tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35041502090782194202024-03-15T05:51:10.623+11:00Cocoa Mademoiselle a Melbourne macaron blogEricahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00621243127463224418noreply@blogger.comBlogger114125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504150209078219420.post-70926765186052507402014-08-15T19:33:00.001+10:002014-08-15T19:42:44.148+10:00Macaron tower for a circus themed first birthdaySome of you will remember the last time I made a macaron tower was for a baby shower...well, said baby is now a year old so it was time to get the macaron tower out again!<br />
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This macaron tower didn't have a flavour theme like <a href="http://www.macaronsbyerica.com/2013/07/lolly-bag-macaron-tower-for-baby-shower.html" target="_blank">last time (lolly bag)</a> but rather a colour theme to match with the circus theme of the party.</div>
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They're basically as colourful as I could make them, with one layer of "swirly" red and white macarons which I'll show you separately. The flavours were varying (and nothing I haven't already posted about on this blog) -<a href="http://www.macaronsbyerica.com/2013/07/lolly-bag-tower-macaron-recipes.html" target="_blank"> redskin</a>, <a href="http://www.macaronsbyerica.com/2011/08/snickers-peanut-chocolate-caramel.html" target="_blank">snickers</a>, <a href="http://www.macaronsbyerica.com/2011/05/speckled-strawberry-macarons.html" target="_blank">strawberry</a>, <a href="http://www.macaronsbyerica.com/2012/04/greek-easter-macarons.html" target="_blank">Turkish delight</a> and <a href="http://www.macaronsbyerica.com/2013/09/chocolate-passionfruit-macarons.html" target="_blank">passionfruit</a>.</div>
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Now about those swirly macarons... I've never attempted this before but essentially I coloured half the batter red and placed two piping bags into one large one with the nozzle. </div>
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It didn't go completely to plan with some of the red leaking out before I started piping but after a few squirts they were coming out like this:<br />
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I can't finish this post without showing you the amazing circus cake that my sister made (chocolate mud all the way through):</div>
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Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00621243127463224418noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504150209078219420.post-26103301609610247392014-03-23T15:21:00.001+11:002014-03-23T15:27:43.221+11:00Lime macarons<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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I'm always being asked by people whether I can make macarons that aren't so sweet. Unfortunately it's a fact that a good proportion of the macaron shell itself is made of sugar, and playing around too much with the proportions there is likely to lead to disaster.<br />
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One way to make them seem less sweet is to use a really tangy or sour filling. Although citrus curds make delicious macaron fillings, they don't keep very well.</div>
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Here's my alternative - a lime ganache, still made with white chocolate but very tangy and full of lime flavour.</div>
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For the shells,</div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">110g ground almonds<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">200g icing sugar<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">50g caster sugar<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">90g egg whites<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">food colouring - I used Avocado Wilton food gel<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Whisk egg white to stiff peaks, gradually adding the caster sugar. Add colouring to achieve intensity you desire.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Fold almonds and icing sugar into the eggwhites, "macaroning" until you achieve the correct consistency.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Pipe rounds onto baking trays and leave until a skin forms (usually at least 30 mins, much longer if humidity is high).</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">For the lime ganache:</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">100g white chocolate</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">20g freshly squeezed lime juice</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Zest of 2 limes</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Heat chocolate and lime juice until melted and combined. Stir in zest and allow to cool.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Sandwich macaron shells with cooled ganache. These macarons will keep well for at least a week in the fridge.</span></div>
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Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00621243127463224418noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504150209078219420.post-39063171886270456572014-02-05T21:25:00.001+11:002014-02-05T21:26:57.742+11:00Christening bomboniere macaronsMy sister and I made these today for christening bomboniere - the pale blue is to match the 5 blue sugared almonds that are traditionally given to guests.<br />
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The recipe we used was my marshmallow macaron recipe which you can find <a href="http://www.macaronsbyerica.com/2011/02/marshmallow-macarons.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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The faces are made with some white icing and a black edible pen.</div>
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On another note, I'm now on Instagram (cocoamademoiselle) so check out more of my macaron photos there!</div>
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Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00621243127463224418noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504150209078219420.post-77821208884473663492014-01-30T16:10:00.003+11:002014-01-30T16:21:44.296+11:00Chinese New Year MacaronsMy favourite part of Chinese New Year as a kid were those hard, chewy-centered strawberry flavoured lollies that looked like red packets.<br />
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I used to eat them by the bucket full but these days I can barely get through one!<br />
