Passion Fruit Macarons

Today I'm sharing my macaron recipe. I use it every time I make macarons, and it has become fail-safe for me. Macarons were my first pastry undertaking where I really challenged myself. It was spring of 2011 and I had nothing to guide but a cookbook on macarons. And this book was written in French. I got the zany idea that this girl from south Louisiana could master one of the most intriguing little pastries because I witnessed my roommate make them.

At the time, I was taking this self-appointed gap year of sorts when I finished law school. It was 2010, and instead of toughing it out in the jobless job market, I decided that it was an ideal time to spend a year in France. During that year, I was an "English language assistant" at a high school in the Paris suburbs. And during the rest of my time, I was exploring all that France and Europe had to offer.  I lived in an apartment with some other 20-something recently-graduated French students. And it was my roommate at the time who made macarons, inspiring me that I could make them too.

I didn't try to make them until I moved to New York City months later. With my macaron textbook in tow, I decided that I would not only master them, but that I would sell them.  Fast forward many weeks, even months, and dozens of failed attempts. Any type of way one can fail to make a macaron, I did. Some were footless. Some were cooked on the outside and TOO gooey on the inside. Some took on too much color (overbaked!). And many, many cracked--leaving unsightly little monsters who clamored to the baking sheet. And finally, one day, I figured them out. 

Now, I can make macarons in my sleep. Well, not exactly..  You see, there was actually a "macaron tower" challenge on episode 3 of the Great American Baking Show--one of those episodes that no one got to see. The thing about the Great American Baking Show is that we were actually outside. It happened to be humid with thunderstorms abound that day. And if there's one thing about macarons, it's that they are sensitive. I mean hypersensitive. Any little change in the environment can impact their outcome. And normally it's no big deal--in baking, you've got to adapt. But when there's a clock counting down and cameras coming at you from every angle, it's a lot easier to make mistakes!  My macarons came out beautifully, but they still weren't to the caliber I'm used to! 

So, enough about that, and let's get on to the recipe!  The recipe I'm sharing is for passion fruit macarons.  But, this recipe can be adapted for any type of macarons.  You can of course skip the food coloring altogether, and use whatever filling you'd like.  Raspberry jam is a simple, tasting filling for a macaron. You can also use ganache, buttercream, or even straight-from-the-jar lemon curd.  Enjoy!

Passion Fruit Macarons (Makes about 36)

Macaron Shells

110 grams egg whites (55 grams + 55 grams)
1/2 teaspoon red powder food coloring*
1/2 teaspoon lavender powder food coloring*
150 grams powdered sugar
150 grams super fine almond flour from blanched almonds
40 grams water
150 grams granulated sugar

*The food coloring is optional. OR, you can use liquid food coloring instead, just don't use too much or you'll mess up your the proportions. 

To Prepare Macaron Shells:

Place 55 grams egg whites in the bowl of stand mixer. Start whisking on low and allow to whisk continuously.  Place the remaining 55 grams egg whites in separate bowl. Add red and lavender food coloring to the separate bowl and whisk, using a fork or hand whisk, to combine. Set aside. 

Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar into a separate large bowl. Set aside. 

Prepare the Italian meringue by placing water and granulated sugar in small pot over medium heat. (While the sugar and water are heating, increase the speed on the mixer with the egg whites to medium.) Without stirring, cook on medium until the mixture reaches 115 C / 239 F, or when bubbles of the sugar-water slowly break the surface.

Increase the speed on the mixer (where the 55 grams eggs whites are) to high.  The egg whites should be just starting to form peaks as the sugar syrup reaches 118 C/ 244 F. Once the sugar syrup reaches 118 C/ 244 F, carefully pour the hot syrup into the whisking egg whites, as the mixer is going on high, by resting the lip of the pot on the side of the mixing bowl and slowly pouring in a steady stream. Continue to whisk on high for about 5 minutes, until the mixture cools slightly to 50C/122F.

Meanwhile, prepare piping bags by fitting them with an 11-pt tip.  Return to the bowl of the sifted almond four and powdered sugar.  Pour the 55 grams of dyed egg whites into the almond-powdered sugar mix.  Use a rubber spatula to incorporate the dyed egg whites and mix well.  It will form a thick, paste-like mixture. 

 Add a quarter of the slightly-cooled meringue to the almond mix and stir it in to lighten the mixture. Add the remaining meringue and fold it in until the mixture is incorporated, starts to shine, and slowly falls off the spatula in a thick ribbon when lifted.  The mixture is now ready to be piped.

