Lime macarons

I know I’ll sound like a broken record, but once again the feeling of time flying has hit me hard – I knew I’d promise you another batch of macarons, but I almost fell off my chair when I saw that it was a year and a half ago...

I used the same recipe and tweaked the filling a little bit, but the macarons did not turn out as cute as I’d expected. But that’s fine – next time, I’ll used one of Julia’s wonderful recipes and hope my macarons turn as gorgeous as hers.

Lime macarons

50g ground almonds
1 cup (140g) icing sugar
2 large egg whites
1 tablespoon caster sugar
green food coloring paste

Lime white chocolate ganache:
¾ cup (116g) chopped white chocolate
¼ cup (60ml) cream
finely grated zest of 1 lime
1 teaspoon lime juice

Start by making the macarons: grab two large pieces of baking paper and, using a cookie cutter, trace 4cm-circles, 3cm apart from each other, all over the paper. Turn the paper sheets around and line 2 large baking trays with them.
Sieve the ground almonds and icing sugar together into a large bowl. Put the egg whites into a separate bowl, and using an electric hand whisk, beat to soft peaks. Add the caster sugar, and whisk until glossy. Fold into the almond and icing sugar mixture, along with a very small amount of the food coloring – it’s easier to use a toothpick to remove coloring from the bottle. Mix until just combined and evenly green – the mixture will reduce as the air bubbles in the meringue burst.
Put the mixture into a disposable piping bag, snip off 1cm from the end. Pipe blobs onto the circles on the baking paper so you have about 28-30 in total. Set aside for 30 minutes to dry – this is important as it gives the macaroons the correct texture.
Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F. Bake for 5 minutes, then turn the baking sheet and bake for another 4 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool.

Make the filling: pour the cream in a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until hot. Remove from heat, add chocolate and mix vigorously until chocolate is melted and ganache is smooth. Add lime zest and juice and mix well to combine. Set aside to cool until firm enough to be piped or spooned between macarons shells.

Carefully peel off the baking paper from the macaroons, then sandwich 2 together with a blob of lime ganache in the center. Repeat to give you 14-15 in total.

Store the macaroons in an airtight container for up to 3 days – I kept mine in the fridge.

Makes about 15

Pecan and maple friands

Unlike walnuts, which were an acquired taste, pecans were love at first bite – I instantly became a fan of their sweet and delicate flavor.

These friands were delicious and I loved the pecans paired with maple syrup – they work really well together. Now I have got to try them together in ice cream form, too... Yum! :)

Pecan and maple friands
from here

1 cup (110g) pecan halves
6 egg whites, lightly whisked
¾ cup + 1 tablespoon (184g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 2/3 cups (233g) icing sugar, sifted
½ cup + ½ tablespoon (75g) all purpose flour, sifted
2 tablespoons maple syrup
10 pecan halves, extra
1 tablespoon maple syrup, extra, to serve

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F; brush ten ½ cup (120ml) capacity oval friand pans with melted butter to lightly grease.
Place pecans in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl and add the egg whites, butter, icing sugar, flour and maple syrup. Stir until well combined.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared pans. Top each with a pecan half. Bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set aside for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool.
Serve brushed with a little extra maple syrup.

Makes 10 – I halved the recipe above, used 1/3 cup (80ml) capacity muffins pans and got 8

Mini meringues with boozy cherries and orange cream

Some people say – and several of them are from my family – that the best things in life are the simple ones. As much as I hate agreeing with my grandmother – and she knows that – this orange cream is a good example: ridiculously simple, but it has got to be one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted. In 31 years of existence. :)

The original recipe called for fresh cranberries, but I can’t get hold of them here in Brazil – the wonderful, plump dried cherries I got from a lovely friend replaced them beautifully.

Mini meringues with boozy cherries and orange cream
adapted from Delicious magazine

Meringues:
400g caster sugar
200g (about 5 large) free-range egg whites

Topping:
about ½ cup (72g) dried cherries*
3 tablespoons vodka
40g caster sugar
600ml heavy (whipping) cream
2 tablespoons icing sugar, sifted
1-2 tablespoons orange flower water, to taste
Handful unsalted shelled pistachios, chopped

Preheat the oven to 220°C/428°F. Spread the sugar evenly over a shallow baking tray, lined with baking paper, and place in the oven for about 10 minutes until really hot.