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">These macarons are inspired by those lollies - the flavour is strawberry and the gold Chinese characters painted on the red shells represent the shiny red and gold packaging.</span></div>
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After I finished writing the characters on, my mother messaged me to tell me that I used the wrong character for prosperity...but I hope no one will mind once they take a bite!</div>
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For the recipe, I used the strawberry macaron recipe <a href="http://www.macaronsbyerica.com/2011/05/speckled-strawberry-macarons.html" target="_blank">here</a> but used red food colouring instead of pink. The gold writing is done using edible gold lacquer.</div>
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Happy New Year of the horse, everyone. </div>
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Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00621243127463224418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504150209078219420.post-24835207650884777062013-12-09T20:52:00.001+11:002013-12-09T20:56:10.531+11:00Christmas Macarons in a Thermomix....the verdictMy husband bought me a <a href="http://www.thermomix.com/" target="_blank">Thermomix</a> a couple of months ago as a present. I love using it for making custards, ice creams, sauces and even choux pastry, and I know others have published recipes for Thermomix macarons but I wasn't convinced it would work or would be worth the effort...<br />
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I made spiced sticky date and toffee macarons and choc mint macarons.<br />
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For the shells<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">110g ground almonds<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">200g icing sugar<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">50g caster sugar<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">90g egg whites<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">food colouring - brown or caramel for sticky date, green for mint<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Note: you can grind the almonds and icing in the thermomix if you want to - it makes a very fine tant pour tant mixture.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Insert the butterfly attachment.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Mix on speed 4 for 4 minutes.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Add remaining ingredients and fold in by hand.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Pipe into rounds, allow skin to form then bake at 160 degrees Celsius for 13-16 minutes.</span></div>
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Spiced Sticky Date Toffee Ganache</div>
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Place 50g pitted dates into the Thermomix bowl</div>
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Chop for 1 minute on speed 7. Scrape down sides of bowl.</div>
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Add 50g cream and cook at 90 degrees on speed 2 for 90 seconds.</div>
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Add ground ginger, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg to taste.</div>
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Add 100g white chocolate and mix on speed 2 for 2 minutes.</div>
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In a pan, heat 50g castor sugar until it turns into a deep brown toffee. Add a splash of cream and whisk we'll to loosen the mixture. Fold into sticky date mix and allow to cool.</div>
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Mint ganache</div>
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In thermomix bowl, heat 100g cream at 90 degrees for 90 seconds.</div>
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Add 200g Lindt Dark Mint Intense chocolate and mix on speed 2 for 2 minutes.</div>
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Allow to cool.</div>
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Verdict:</div>
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Did the Thermomix save me time? No</div>
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Did the Thermomix make cleaning up easier? No</div>
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Did the Thermomix make superior macarons? No</div>
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Would I use the Thermomix to make macarons again? Definitely not the shells but I will use it for ganaches and fillings.</div>
Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00621243127463224418noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504150209078219420.post-19366119676843934282013-12-09T17:20:00.003+11:002013-12-09T20:56:28.304+11:00Mince Pie MacaronsThese are quick and easy to whip up...all you need is a star template and you're good to go!<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">110g ground almonds<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">200g icing sugar<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">50g caster sugar<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">90g egg whites<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">food colouring - brown or caramel<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">Whisk egg white to stiff peaks, gradually adding the caster sugar. Add colouring to achieve intensity you desire.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">Fold almonds and icing sugar into the eggwhites, "macaroning" until you achieve the correct consistency.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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You can either use store-bought or home made mincemeat to sandwich these - one round macaron on the bottom and a star shaped one on top.</div>
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Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00621243127463224418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504150209078219420.post-53642485805987169432013-09-22T20:15:00.001+10:002013-09-22T20:33:50.274+10:00Chocolate Passionfruit MacaronsThese are my must have flavour when visiting Pierre Herme or Laduree overseas for macarons, so I was surprised to hear Kerry Vincent declare on the Great Australian Bake Off that the two flavours don't 'go' well together! You do need to be careful to use the right chocolate though - too dark and you'll overpower the passionfruit, and if its not dark enough it will be too sweet.<br />
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The recipe I use is based on Pierre Herme's recipe which requires fresh passionfruit, juiced. The trick to getting lots of juice out of passionfruit is to blitz the pulp first then strain it. Another option is to buy frozen passion fruit juice (Boiron) but this can be quite costly.<br />