Transfer mixture to the prepared piping bag with an 11-pt tip. (Only about half of the mixture will fit.)  Pipe according to the template on a silplat-lined baking sheet. Once a full sheet of macarons of have been piped, pick up the baking sheet and drop it on a table from about 5 inches.  Repeat with the remaining macaron mix.  Let the shells sit undisturbed for 2 hours, or until dry to to the touch.  Preheat the oven to 325F.

Once the shells are dry, bake them in a 325F oven for about 12 minutes. After the first 8 minutes, open the oven door slightly, and then close it. Repeat this step after 10 minutes.

Once the macaron shells are cooked, remove the pan from the oven, and transfer it to a cooling rack. After about 10 minutes, carefully remove the macaron shells from the lined pan. (If you don’t remove them, they may end up sticking.) An easy way to remove them is to gently peel them from the silplat liner.   Set aside while the filling is being prepared. 

Note: They can be filled with anything- from jam, to ganache, buttercream or lemon curd. 

Passion Fruit Cream Filling*

65 grams granulated sugar
4 large eggs (200 grams)
140 grams passion fruit puree**
20 grams freshly squeezed lemon juice
250 grams unsalted butter, softened and cut into small pieces

**Can be purchased frozen from Amazon or found frozen in select grocers.

Add the sugar and eggs to a large glass bowl. Whisk to combine. Once the mixture has been combined well, whisk in the passion fruit puree and lemon juice.

Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water.  The bowl should not touch the water.  Whisk continuously until the mixture thickens and reaches 160F on an instant-read thermometer.  Once the mixture thickens and reaches 160F in temperature, remove the bowl from on top of the pot and immediately pour the curd through a strainer into a medium-sized bowl.  (The strainer will strain out any curdled bits.)

Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes. Stir in the softened butter. Use an immersion blender and blend for 2 minutes, until the mixture is creamy and smooth. Cover the mixture with plastic, touching the cream, and allow to set in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Once the cream is set, place the filling in a piping bag fitted with an 11-pt tip. 

Assemble the macarons by piping the filling in the center of half of the macaron shells. Lightly place a shell on top of each. Refrigerate the macarons overnight, which allows the filling to set. Remove from the refrigerator about 10 minutes before serving. 

*This filling is extremely tart to balance the sweetness from the macaron shells. You can add up to an additional 50 grams of granulated sugar without changing the rest of the recipe.

Hot Cross Buns

I made a couple batches of these sweet rolls that are a cross between yeast-y dinner rolls and sweet breakfast buns. When I shared a picture with my mom, she asked what they were.  I didn’t grow up eating hot cross buns, but when I told my mom the name, she was transported to her childhood—not for the buns themselves, but because of a nursery rhyme.  “Hot Cross Buns! Hot Cross Buns! … If you have no daughters, give them to your sons” is now playing on repeat in my head.

But even more fun than the Hot Cross Buns! song is making these warm, barely sweet delightful rolls. I saw these popping up on Instagram last year around Easter, so I started do my research on them. They are traditionally eaten on Good Friday to mark the end of Lent.  They aren’t super sweet, but they aren’t savory either. They’re a wonderful blend of barely sweet and barely savory. Plus, a paste of equal parts flour and water is piped on them after they’ve risen, but before they’re baked, to give them their iconic look featuring a cross.  After baking them, I brushed some honey butter on top to give them a nice glaze. 

This recipe cheats a little and uses both yeast and baking powder.  I did make a batch of these using just yeast, but yeast + baking powder works just fine too. In fact, I found the rolls with baking powder to have a slightly better texture.  I hope you feel inspired to make these for Easter. I think this will be a new tradition for me!

Hot Cross Buns

1 and ¼ cup (10 ounces) whole milk, at room temp.
2 teaspoons rapid rise yeast (1 package)
4 ½ cups (560 grams) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon (12 grams) baking powder
2 (10 grams) teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons (~5 grams) ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (75 grams) granulated sugar
6 tablespoons (85 grams or 3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs and 1 egg yolk, at room temp. 
zest from one small orange
1 cup raisins
1 apple, peeled and finely diced

For the Paste

2/3 cup (85 grams) all-purpose flour
2/3 cup (85 ml)  water

For the Honey Butter Glaze

3 tablespoons (45 grams) salted butter, melted
3 tablespoons (60 grams) honey

1.    Line a 9 x 13” pan with parchment paper or a silplat. Add the room temperature milk to the bowl of a stand mixer.  Whisk in the yeast to dissolve. Sift in the flour and baking powder.  Add the salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, softened butter, 2 eggs + yolk, and zest from one orange.  Stir to combine.

