Must Make Martha's Macarons!!!

Photo from MarthaStewart.com

French Macarons, or Macaroons as they are more commonly referred to by English speaking people, are the most heavenly, sublime, wonderful treat on the planet. To my taste buds, at least. They are so delicate, the colors so sweet. Eating a macaron honestly feels so indulgent. Despite my recent discovery that Morton's Market now sell them, I really need to get over my intimidation and learn how to make them. As I'm notorious for losing or forgetting about recipes that I intend to make, I'm "archiving" this recipe on my blog from MarthaStewart.com. Have you made macarons? Do you have any advise to share? I would love to hear from you!

French Macaroons
The basic batter and the fillings for these delectable little desserts can be varied endlessly simply by adding different flavorings and colorings; for starters, there's chocolate, coconut, peanut, pistachio, raspberry, and vanilla bean.

Ingredients
Makes 35 macaroons.
1 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup almond flour
2 large egg whites, room temperature
Pinch of cream of tartar
1/4 cup superfine sugar
3/4 cup seedless raspberry jam, for filling

MACAROON VARIATIONS
Chocolate: Substitute 3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder for 1/4 cup of the almond flour.
Coconut: Substitute 2 tablespoons desiccated unsweetened coconut for 2 tablespoons of the almond flour, and add 1/2 teaspoon rum; sprinkle with additional coconut before baking.
Peanut: Substitute an equal amount finely ground unsalted peanuts (peanut flour) for the almond flour.

Pistachio: Substitute 1/2 cup finely ground unsalted pistachios (pistachio flour) for 1/2 cup of the almond flour, and add 2 to 3 drops forest-green gel-paste food coloring.
Raspberry: Add 1 tablespoon fresh raspberry puree, strained, plus 3 to 4 drops dusty- rose gel-paste food coloring.
Vanilla Bean: Add 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped, pod reserved for another use.

SUGGESTED FILLINGS FOR MACAROONS
Chocolate: Chocolate Ganache
Coconut: 1 cup Swiss Meringue Buttercream, mixed with 1/3 cup angel-flake coconut.
Peanut: Chocolate Ganache, or store-bought dulce de leche, jam, or peanut butter.
Pistachio: 1 cup Swiss Meringue Buttercream, mixed with 1/3 cup finely chopped pistachios.
Raspberry: 3/4 cup seedless raspberry jam.

Vanilla Bean: 1 cup Pineapple Buttercream , 1 cup Swiss Meringue Buttercream, or 3/4 cup store-bought jam or preserves.

Directions
1. Pulse confectioners' sugar and almond flour in a food processor until combined. Sift mixture 2 times.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 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.
3. Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip, and pipe 3/4-inch rounds 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets, dragging pastry tip to the side of rounds rather than forming peaks. Tap bottom of each sheet on work surface to release trapped air. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake 1 sheet at a time, rotating halfway through, until macaroons are crisp and firm, about 10 minutes. After each batch, increase oven temperature to 375 degrees, heat for 5 minutes, then reduce to 325 degrees.
4. Let macaroons cool on sheets for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. (If macaroons stick, spray water underneath parchment on hot sheet. The steam will help release macaroons.)
5. Sandwich 2 same-size macaroons with 1 teaspoon jam. Serve immediately, or stack between layers of parchment, wrap in plastic, and freeze for up to 3 months.
Copyright 2009 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Want to give as a gift? One reviewer of this recipe, AmberLee, also left a link to her blog where you can get the cutest template for labels that she designed for a bake sale. Her blog was such a fun discovery with loads of gift ideas. French Macarons would make a great gift.

Garlic and Rosemary Haricot Verts

Haricot Verts have to be in my top 5 favorite vegetable list. These slim French green beans are truly popular in France too. Last October, I was on a mission to actually have Haricot Verts while in France. Well, apparently the French were too. Each morning, we'd go to the boulangerie to get pastries for breakfast then stop in to the épicerie, only to find that by the early time that we would get there, that they had sold out for the day. Lucky for me, these gems have been turning up at My Mother's Garden at my local Farmer's Market. Morton's Market prepare them in my all time favorite, with garlic, rosemary, and red new potatoes. This is my attempt to recreate their recipe. Tonight I made them to go with Mireille's Summer Potato Gratin from Patricia Well's The Provence Cookbook. More on that later, yum!First I boiled for 4 to 5 minutes, testing after 4 minutes as you don't want them too soft. Drain, then rinse with cold water to stop further cooking.
Once drained, I crushed one clove of garlic, chopped one sprig of rosemary, a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of sea salt, and a good sprinkling of fresh pepper. Sauté for 2 minutes to release the flavors of the rosemary and garlic.

You could add cooked new potatoes to this stage too. They had some gorgeous fingerling potatoes at the market too. If only i had been thinking ahead!
(Follow up a week later:) Well, it was a good excuse to get them the following weekend and make this lovely dish again!

Bon Appétit!

Les Ocres de Roussillon (10/10)

A stone's throw away from our villa was the ochre quarry of Roussillon. We had some time to spare before lunch, so walked over to explore. I am so glad I did. For a week we have been surrounded by the orange, yellow, and red clay - but hadn't seen anything like this...

