frosting and "extras" between two cookies. Enjoy!