2.    Using the dough hook, knead for 7 minutes on medium-low speed (level 3 for KitchenAid).  Add the raisins and diced apple and knead and additional two minutes, until the dough is soft and elastic and the raisins and apple are evenly dispersed.

3.    Lightly butter a large glass bowl. Scrape the dough into the bowl and cover with either a dish cloth or plastic wrap.  Let the dough rise for about an hour.  It will become puffy, but it’s ok if it doesn’t double in size.

4.    Remove the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface.  Divide the dough into 12 parts.  Using floured hands, form each part into a ball.  Due to the raisins and apple, the ball won’t be completely smooth, but that’s ok. Add each ball to the lined baking sheet, spacing all 12 evenly apart. Cover the baking (plastic wrap ok) and allow to rise a second time until they’re touching and look bloated and puffy.  

5.    Preheat oven to 375F. Make the flour paste by whisking together equal parts flour and water. Whisk well so the batter is not lumpy.  Add the batter to a piping bag fitted with a plain, small to medium tip. (The batter will be runny.)  Pipe a cross on each bun. Transfer the buns to the oven.

6.    Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden-brown. While baking, prepare the honey butter by stirring the melted butter with honey in a small bowl.  Once the buns are golden brown, remove them from the oven and brush the tops with the honey butter.

7.     Carefully lift up the parchment paper or silplat and transfer the buns to a wire rack to cool.  Allow to cool completely (or enjoy warm, if you’re like me and you can’t wait!)

Raspberry Mille-feuille

For the finale "Showstopper" on the Great American Baking Show, we had to make a festive "Tower of Treats."  One of the treats I featured was a Mille-feuille with Bourbon Pastry Cream (and I added a little nutmeg to make it festive!)  Making 3 completely different desserts in five short hours was no small feat. This final challenge felt more like a battle than a cutesy-type baking competition (which is evident by how exhausted we look in the finale pictures), but remarkably, we all finished!  And the lovely people at Extra Crispy invited me to make a tutorial video for this dessert!

Making a mille-feuille in the Food & Wine Test Kitchen. You can watch the video here. 

 I wanted to make mille-feuilles because I think they’re just so darn cute. Wandering the cobblestone ruettes of Paris and stumbling upon boulangeries with their eye-catching pastries are some of my fondest memories from my semester abroad in Paris. And the flaky layers sandwiching a thick pastry cream in mille-feuilles always stood out as particularly special.

But this was a competition.  I wanted to show the judges a technically challenging dessert.  After a lot of uncertainty, some soul-searching with my favorite culinary producer Joel, and a couple of practice batches that ranged from somewhat-successful to What. The. Heck., I decided to just go for it and even up the ante by making the mille-feuilles with one of the most challenging types of dough: inverted puff pastry.

Puff pastry is already this mythical thing even experienced home bakers balk at.  Making a traditional puff pastry (the flaky part of mille-feuilles and a number of other tasty dishes like salmon wellington and vol-au-vents) involves making a dough, encasing it over a giant block of butter, and repeatedly rolling it and folding it up like a letter, with lots of rest in the refrigerator in between each step.

If that isn’t bizarre enough, making an inverted puff pastry involves encasing dough in butter. Yes, you take a giant rectangle of pure butter and place dough inside of the butter. Then, you do the same rolling and folding. It’s much harder than it sounds. In fact, when Paul Hollywood stopped by my station to ask me what I was doing, he gave me that “another baker is about to bite the dust with the inverted puff pastry nonsense” look. As I was baking it, I had no idea how it would come out. But when I pulled it out of the oven, I was astonished at my success and I remember muttering to myself (or maybe it was a cameraman—), “I have never baked on such a high level before.”  They came out perfect.

Oh, and Paul loved it.

But here’s the thing: although inverted puff pastry is rumored to make the flakiest of the already-very-flaky puff pastries, for something like a mille-feuille, a quick puff pastry works wonderfully. That’s because in a mille-feuille, I actually don’t want the pastry to rise. In fact, I put baking sheets on top of it while it’s baking to ensure that it doesn’t rise!