La Côte Bleue ~ Marseille's Harbor by Boat (10/09)

After lunch, too full to walk around, we decided to cruise around the Côte Bleue aboard the Cézanne Bateau. We had seen much of Marseiile on foot, and it was nice to see it from a different perspective. Our two hour cruise of the harbor was navigated by someone who bore a striking resemblance to Ringo Starr.
More info on the following photos to come...

Lunch at Restaurant Miramar in Marseille (10/09)

The pièce de résistance of our day in Marseille was lunch at the renowned Restaurant Miramar, whom are famous for their most authentic bouillabaisse. Situated overlooking the harbor, it was the ideal place to sit outdoors for lunch while soaking up the atmosphere of Marseille. We were entertained by several street performers, my favorite was very reminiscent of Django Reinhardt. The "main attraction" to le Miramar is most definitely the bouillabaisse which is served in the traditional fashion: fish and shellfish served on a platter with the broth in a separate bowl. This is all served with a rounds of bread spread with rouille (a mayonnaise like sauce with garlic, chili, and saffron). When ordering the bouillabaisse, you are presented with a selection of sea creatures to choose from. This is one occasion that I really wished I could have seafood. The ceremony of having bouillabaisse in the place that is argued to have the most authentic in the world would have been a badge of honor I would have proudly worn. We opted for a few land roaming choices and were treated to this leisurely, very enjoyable meal...

We were first treated to a slice of black truffle on toast. While I've had many things that were "truffle flavored", this was my first experience indulging in an actual, non-dried truffle. It was divine. The first bite was a little strange. It had a musty, pungent flavor, but the more I ate, the more I liked it. The second bite definitely had more of a mushroom/beefy tone. To completely savor the experience, I took little bites to optimize this course.

This was then followed by a small glass of chopped seafood in a soup very similar to gazpacho. I sadly had to pass, but I did enjoy the zucchini/olive bread that was served with it. It was yeast free and had the texture of a "quick bread". It would have also gone nicely with an olive or artichoke spread. Perhaps even a hummus.
We were feeling completely spoilt and relaxed by the time our main course arrived: potato galette - on top of filet de boeuf- on top of polenta with a drizzle of au jus and olive oil.
For dessert I opted for the selection of strawberry treats. There was a strawberry crème brûlée, strawberry milk shake (no ice cream involved, more like whipped strawberry milk), strawberry sorbet with a strawberry wafer (looks a bit like salami now) and in the center a few stewed strawberries, marinated strawberries, and the skewer on top a very interesting, chewy strawberry candy. The presentation was fantastic, and not to be outdone by the other courses, before you are even served your first, the pastry chef comes out with a separate dessert menu to take your order. I was very sad that all of this was coming to an end, and then came our coffee...

Our coffee was served with this delightful platter of sweets. Now this is a place I could get used to!

Le Miramar
12, quai du Port
13002 Marseille
Tél. : 04 91 91 10 40 - 04 91 91 41 09
Fax : 04 91 56 64 31
Email : contact@bouillabaisse.com

View Larger Map

Images of Marseille (10/09)

Images of Marseille's Harbor (10/09)

Le Quai des Belges Daily Fish Market ~ Marseille (10/09)

As you would expect from a large city on the Mediterranean Sea, Marseille boasts an amazing daily fish market which starts about 8:00 in the morning, lasting until some time around 1:00 in the afternoon.

While I'm not a seafood fan, I've had an intolerance all of my life, I could appreciate the beauty, value and history of this market. You know what you are looking at was just caught hours before from the Mediterranean. This isn't only a way of life for the fishermen (and women), it is part of the culture of Marseille, and has been for years. You have not only generations of families going out to sea to make a living, but generations of people that have been relying on them for fresh fish. This truly gives meaning to the term "buying local". There was such an energizing atmosphere that I was able to overlook the smell that usually sends me looking for a bucket to soak up the experience. I mean, I'm in Marseille!!! I've seen this market in many travel and cook books, and I was actually there. It was such an exhilarating experience, and I'm so glad that I was able to go.

Each vendor has a blue table with sides to contain the mess (for lack of better term) which are also marked with their vendor code and in most cases their name.
This was the first Rascasse Rouge (brown sea scorpion) I had ever seen in the flesh, so to speak. This is a staple ingredient in making an authentic bouillabaisse.

"GU MA861363" looked very familiar to me, and I later discovered that he was familiar because his photo is in several of my travel and cook books. I didn't know that there was going to be some celeb siting at this market!

With lovely views of the harbor, weather permitting, I'd say every day is a "good day at the office".

This sign reads "Soupe 10€ kg". It was just a melange of sea creatures, but obviously bouillabaisse comes to mind. What also comes to mind is a show that I used to watch in England called Ready, Steady, Cook. I think that there may have been a US version on the Food Channel as Ready, Set, Cook. Anyway, each episode an audience member was give an allowance to go and buy a bag of random groceries to present to the dueling Celeb Chefs. Dueling chefs aside, I would love to see what Lisa from Heart & Thistle would come up with. She has some of the most amazing looking seafood dishes I've seen prepared at home.

The market adds such a strong presence to the square that it is so bare and sort of sad when they are gone. There is comfort in the knowledge that tomorrow is another day, and the market will be back with their catch du jour.