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<u>For the shells</u><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">110g ground almonds<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">200g icing sugar<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">50g caster sugar<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">90g egg whites<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">food colouring - yellow and red<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">Whisk egg white to stiff peaks, gradually adding the caster sugar. Add colouring to achieve intensity you desire - I use yellow and a touch of red colouring.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; line-height: 21px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">Fold almonds and icing sugar into the eggwhites, "macaroning" until you achieve the correct consistency.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; line-height: 21px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">Pipe rounds onto baking trays and leave until a skin forms (usually at least 30 mins, much longer if humidity is high).</span></div>
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You can dust these with unsweetened cocoa powder if you like, or leave them plain.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbtRm5068da9uSZGzyxK2KjuDnVd1wqJLD25FkapMcTNIhna8xSUbFqMC3HVnEIta0dG0IgDjC59Zdl0zUChjAhq45n17-o_ewWJ27kiqRYnvgJHksAevQfC2cImCddXjgeA2-DYo8LiQA/s1600/IMG_0048_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbtRm5068da9uSZGzyxK2KjuDnVd1wqJLD25FkapMcTNIhna8xSUbFqMC3HVnEIta0dG0IgDjC59Zdl0zUChjAhq45n17-o_ewWJ27kiqRYnvgJHksAevQfC2cImCddXjgeA2-DYo8LiQA/s400/IMG_0048_2.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<u>For the passionfruit ganache</u><br />
<u><br /></u>
100g passionfruit juice (around 5-6 passionfruit)<br />
40g good quality unsalted butter<br />
140g milk chocolate (~40% cacao)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj18pQHHNnhDLYskJk7YmfFbbDOOgpxJBb-Bf1Oi8eimV89wYjI93XdD0rTjdYqFleZKAgrMybZoYB5KHb6HTF2j_n0wo1rHYmnFck6HFspWgT_UrctXfIZOhE5pnWx0JbJP8cuTB_6C3fR/s1600/IMG_0055_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj18pQHHNnhDLYskJk7YmfFbbDOOgpxJBb-Bf1Oi8eimV89wYjI93XdD0rTjdYqFleZKAgrMybZoYB5KHb6HTF2j_n0wo1rHYmnFck6HFspWgT_UrctXfIZOhE5pnWx0JbJP8cuTB_6C3fR/s400/IMG_0055_2.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<br />
Heat passionfruit juice to around 60 degrees Celsius and put aside.<br />
Melt chocolate and butter and add the passionfruit juice, whisking until completely combined.<br />
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This ganache takes longer to set than most and is best left in the fridge overnight.Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00621243127463224418noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504150209078219420.post-86481218333634675992013-07-23T13:58:00.002+10:002013-07-23T13:59:33.484+10:00Baileys Irish Cream Macarons - on the official Baileys Facebook PageThe official Baileys Facebook page were kind enough to feature my Baileys Irish Cream macarons on their page yesterday at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Baileys" target="_blank"> https://www.facebook.com/Baileys</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifsuvjdZMzqfm2kLLJsWQQkfYW_TXUfw1E4R2FilBwAnEDV4IPMbIklrYqpEAzTRSw4cgq-DjNrzJ4tVZ0dDp6jvRcaTEhQdgAH4N6fKfnDWWreiscF0BfAPRG1pQvGDYy67oyG3W0wkI-/s1600/IMG_1294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifsuvjdZMzqfm2kLLJsWQQkfYW_TXUfw1E4R2FilBwAnEDV4IPMbIklrYqpEAzTRSw4cgq-DjNrzJ4tVZ0dDp6jvRcaTEhQdgAH4N6fKfnDWWreiscF0BfAPRG1pQvGDYy67oyG3W0wkI-/s320/IMG_1294.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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I thought I'd take the opportunity to revisit the recipe since there was so much interest for the recipe from their post. For the recipe, see <a href="http://www.macaronsbyerica.com/2012/08/irish-cream-baileys-macarons.html" target="_blank">here</a>.Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00621243127463224418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504150209078219420.post-33849962644095535792013-07-21T16:17:00.000+10:002013-07-21T16:23:35.982+10:00Lolly Bag Tower - Macaron Recipes<span style="font-family: inherit;">Before I start this post, for those who are wondering, the very cool backdrop to this "photo shoot" and the venue for the baby shower was <a href="http://alicenivenscafe.com/" target="_blank">Alice Nivens</a> Cafe in the Melbourne CBD - check it out for great coffee and amazing cakes!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As promised, here are the recipes for the macarons on the tower. To make the individual flavours of the "Lolly Bag" macaron tower, use the generic macaron shell recipe and then the corresponding ganache (I've listed them all below):</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqjPiqZ78XSrZviXMPYzd7bxY3AGTB5gJSm-5JW6EtqIxCUQpu4Uh7AJsJjapEmLWPmoE0jedfQAGicq9-pBpRBPOp0XKAkw0jt0iGJsKHVrQtClt-R__FETRaIynfAHZn7iAILN-gdaa/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqjPiqZ78XSrZviXMPYzd7bxY3AGTB5gJSm-5JW6EtqIxCUQpu4Uh7AJsJjapEmLWPmoE0jedfQAGicq9-pBpRBPOp0XKAkw0jt0iGJsKHVrQtClt-R__FETRaIynfAHZn7iAILN-gdaa/s640/photo+3.JPG" width="426" /></span></a></div>
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UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
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<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><b><u>Generic Macaron Recipe</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">For the shells, follow this recipe
and add whichever colouring suits the macaron you’re making (brown for freckle,
yellow for banana, pink for musk, red for redskin, green for spearmint, orange
for jaffa, etc).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">110g ground almonds<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">200g icing sugar<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">50g caster sugar<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">90g egg whites<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">colouring of your choice<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Whisk egg white to stiff peaks,
gradually adding the caster sugar. Add colouring to achieve intensity you
desire.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Fold almonds and icing sugar into
the eggwhites, "macaroning" until you achieve the correct
consistency.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Pipe rounds onto baking trays and