So, I’m sharing a slightly-adapted version of this recipe. I’m making the quickest of the “Quick Puff Pastry” recipes. I’ve discovered the cheat code to pretty much any recipe where you want your butter to stay cold (I’m talking puff pastry, pie dough, flaky buttermilk biscuits, everything!!)  I’m using frozen butter in this recipe. Yes, you read that correctly. Frozen. Butter.

A frozen block of butter and a cheese grater work wonders here. Because the butter is actually frozen, you can do all of the turning and folding without resting the dough between each step. You make the whole block of puff pastry from start to finish in one fail swoop.

And while the puff pastry is resting, you can knock out the pastry cream. And then, you just roll out the dough, give it a final rest, and bake. Bake it until it’s completely brown throughout. If you under-bake it, the layers won’t fully form and you’ll miss out on all of the flakiness that makes puff pastry puff pastry.

So, here it is! I added some berries because they’re beautiful and the perfect tangy accompaniment. You can use any berries you please. Shout out to the wonderful Kat Kinsman and the rest of the fine folks at Extra Crispy for inviting me to make this super fun video! I hope you enjoy!

Click HERE for video!

Raspberry Mille-Feuille Recipe

Quick Puff Pastry

2 cups all-purpose flour* (250g)
1 teaspoon fine salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled (57g)
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen (143g)
½ cup cold water (4 ounces)

*1 cup cake flour (125g) + 1 cup bread flour (125g) can be substituted for a flakier consistency  

1.       Grate the frozen butter using a box grater. Place the grated butter in the freezer while preparing the rest of the dough.

2.       Sift the flour into a large bowl. Whisk in the salt.

3.       Use a rolling pin or the palm of your hand to flatten the 4 tablespoons of chilled butter. Break into pieces. Using your fingertips, incorporate it into the flour. Once no large chunks of butter remain, pour in the ½ cup water. Use your hands to gently stir to form a rough dough. Add an additional 1-2 tablespoons of cold water if needed (the dough does not need to stick together completely. It will come together as it's turned and rolled in the next steps.)

4.       Use a pastry scraper to scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface.  Use your hands to form a rough rectangle. Using a rolling pin, gently roll the dough into a rectangle about 12 inches long. Lightly flour the dough to keep it from sticking to the rolling pin, but use a pastry brush to dust off any excess flour in between turns. (Only roll front to back, do not roll side to side.) Place half of the frozen butter on the bottom 2/3 of the dough rectangle. Gently pat the frozen butter into the dough. Fold the dough into thirds like a letter. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and gently roll into a rectangle and repeat the folding process with the remaining frozen butter. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and gently roll into a long rectangle, about 20 inches. Again, fold like a letter (except without adding butter). Wrap the block of dough in plastic and let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the pastry cream.

Pastry Cream

1 large egg, at room temperature
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/3 cup custard powder (50g)*
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar (125g)
2 cups whole milk (16 ounces)
1 vanilla bean
2 tablespoons bourbon

*Bird’s Custard Powder is available at most grocery stores and is also available on Amazon.com

1.  In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, egg yolks, custard powder, and half of the granulated sugar. Whisk well, until the mixture lightens in color.

2.  Add the two cups milk to a medium-sized saucepan. With a small paring knife, cut the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the milk. Add the pod and remaining sugar.  Heat over high until the milk just begins to boil. Remove from the heat.

3. Immediately pour 1/3 of the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Discard the vanilla pod. Pour the egg mixture into the pot, whisking constantly. Place the pot over medium heat and whisk in a figure eight motion until the mixture just begins to boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the bourbon.

4. Pour the pastry cream into a bowl or shallow baking dish or pan. Cover with plastic wrap so that the plastic is touching the custard (this will prevent a film from forming on the custard). Set aside to cool until room temperature, then place in the refrigerator to cool completely. 

Mille-feuille and Assembly

½ batch quick puff pastry dough (~300g)*
1 batch pastry cream
½ cup heavy whipping cream (100g)
1-2 tablespoons bourbon
2 cups fresh raspberries
powdered sugar for dusting

*puff pastry dough freezes well, so just put the rest in the freezer until you’re ready to use it!

