Valentine's Day Macarons

Here are two types of macaron, both stylish for Valentine's Day: Chocolate with Mint and Pomegranate - Pink Grapefruit. Byron Talbott and Beth Le Manach both have excellent tutorials for making macarons.  Their work continually inspires me.  Find links to their youtube channels at the end of this post - just search the channel for "macaron"

I made them both at the same time so the photos both overlap and omit elements.  Sorry!

First, the building blocks: egg white, almond meal and icing sugar.  Each batch is slightly different so, adjustments are needed from time depending on the behavior of the batter.

Begin by adding the almond meal and icing sugar to a food processor and chop until fine.  Then, sift the ingredients.  Sift it a lot!

Then, make a meringue.  I know it's not the standard way, but I always dump in all the ingredients: egg white, sugar, vanilla and sprinkle of salt.  Whip it until soft peaks form.

Add about 1/3 of the meringue to the dry ingredients and fold together.  Add the remainder of the meringue and continue folding until the batter is "lava-like"  That is, it should be thick and smooth.

Pipe the batter out in even circles on parchment or silicone baking mat.  "Slam" the pan down on the counter a few times to allow the batter to settle, removing any bubbles.  Then, (one of the most important steps!!!) allow the batter to dry for about 20 minutes.  It should be completely non-sticky to the touch.

Bake for about 15 minutes at 350˚F.  Allow to cool and fill with delightful things.

I think the pomegranate-pink grapefruit is one of my favourites.  The tartness of the fruit balances the sweetness and enhances the macaron experience.

I made a simple butter cream using Earth Balance spread, pomegranate juice and grapefruit zest.

Beth: http://youtu.be/xJ636Y8N6E8

Bryon: http://youtu.be/RZ5GTnE9y5E

Traditional Baguette

Generally I prefer a really dynamic whole grain bread, but if I eat "plain" white bread, baguette is my favourite!

The following video is actually how I learned. It is in French, but there are subtitles, and most importantly, he demonstrates the baguette making technique:

A few tips, in addition to the video:

1. Plan on the process taking at least 5 hours.
2. Place a baking tray in the oven while it's preheating.  When placing the dough in the oven, carefully pour at least 300ml (1 cup) of water in the tray to create steam.

Since the video covers all the ingredients and methods, I'll say a bit about the brilliance of the baguette. I'd say, that I'm most amused over the fact that this simple food is only composed of four ingredients: flour, water, salt and yeast.

I'd also say that this is the essence of cuisine. Ask any culinary artist and they'd say: Many people can make a dish with dozens of ingredients and hide mistakes in the busyness of the flavour. But, these simple foods require technique and finesse. There is no hiding behind a facade of complication.

Brioche

So, the first thing bread artisans will say, "This isn't the way to make brioche!"  Then, they'd launch into an explanation or debate regarding how to work in the chilled butter.  But, I take every shortcut I can and I wanted to make this recipe accessible.

First, I added the yeast to a bit of water (and orange juice) to let it dissolve.  Then, I add chunked butter, eggs, sugar, salt, nutmeg and vanilla to the mixer and run it until the butter is broken down to small bits.  Then add the water and yeast mixture and enough flour to make a soft dough.  Keep mixing to form the gluten.  Set in a cool place for about 8-10 hours.  This allows the dough to ferment and develop complex tangy flavours.

Then add more flour to form a stable dough, mixing it with the dough hook.  Allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes and form to round loaves.  Set in a warm place to raise until it's more than doubled in size.

Bake at 350F until light golden brown.  Then remove from the oven and brush with egg wash (a whisked egg and a shot of water).  Return to the oven and bake it until it's a dark golden brown.

This is what delicious looks like!