leave until a skin forms (usually at least 30 mins, much longer if humidity is
high).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Bake at 150 deg C for 12-13 mins,
cool and remove from trays.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh02eTIA-PvJ9ue2s9dsKW80mPh43T_opqAgjsMi2fL-U4QPWAltMRVFN80gLtyVXEmTY8x75wHXHWnCj34OtsqjVGEHyYxwU5Y_jomEoeiznhMA-aBjjY05wDTDDgB1V5H4joH5kb8Mtso/s1600/IMG_0001_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh02eTIA-PvJ9ue2s9dsKW80mPh43T_opqAgjsMi2fL-U4QPWAltMRVFN80gLtyVXEmTY8x75wHXHWnCj34OtsqjVGEHyYxwU5Y_jomEoeiznhMA-aBjjY05wDTDDgB1V5H4joH5kb8Mtso/s400/IMG_0001_2.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><b><u>Redskin
Ganache</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">50g cream<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">6 Redskin
lollies<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">50g white
chocolate<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Heat cream
and redskin lollies in a pan until lollies are melted and you have a runny pink
liquid. Pour over the white chocolate and allow to stand until melted then mix
until smooth. Allow to cool.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwNWJlQkG4oDLHw6gdYRYT3bBHp84lnAjCQ2PI7oebtuYbTg85Rara0_QKLMIDb6LDTDDA_gkMApizXllOZWYnKqy8Z5_OZ8Klcb1_Pq1BQzXvTOiBzsGOlyjhOfeXvgGKv0ycWaflbwIA/s1600/IMG_0002_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwNWJlQkG4oDLHw6gdYRYT3bBHp84lnAjCQ2PI7oebtuYbTg85Rara0_QKLMIDb6LDTDDA_gkMApizXllOZWYnKqy8Z5_OZ8Klcb1_Pq1BQzXvTOiBzsGOlyjhOfeXvgGKv0ycWaflbwIA/s400/IMG_0002_2.jpg" width="266" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><b><u>Freckle
Ganache</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">50g cream<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">75g milk
chocolate<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">hundreds and
thousands (I just kept adding them until I was happy with the density)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Heat cream,
pour over chocolate and allow to stand. Mix until smooth and add hundreds and
thousands. Allow to cool.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvoWMrBnUv9tn6d1ro7_UpldopbvPGT_CMdfZnJgNiERNGLPqQoUx5PXqL9K3bFuzmzkRx-CNsu53_aMSKwrl8dvryYe7oEvY_gR6rpfEyLcnNuDRVBx07jxqN01FJ2djXfXqhoY1A3NKC/s1600/IMG_0008_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvoWMrBnUv9tn6d1ro7_UpldopbvPGT_CMdfZnJgNiERNGLPqQoUx5PXqL9K3bFuzmzkRx-CNsu53_aMSKwrl8dvryYe7oEvY_gR6rpfEyLcnNuDRVBx07jxqN01FJ2djXfXqhoY1A3NKC/s400/IMG_0008_2.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><b><u>Banana
Ganache</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">50g cream<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">40g white
chocolate<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">10 banana
lollies<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Heat cream
and banana lollies until you have a runny yellow liquid. Pour over white
chocolate and allow to stand. Mix until smooth and allow to cool.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLk_S9tbAaDn9drAPzK-xAshiSkEIlLuNI0LWICnR26g8yl9FSZvoDofbQ5hxxImFolYTZz8YKkD5llJKtuc5_5xgzws732uoXS6vy2efeDAXDfIEnzVhz4KTlJYkigSNDbnodUCb1DdPi/s1600/IMG_0009_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLk_S9tbAaDn9drAPzK-xAshiSkEIlLuNI0LWICnR26g8yl9FSZvoDofbQ5hxxImFolYTZz8YKkD5llJKtuc5_5xgzws732uoXS6vy2efeDAXDfIEnzVhz4KTlJYkigSNDbnodUCb1DdPi/s400/IMG_0009_2.jpg" width="265" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><b><u>Musk Ganache</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">50g cream<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">50g white
chocolate<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">6 musk
sticks (lollies)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Heat cream
with musk sticks until melted. Pour over white chocolate and allow to stand.
Mix until smooth and allow to cool.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_hJ4A5h2FUGouLd_BO6rhpChbilVgSziV_zv3uWHgZnp8jPl_72KtrM0uZi6xBtx1oAnq7IeuOL3S1qMenpTEZ1gtYUSsVj8-Lijls555io-ZZQkDqD7HV5xlp-_awogInLlmExQzyISe/s1600/IMG_0011_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_hJ4A5h2FUGouLd_BO6rhpChbilVgSziV_zv3uWHgZnp8jPl_72KtrM0uZi6xBtx1oAnq7IeuOL3S1qMenpTEZ1gtYUSsVj8-Lijls555io-ZZQkDqD7HV5xlp-_awogInLlmExQzyISe/s320/IMG_0011_3.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><b><u>Jaffa
Ganache</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">50g cream<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">75g milk
chocolate<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Few drops of
orange oil to taste<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Heat cream,
pour over chocolate and allow to stand. Mix until smooth, add orange oil and
allow to cool.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEXPjYNm2VArEInUeGY6DNLUc_-z_ava6mPISjFBcKAZh26T0ejWMOr6V_0_v8Dkdc8yAD0JYmcV-nXx22XFkrmzXN9pANq74KXZUxkahY6wLs1U-0lKa9AtfQSl6JXYxdPMPhM66N0R8l/s1600/IMG_0006_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEXPjYNm2VArEInUeGY6DNLUc_-z_ava6mPISjFBcKAZh26T0ejWMOr6V_0_v8Dkdc8yAD0JYmcV-nXx22XFkrmzXN9pANq74KXZUxkahY6wLs1U-0lKa9AtfQSl6JXYxdPMPhM66N0R8l/s640/IMG_0006_3.jpg" width="425" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><b><u>Spearmint
Ganache</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">50g cream<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">100g white
chocolate<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Peppermint oil
to taste<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Green food
colouring<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Heat cream,
pour over chocolate and allow to stand. Mix until smooth and add peppermint oil
to taste. Add a drop of green food colouring.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00621243127463224418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504150209078219420.post-65571513776918236742013-07-13T21:00:00.000+10:002013-07-21T16:23:56.101+10:00Lolly Bag Macaron Tower for a Baby ShowerI think there will have to be several posts to cover all the macaron flavours on this tower, but think of this post as a sneak peak of what is to come...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0_wVmGlMz9NUD-0J5F0tTI8gs6v7JctvNUl-ZFe9wGLSzLIhcagFjEDDQQkqM0CRW1MKg_gBZmQyWQ4KwYfihz_eGt95Y0GvegrWHZBuj5fW2Uaa2u2-YOQ1GloxoorVX6-z0S4hmxef/s1600/photo+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0_wVmGlMz9NUD-0J5F0tTI8gs6v7JctvNUl-ZFe9wGLSzLIhcagFjEDDQQkqM0CRW1MKg_gBZmQyWQ4KwYfihz_eGt95Y0GvegrWHZBuj5fW2Uaa2u2-YOQ1GloxoorVX6-z0S4hmxef/s640/photo+4.JPG" width="425" /></a></div>
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The flavours on this Lolly Bag macaron tower are:</div>
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<li>Redskin</li>