Place the egg whites in an electric mixer fitted with a whisk. Whisk on high speed until the whites begin to froth, then gradually pour in the hot sugar. Continue whisking on a high speed for 10 minutes until the meringue is beautifully silky and holds its shape.
Reduce the temperature to 110°C/230°F. Line two large baking sheets with baking paper - stick the baking paper to the baking sheets with a little meringue.
Fill a piping bag with the meringue and pipe golf ball-size rounds on to the baking sheet – I used two small spoons to shape the meringues and made them a little bigger. Have a bowl of water nearby; dip a teaspoon in the water and use the back of it to create a nest shape. Repeat, spaced apart – you should get about 60 mini meringues.
Bake the mini meringues for 1 hour, or until crisp to touch. Turn off the oven and leave inside to cool completely.
Gently heat the cherries, vodka and caster sugar in a small pan for 3-5 minutes until the sugar is dissolved and the cherries plump up a bit. Cool a little. In a bowl, whip the cream, icing sugar and orange flower water, to taste, to soft peaks.
To assemble: place the meringues on serving plates, and spoon a small dollop of orange cream onto each one. Spoon a boozy cherry and a little syrup over the top, then sprinkle with chopped pistachios.

* the amount of cherries will depend on the number of meringues you end up with, since there has to be one cherry to top each mini pavlova

Makes 60 – I made ¼ of the recipe above, used two spoons to shape the meringues (instead of a piping bag) and got 8 mini pavlovas

Watermelon salad with rose and mint syrup

I should be ashamed for calling this a recipe, but the result is so good I had to share it with you; not to mention that after almost five days of Carnival (and food, and booze) I was in desperate need of something fresh.

Watermelon salad with rose and mint syrup
from Australian Gourmet Traveller

500g watermelon flesh
2/3 cup (133g) caster sugar
¼ cup (loosely packed) mint leaves
2 teaspoons rosewater

Combine sugar and ¼ cup (60ml) water in a small saucepan and stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves, then bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Add mint and rosewater, remove from heat, cool completely and strain, discarding solids. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

To serve, using a melon baller, scoop watermelon into balls and divide among serving bowls. Drizzle with rose and mint syrup and serve immediately.

Serves 6

Coconut cupcakes with white chocolate icing

I was preparing some bruschettas for lunch last Saturday when I heard Joao screaming like mad from the living room: “Hurry up! Come over here, quickly!” – it was a TV article about cupcakes in New York City and they showed some of the city bakeries, including Magnolia – so beautiful! My heart was filled with joy just by looking at those pretty places... *sigh*

While I don’t get to know the bakeries personally, I make my own cupcakes – these are from DH mag #17.

Coconut cupcakes with white chocolate icing
from Donna Hay magazine

Cupcakes:
¾ cup + 1 tablespoon (184g) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup + 1 tablespoon (162g) caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 ½ cups + 1 ½ tablespoons (225g) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons unsweetened desiccated coconut

Whipped white chocolate icing:
500g white chocolate, chopped
1 cup (240ml) heavy cream*
140g unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups flaked coconut

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F; line twelve ½ cup capacity muffin pans with paper cases.
Place the butter, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well. Sift the flour and baking powder over the butter mixture, add the coconut and combine. Line twelve ½ cup capacity muffin pans with paper cases. Spoon in the prepared pan and bake for 35 minutes or until cooked with tested with a skewer. Cool completely on wire racks.
To make the whipped chocolate icing, place the chocolate, cream and butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely. Once cool, beat with a hand-held electric mixer until thick and fluffy. Ice the cool cupcakes and top them with the flaked coconut.

* as my icing wouldn’t whip, I refrigerated it for 30 minutes then beat it again with the mixer – I recommend using less cream and less butter

Makes 12 – I halved the recipe above and got 7 cupcakes (using 1/3 cup capacity pans)