1. On a lightly-floured surface, roll the dough into a rectangle that’s ¼ to 1/6 inch thick. Be sure to sprinkle with flour to prevent the rolling pin from sticking (if the dough sticks to the surface or the rolling pin, it will mess up the layers). Place the rectangle on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet. Use a fork to prick all over. Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 45 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the cream. Using an electric mixer, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Remove the pastry cream from the refrigerator and place in a bowl. Using a spatula, fold the pastry cream until it is creamy in consistency. Fold in the whipped cream with an additional 1-2 tablespoons of bourbon. Once the cream is incorporated, transfer to a pastry bag with a large star nozzle. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

 3. Place a piece of parchment paper on top of the dough, and place an additional baking sheet on top to weigh it down. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the dough is mostly golden brown (the thinner the dough is rolled, the faster it will bake).  Remove the top baking sheet and continue to bake a few more minutes until the puff pastry is baked and brown completely through (Don’t be afraid to let it get brown! If you remove the pastry too soon, the layers will stick together and you won’t get the flaky consistency that’s the hallmark of puff pastry.)

4. Once the pastry is baked completely through, remove it from the oven and let it cool. Once cool, use a ruler to mark three equally-sized rectangles. Using a serrated knife (e.g., a bread knife), carefully saw the puff pastry until you have three rectangles.

5. Now for the fun part—assembling the mille-feuille!  Place one rectangle of puff pastry onto the serving dish. Pipe the lightened pastry cream on in a zig-zag design. Add the second rectangle of puff pastry. Repeat with the lightened pastry cream. Add the third rectangle of puff pastry and repeat with the lightened pastry cream. Arrange the fresh raspberries on top, and dust with powdered sugar. Serve by cutting directly into the mille-feuille with a sharp knife. It’s best to serve within a few hours, as mille-feuilles do not keep.  Give this elegant dessert a try and impress your friends!

Chocolate-Orange Tart

Happy New Year everyone!  First of all, thank you so much for all of the support everyone has shown me--it has meant so much to me. Each comment, like and share was a little spark of light that I needed in that moment.  2017 was a roller coaster--full of sharp turns, exhilarating highs and unexpected drops that made my stomach flip for sure, but I'm so excited for everything that this new year has in store!  I know that in life--and baking--it doesn't matter what happens, I've gotta keep my head in the game to reach the desired outcome. So, I'm putting my new motto use: Lemons to Lemon Curd! Actually, in this case--orange and chocolate... well, you get the idea!

I love this tart. I love how elegant and slender it is. And I especially love how easy it is to make.  This is a great recipe for experienced and beginner bakers alike. No matter if you're a novice or not, this tart has a sophisticated, nuanced flavor thanks to the orange zest and orange liqueur. And the silky chocolate filling is just divine and accented by flaky sea salt.  

When I want to spend more time cozying up to the fireplace than to the oven, I take
a few shortcuts with my baking. The crust is a festive blend of crushed gingersnaps
and butter. Crushed oreos would also work just fine. Get fancy with the toppings. I added flaky sea salt--just a sprinkling on top. Raspberries are also a perfect match with anything chocolate or tart. A little dusting of cocoa powder will never steer you wrong, and this tart is no exception. Or, get real fancy and add some candied orange peel. Whatever you do, just have fun with it!  

Chocolate-Orange Tart
Serves 10

Crust
1 ½ cups finely crushed gingersnaps
1 tablespoon brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling
2 cups heavy whipping cream
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon orange liqueur (I like Cointreau)
zest of one orange

To make crust: Preheat oven to 350F. In a food processor, pulse the cookies until
pulverized and completely fine and broken down. Add the brown sugar and melted butter and pulse until the crumbs are wet and sand-like. Remove from the food processor and press the crumbs evenly into a 14 x 4-inch rectangular tart pan, ideally with a removable bottom. (The crust should be even and not too thick.  It’s ok if you have leftover crumbs.) Bake at 350F for 9 minutes. Set aside to cool on a wire rack. Reserve any leftover crumbs.

To make filling: Place ½ cup of the cream in a microwaveable bowl with the 12 ounces of chocolate.  Microwave for 2 minutes. Remove and stir. Continue to microwave in 30 second
intervals until the chocolate is melted and smooth when stirred. Set aside to cool to room
temperature.  Once the chocolate mixture has cooled, whip the remaining 1 and ½ cups heavy cream until stiff peaks form.  Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the cooled chocolate-cream, orange liqueur and orange zest until just combined. (Make sure the chocolate-cream mixture is room temperature. If the mixture is still warm, it will melt the cream.) Spread the mixture evenly in the tart pan (any leftovers can be spooned into glasses and topped with the leftover gingersnap crumbs). Refrigerate overnight to allow the filling to set. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. When ready to serve, remove from the pan and top with sea salt, orange peel, cocoa powder, or raspberries.