<li>Musk</li>
<li>Jaffa</li>
<li>Spearmint</li>
<li>Banana</li>
<li>Caramel</li>
<li>Freckle</li>
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The actual tower stand is pretty clever - it's completely changed how I'll ever make a tower again. Gone are the days of using toothpicks to hold macarons up on a polystyrene cone (when you end up with mangled macarons and an ugly white background). The stand is adjustable (you choose how many tiers you need) and you can put the macarons in two different directions - I think they look better this way, but you need at least double the amount to fill it when they sit this way rather than sideways.</div>
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Look out for posts over the next couple of weeks with recipes for all the flavours listed above.</div>
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If you're looking for the macaron tower stand, you can find it here at <a href="http://www.macaronstand.com.au/" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">www.macaronstand.com.au</a>. I often have emails asking about macaron packaging and boxes in Australia, and you can find some great ones at <a href="http://www.macaronboxes.com.au/" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" target="_blank">www.macaronboxes.com.au</a>.</div>
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Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00621243127463224418noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504150209078219420.post-86315723648560146042013-06-02T19:43:00.001+10:002013-07-21T16:24:06.480+10:00Onesie shaped macarons with a marshmallow fluff filling<br />
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These were purely an experiment to see how they'd turn out (I had a search on the internet and couldn't find any). They're a little fiddly but great for a baby shower!</div>
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I just printed a "onesie" template from the internet and went from there. They're pretty hard to pipe so I ended up piping a "T" shape and using a toothpick to push the mixture to the edges - you need to make sure you get a thick enough layer of batter or you won't get "legs" around the whole onesie.</div>
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For the shells:</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">110g ground almonds</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">200g icing sugar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">50g caster sugar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">90g egg whites</span><br />
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pink or blue food colouring</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Whisk egg whites to stiff peaks, gradually adding the caster sugar. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Fold almonds and icing sugar into the eggwhites, "macaroning" until you achieve the correct consistency. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Pipe your macarons into onesie shapes and allow to rest until a skin forms. Bake for 15-18 minutes at 130 degrees celsius.</span><br />
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For the filling, I had a jar of Marshmallow Fluff that I bought a while ago that I thought I'd try. Essentially its the same as melting down marshmallows into a white chocolate ganache (probably more economical) but it does save time! </div>
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I used 80g white chocolate melted into 40g cream with 2 tablespoons of marshmallow fluff.</div>
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Sandwich the macarons with filling and allow to "mature" for 24 hours if you can!</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span>Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00621243127463224418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504150209078219420.post-46204670695776592112013-04-07T18:48:00.004+10:002013-07-21T16:24:21.478+10:00Silicone macaron matsMy cousin Fiona bought me some silicone macaron mats in China and I thought I'd try them out. I was a little sceptical as I've previously tried the Masterclass mini macaron/whoopie pie pan and it was a disaster - the holes are too deep and the macarons can't be removed from the solid metal tray.<br />
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I piped the round ones and they seemed fine - it was easy to make them exactly the same size as the tiny grooves keep the batter from spreading.<br />
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The funny shaped ones were a little more difficult - in particular, the stars were very difficult (I ended up piping a round then using a toothpick to spread the batter to the edges. This resulted in a really thin star once baked.<br />
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I'd read elsewhere that slightly oiling the silicone could help reduce sticking but I was also worried about what the oil would do to the macaron batter. In the end I put some oil on some paper towelling and dabbed a little oil on each mould.<br />
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The silicone rim and the oil didn't affect the formation of legs, but I did find them really hard to get off the silicone (even when completely cooled). I ended up with a bit of a hollow shell, which had to be filled with extra ganache (compared to using good quality baking paper).<br />
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In the end, I was happy with the shape and they kept their shine and legs. You will need a few mats though to make a batch with a decent number of each shape (I ended up with only 2 stars!).<br />
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<br />Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00621243127463224418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504150209078219420.post-18407617018423928842013-03-31T09:47:00.002+11:002013-07-21T16:24:32.859+10:00Fiona and Dorwin's Wedding Macarons...I know - this is my first post since November! Life has interfered with my macaron making...but I thought I'd share with you my macaron adventure from January this year.<br />
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I travelled to Hong Kong in January for my dear Cousin Fiona's wedding to her new husband, Dorwin. Fiona is like a sister to me (and my sister, Bianca), so when Fiona asked if I could make some macarons for her wedding favours - purple, 200 of them, and heart shaped if possible, the answer was of course yes!<br />
