When in France...

  I have recently become fascinated by French Macarons (no that's not a typo). Meringue is not one of those things I find myself dreaming about, but the idea of using ground almonds in a cookie and having the results come out a mixture of crispy and chewy intrigues me. I'm also intrigued by the numerous possibilities a basic macaron recipe invokes. After tons of research I decided to use a Martha Stewart recipe for my first attempt (everything I had read about making the "perfect macaron" led me to believe I would not be successful my first time around). 

  I also came across a blog entry on "How to make Macarons" on "Serious Eats", which helped me out immensely. Here are a few of their key tips which I used when making my macarons:

-Sift your ingredients, multiple times if necessary. You want your ground nuts to be powdery. No lumps! Almond and icing sugar mixture may be pulsed in a food processor to make finer.

-Use old egg whites. No really, leave them out for three days at room temperature if you don't mind waiting for that long. Using fresh egg whites is more likely to result in macarons that are too fragile and flat. Read Veronica's Test Kitchen for more info.

-If the cookies form peaks on their tops after piping, flatten them with a wet fingertip.

-Let the macarons rest for a day before you eat them. They're supposed to taste better with a bit of rest. This might be the hardest rule to follow.

  I decided to go with a basic, traditional macaron cookie with a Salted Buttercream Filling (remember my favored recipe from the Whoopie Pies?) Use Martha Stewart's recipe for the cookies (I did not go as far as to use "superfine sugar". My regular granulated sugar worked just fine.)

 

  Pulse confectioner's sugar and almond flour in a food processor until combined. Sift twice.

 Whisk whites with a mixer on medium speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar, and whisk until soft peaks form. Reduce speed to low, then add superfine sugar. Increase speed to high, and whisk until stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes. Sift flour mixture over whites, and fold until mixture is smooth and shiny.

  Using a cookie scoop, scoop batter onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Let rest on counter at least 30 minutes. Bake.

  While cookies cool, make Salted Buttercream Filling.

  Place filling on flat half of one cookie and top with a second cookie. Place macarons in an airtight container with the lid cracked slightly. Eat the next day...if you can wait that long!

Want to REALLY impress him on V-Day?

  I have been trying all sorts of new things over the last few days, so prepare yourself for a slew of fantastic recipes! The first recipe I want to share with you is for Petits Fours. Petits Fours have always fascinated me and are something I've always wanted to try making on my own. So last Thursday in preparation for a couples date night at a friend's home, I did! I'm very surprised at how easy these impressive little treats are to make. That being said, they are also quite time-consuming. I encourage you to make them, but give yourself two days to do it.

  Make the Chiffon Cake. As a side note, I will be making Chiffon Cake all the time now. This is such a fantastic cake, and the history behind it is intriguing. Chiffon Cake is similar to Angel Food Cake, but more buttery-tasting.

 First, whisk together the flour, 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking powder and salt in a very large bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.

 In a clean bowl beat egg yolks; add vegetable oil, milk and vanilla and beat to combine. Pour wet ingredients into the well in the dry ingredients and beat until smooth.

 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. With mixer on low, slowly pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Turn mixer up to high and beat until stiff peaks form when whisk is lifted (be careful not to over-beat as white will dry out).

 Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into batter mixture, being careful not to deflate the egg whites-The egg whites lighten the batter and are largely responsible for the cake's ability to rise as it bakes. Gently fold half the remaining whites into the batter. Add remaining egg whites to batter and fold just until no white streaks remain.

 Divide batter onto 3 parchment-lined baking sheets.

 

Bake at 325 degrees 10-15 minutes, until cake is golden brown. Let cakes cool completely on the counter, then place cakes in the freezer for at least 2 hours.

 Frost one layer of cake with Custard Buttercream.

 Top with raspberry preserves and another layer of cake. Spread the remaining buttercream over the second cake layer and top with the third cake layer.

 

Cover the entire 3-layer cake with parchment and plastic wrap. Place in the freezer over-night.

 The next morning, trim the unsightly edges from the cake. Snack on the scraps as you work; it will keep you motivated. Cut the cake in half, then each half in half and so on until you have a cake that is 6 slices by 8 slices (or 48 little cakes).

  Working in small batches (while the remaining cakes continue to stay chilled in the freezer), insert a toothpick into the center of one of the cakes and plunge it into melted chocolate (I added 1-2 tablespoons shortening to each 12 ounces of chocolate to make the cakes easier to dip); allow excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl. Place dipped cake on a foil-lined baking sheet. Use a second toothpick to free the cake from the original toothpick. Allow chocolate to set (which shouldn't take long because of the frozen cake).

 Add a couple drops of red food color to a small amount of white chocolate; stir to combine. Pour chocolate into a piping bag (I constructed one from parchment paper so I wouldn't have to clean chocolate out of my piping bag). Pipe small hearts over the holes left from the toothpick. Petits Fours will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks (but trust me, they won't last that long).

Valentine Petits Fours

2 c. (8 oz.) cake flour

1 1/2 c. sugar, divided

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

7 eggs, separated, plus 2 egg whites (all at room temperature)

1/2 c. vegetable oil

3/4 c. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 tsp. cream of tartar

1/2 recipe Custard Buttercream

1/2 c. raspberry preserves

about 48 ounces chocolate, melted

shortening for thinning chocolate

  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

  Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.

  Whisk together the flour, 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking powder and salt in a very large bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.

 In a clean bowl beat egg yolks; add vegetable oil, milk and vanilla and beat to combine. Pour wet ingredients into the well in the dry ingredients and beat until smooth.

 In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. With mixer on low, slowly pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Turn mixer up to high and beat until stiff peaks form when whisk is lifted (be careful not to over-beat as white will dry out). 

  Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into batter mixture, being careful not to deflate the egg whites-The egg whites lighten the batter and are largely responsible for the cake's ability to rise as it bakes. Gently fold half the remaining whites into the batter. Add remaining egg whites to batter and fold just until no white streaks remain.

   Divide batter onto 3 parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake at 325 degrees 10-15 minutes, until cake is golden brown. Let cakes cool completely on the counter, then place cakes in the freezer for at least 2 hours.

 Frost one layer of cake with Custard Buttercream. Top with raspberry preserves and another layer of cake. Spread the remaining buttercream over the second cake layer and top with the third cake layer. Cover the entire 3-layer cake with parchment and plastic wrap. Place in the freezer over-night.

  The next morning, trim the unsightly edges from the cake. Snack on the scraps as you work; it will keep you motivated. Cut the cake in half, then each half in half and so on until you have a cake that is 6 slices by 8 slices (or 48 little cakes).

  Working in small batches (while the remaining cakes continue to stay chilled in the freezer), insert a toothpick into the center of one of the cakes and plunge it into melted chocolate (I added 1-2 tablespoons shortening to each 12 ounces of chocolate to make the cakes easier to dip); allow excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl. Place dipped cake on a foil-lined baking sheet. Use a second toothpick to free the cake from the original toothpick. Allow chocolate to set (which shouldn't take long because of the frozen cake).

    Add a couple drops of red food color to a small amount of white chocolate; stir to combine. Pour chocolate into a piping bag (I constructed one from parchment paper so I wouldn't have to clean chocolate out of my piping bag). Pipe small hearts over the holes left from the toothpick. Petits Fours will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks (but trust me, they won't last that long).