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I was a little worried about making macarons in a new environment - HK can be very humid, I'd have to use an unfamiliar oven, and people started freaking me out about HK eggs being runny and different to Australian ones. In the end, I carted back eggs, almond meal, icing sugar, piping bags....you name it (minus the kitchen mixer) and this was the result.<br />
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The macarons are cassis flavoured, and you can find the recipe <a href="http://www.macaronsbyerica.com/2012/10/cassis-macarons.html" target="_blank">here</a>. I used less colouring in this batch to match the theme of the wedding.<br />
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The boxes were bought by Fiona online - very pretty and delicate (albeit a little hard to put together!). I was worried about storing them in the boxes a day beforehand as they aren't properly sealed (they have holes cut into the sides and top) but as I bit into my macaron on the night of the wedding, it was perfectly crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside (phew!). After that I could relax and enjoy the beautiful reception with delicious food and amazing views of Repulse Bay.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKt7LkUFVbd5iJHox1xDUX6kxL7f6G78PGBVlhjtX_yRmHSNdqDRdcuLWN0q37ENI7YtfhA_CkqHs9AhpKx_Kf_okJ4a9vfRWyQzygaDRSctvWcY3Ouiu0qnQBoE9jfYf9-2AZqTn5r2Ka/s1600/IMG_0015_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKt7LkUFVbd5iJHox1xDUX6kxL7f6G78PGBVlhjtX_yRmHSNdqDRdcuLWN0q37ENI7YtfhA_CkqHs9AhpKx_Kf_okJ4a9vfRWyQzygaDRSctvWcY3Ouiu0qnQBoE9jfYf9-2AZqTn5r2Ka/s640/IMG_0015_2.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished product</td></tr>
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<br />Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00621243127463224418noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504150209078219420.post-34652611028758439722012-11-26T18:01:00.001+11:002012-11-26T18:01:49.060+11:00Interview by Madam Meko from Meko Creations<span style="font-family: inherit;">I was lucky enough to be interviewed this week by Edwina (aka Madam Meko) from Meko Creations.</span><br />
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Edwina and her husband Matt have combined their talents to create Meko Creations, a business that o<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">ffers customised party theming, cakes and cake tables for all occasions. Their creations really are amazing - I've seen and tasted them first hand!</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">You can visit their website <a href="http://mekocreations.com.au/" target="_blank">here</a> or their blog <a href="http://www.mekocreations.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">here</a>. You'll find the interview on their <a href="http://www.mekocreations.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">blog</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00621243127463224418noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504150209078219420.post-13462637318701611942012-11-06T09:42:00.000+11:002013-07-21T16:24:47.627+10:00Golden strawberry macarons for a bride-to-be...I wanted to make some macarons for a morning tea to celebrate a workmate's last day at work before getting married.<br />
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I thought it'd be as good a time as any to try out my new Wilton gold spray and see how it worked on macarons. I wasn't sure if I should colour the shells or not, and ended up making white ones and spraying them gold, but I may colour them with some caramel colouring next time before spraying them.</div>
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I think I was also a little heavy handed with the pink food colouring for the strawberry ganache - I was hoping for a pale pink but ended up with a bit of a fluorescent hue instead!</div>
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For the shells:</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">110g ground almonds</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">200g icing sugar</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Fold almonds and icing sugar into the eggwhites, "macaroning" until you achieve the correct consistency. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Pipe your macarons into rounds and allow to rest until a skin forms. Bake for 15-18 minutes at 130 degrees celsius (it doesn't matter if they brown because they're being sprayed gold later anyway).</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Once cooled, leave on tray and spray with Wilton gold </span><span style="font-family: Coming Soon;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">colour mist (you can spray as much or little as you like).</span></span><br />
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For the filling</div>
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100g white chocolate</div>
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50g cream</div>
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a few drops of strawberry oil</div>
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Heat the cream, add the chocolate and allow to sit for a couple of minutes. Mix well to combine, add some pink food colouring and strawberry oil to taste.</div>
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Sandwich macarons, and you're done! (leave for 24 hours in the fridge to mature if you can)</div>
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Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00621243127463224418noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504150209078219420.post-61629268407214919772012-10-28T18:34:00.000+11:002013-07-21T16:25:00.619+10:00Trick or Treat? Spiced pumpkin (shaped) macarons...We don't really celebrate Halloween in Australia like the Americans do, but I was challenged by a couple of workmates to make some Halloween macarons for a bake sale this week to raise money for our work Christmas party.<br />
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The obvious choice was to make them into the shape of a pumpkin, but from the looks on some faces last week, pumpkin flavoured macarons were out of the question. I know - I could have made them Pumpkin Pie flavoured, but when was the last time you ate pumpkin pie in Australia?<br />
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So, to compromise, I used the flavours of pumpkin pie, minus the pumpkin - spiced white chocolate ganache with nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon and clove.<br />
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For the faces, I came across this great new gadget last week at my favourite cake decorating store - it's essentially a refillable paintbrush, but it's really easy to fill up, and I used it with some black food dye (saves heaps on buying those coloured edible pens!)<br />
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So for the shells, </div>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-auto;">110g ground almonds</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">200g icing sugar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">50g caster sugar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">90g egg whites</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">yellow food colouring</span><br />
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red food colouring</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Whisk egg whites to stiff peaks, gradually adding the caster sugar. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Fold almonds and icing sugar into the eggwhites, "macaroning" until you achieve the correct consistency. I wasn't too bothered about getting the yellow and red food dye really well mixed in as I though it would add some interest to the "pumpkin" surface.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Pipe your macarons in an oval shape, and drag the top out to form the stem with a toothpick. Allow to rest until a skin forms. then bake for 15-18 minutes at 130 degrees celsius.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEippa6jLrzPh1CeuYsyXkTNwxFag0vNf1DlRM6KGwDhyphenhyphen-ym3PQ8BZVtn2PAnAEomO2V5FQJLTN27LC_FWRU5N3_ysrRoDNITFdLVUPQHnSZb0qckM3sSsTIlNPUfS4oHAPo-4cpEz0yo-Ow/s1600/IMG_1329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEippa6jLrzPh1CeuYsyXkTNwxFag0vNf1DlRM6KGwDhyphenhyphen-ym3PQ8BZVtn2PAnAEomO2V5FQJLTN27LC_FWRU5N3_ysrRoDNITFdLVUPQHnSZb0qckM3sSsTIlNPUfS4oHAPo-4cpEz0yo-Ow/s400/IMG_1329.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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For the filling, heat 50g of cream and add 100g of white chocolate (allow to sit for a minute then mix in thoroughly). Add in cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg and cloves to taste.</div>
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Happy Halloween everyone!</div>
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<br />Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00621243127463224418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504150209078219420.post-83182454682998442272012-10-21T19:03:00.001+11:002013-07-21T16:25:25.664+10:00Strawberries and Cream Macarons<span style="font-family: inherit;">I stumbled upon some freeze dried strawberries a couple of weeks ago and thought they could work well sprinkled on some macaron shells. I thought I'd take the opportunity to see how my oven handles white macaron shells while I was at it - it would seem I need to bake them for significantly longer and at a much lower temperature than usual.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So here they are, for my 100th post, Strawberries and Cream macarons…. Thanks to everyone from around the world who have visited and supported my blog!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpEqcTwe3xWF4BAAqQD-DQNvnMmEWG3nr9T5xLorltqZupGIVZ-DZgvAZ5pN365r3vlnISEs-IieMbP61cZJh4iRYBRyDmvJMuoery2xzWE0giAyxmIm7R765iyGJ5xKN3SZRPDSsII_55/s1600/IMG_1327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpEqcTwe3xWF4BAAqQD-DQNvnMmEWG3nr9T5xLorltqZupGIVZ-DZgvAZ5pN365r3vlnISEs-IieMbP61cZJh4iRYBRyDmvJMuoery2xzWE0giAyxmIm7R765iyGJ5xKN3SZRPDSsII_55/s400/IMG_1327.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For the shells:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: -webkit-auto;">110g ground almonds</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">200g icing sugar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">50g caster sugar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">90g egg whites</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">20g freeze dried strawberries</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Whisk egg whites to stiff peaks, gradually adding the caster sugar. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Fold almonds and icing sugar into the eggwhites, "macaroning" until you achieve the correct consistency.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Pulse strawberries in a food processor gently (careful not to over do it or you'll end up with powdered strawberries).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Pipe your macarons and sprinkle with the freeze dried strawberries. Allow to rest until a skin forms. then bake for 15-18 minutes at 110 degrees.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh49RTnNZgnzEwN_HdWrXKFe3Kt0c7i0gUNYSkBFuGfCHtBs4M8L76I-iRgatd38IJoeUNGjD3b8jNVVj1q07JTcp5Jj20A5FjAZlTRq1kqMfmpst_EBODcS8ghtBGmxYAWvBPxSWUr5_cF/s1600/IMG_1325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh49RTnNZgnzEwN_HdWrXKFe3Kt0c7i0gUNYSkBFuGfCHtBs4M8L76I-iRgatd38IJoeUNGjD3b8jNVVj1q07JTcp5Jj20A5FjAZlTRq1kqMfmpst_EBODcS8ghtBGmxYAWvBPxSWUr5_cF/s400/IMG_1325.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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For the filling:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Make a white chocolate ganache by heating 50g of cream and adding 100g white chocolate. Before allowing it to cool completely, swirl through a couple of tablespoons of some good quality strawberry jam.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The strawberries softened a little whilst the sandwiched macarons rested in the fridge for 24 hours, but they were still yummy!</span>Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00621243127463224418noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504150209078219420.post-68562481265921224592012-10-01T13:18:00.003+10:002013-07-21T16:25:41.053+10:00Cassis MacaronsThose of you who know me will know that I've moved house again recently, which means that I have another oven to get used to!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM6puMDA08IXZBRKxmo_Z6I_dYDUwrMsB71tZ6EFG4OE74jT8i7K7EdYQylYDRyJ4UCPn3vXxHighXB4-8wIBuADzZWIxNBSYD0WtaD3MqurYhC64ijv9hFSEWffKyxa5VytcSuoZdAFNe/s1600/IMG_1319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM6puMDA08IXZBRKxmo_Z6I_dYDUwrMsB71tZ6EFG4OE74jT8i7K7EdYQylYDRyJ4UCPn3vXxHighXB4-8wIBuADzZWIxNBSYD0WtaD3MqurYhC64ijv9hFSEWffKyxa5VytcSuoZdAFNe/s400/IMG_1319.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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These are the first batch of macarons that I have made in my new oven - I was happy that they turned out fine with exactly the same temperature and baking time as my old oven!<br />
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I've always wanted to make these <i>Cassis</i> (blackcurrant) macarons but I never knew how to get the colour or flavour right. I've used powdered colouring for these, and for the filling I made a white chocolate ganache with Cassis liqueur. Unfortunately the flavour doesn't have the intensity I was after - I've previously tried using Ribena cordial but that didn't work either. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihrCb-oGBbzeNiK85n2m2kykQyMQqBZC1YpzY8FSqzNGBXRbQoYTIUEm5KU961Jsx0xncyidW3E9Bsxpm-0rs6hdlivP-Dn0lMfaQ8nVPKIoErhKXDsrGU409Pub1OdbJnUhCHJoiUJpZF/s1600/IMG_1300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihrCb-oGBbzeNiK85n2m2kykQyMQqBZC1YpzY8FSqzNGBXRbQoYTIUEm5KU961Jsx0xncyidW3E9Bsxpm-0rs6hdlivP-Dn0lMfaQ8nVPKIoErhKXDsrGU409Pub1OdbJnUhCHJoiUJpZF/s320/IMG_1300.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEips9SVA031ESeNGH9Fyo7m2un8bO2q333wiys24UIZw14ztJBdkSz3zRK5a3bLpJZp1yAIR1MnsIuEILpNSIGd9MkyiAUuSL7jjfZqLIv0UFQzfXP9zUq-2GJUsKKF4g7-88HP_gKniJ87/s1600/IMG_1302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEips9SVA031ESeNGH9Fyo7m2un8bO2q333wiys24UIZw14ztJBdkSz3zRK5a3bLpJZp1yAIR1MnsIuEILpNSIGd9MkyiAUuSL7jjfZqLIv0UFQzfXP9zUq-2GJUsKKF4g7-88HP_gKniJ87/s320/IMG_1302.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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For the shells,</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-auto;">110g ground almonds</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-auto;">200g icing sugar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-auto;">50g caster sugar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-auto;">90g egg whites</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-auto;">colouring of your choice (I used blueberry powdered colouring)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Whisk egg white to stiff peaks, gradually adding the caster sugar. Add colouring to achieve intensity you desire.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Fold almonds and icing sugar into the eggwhites, "macaroning" until you achieve the correct consistency.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjHB_AWKImlJZGfpUBB0bmgtL9Ty4F5IaKvQOoyZcgzZHVijyqpI614U_O34dEmF82RHurdFsnWlZm_G1Zd505WF5jE14sdJnCGP5-Ik9DZpAZRXrZJ5RKJ4yDKBSI8RYPlj_LBgV8JPf5/s1600/IMG_1306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjHB_AWKImlJZGfpUBB0bmgtL9Ty4F5IaKvQOoyZcgzZHVijyqpI614U_O34dEmF82RHurdFsnWlZm_G1Zd505WF5jE14sdJnCGP5-Ik9DZpAZRXrZJ5RKJ4yDKBSI8RYPlj_LBgV8JPf5/s320/IMG_1306.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Pipe rounds onto baking trays and leave until a skin forms (usually at least 30 mins, much longer if humidity is high).</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Bake at 150 deg C for 12-13 mins, cool and remove from trays. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-auto;">For the filling</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-auto;">100g white chocolate</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-auto;">20g cream</span></div>
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30g cassis liqueur</div>
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Heat the cream and liqueur and add the white chocolate - mix until well combined and allow to cool.</div>
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Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00621243127463224418noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504150209078219420.post-11920750606958319542012-08-27T20:41:00.001+10:002013-07-21T16:25:54.094+10:00Irish Cream (Baileys) MacaronsI've finally gotten around to making Irish Cream (Baileys) macarons!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifsuvjdZMzqfm2kLLJsWQQkfYW_TXUfw1E4R2FilBwAnEDV4IPMbIklrYqpEAzTRSw4cgq-DjNrzJ4tVZ0dDp6jvRcaTEhQdgAH4N6fKfnDWWreiscF0BfAPRG1pQvGDYy67oyG3W0wkI-/s1600/IMG_1294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifsuvjdZMzqfm2kLLJsWQQkfYW_TXUfw1E4R2FilBwAnEDV4IPMbIklrYqpEAzTRSw4cgq-DjNrzJ4tVZ0dDp6jvRcaTEhQdgAH4N6fKfnDWWreiscF0BfAPRG1pQvGDYy67oyG3W0wkI-/s400/IMG_1294.JPG" width="265" /></a></div>
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The ganache took a little experimenting - it's essentially a white chocolate ganache with irish cream in it, but I wanted to put as much irish cream in to have an intense flavour but still have the right consistency. </div>
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For the shells,</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">110g ground almonds</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">200g icing sugar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">50g caster sugar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">90g egg whites</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">colouring of your choice</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Whisk egg white to stiff peaks, gradually adding the caster sugar. Add colouring to achieve intensity you desire.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Fold almonds and icing sugar into the eggwhites, "macaroning" until you achieve the correct consistency.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Pipe rounds onto baking trays and leave until a skin forms (usually at least 30 mins, much longer if humidity is high).</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Bake at 150 deg C for 12-13 mins, cool and remove from trays. Brush with edible shimmer dust if desired.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">100g white chocolate</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Coming Soon'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">35g irish cream </span><span style="font-family: Coming Soon;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">liquor </span></span></div>
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Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00621243127463224418noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504150209078219420.post-34277959819945884422012-08-12T17:09:00.000+10:002013-07-21T16:26:06.431+10:00Lamington MacaronsThis weekend, I was looking through my pantry to see if I could be inspired to make a batch of macarons. Eventually, I found a bag of shredded coconut buried behind my cans of tomatoes and chipotle chillies and remembered why I had bought it - to make lamington macarons!<br />
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Given that half of the visitors to this blog aren't from Australia, if you're wondering what a lamington is, see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamington" target="_blank">here</a>. It's essentially a lump of sponge cake sandwiched with jam, rolled in runny chocolate icing and covered with coconut.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1igQhbbgZK5_FfPUBbRa6rwv3NqJ2-teshfoFiru2YUddRbEYFFhTSiNUcaHcPKQh44l3YEvc6eqJlzzHVfPJ5LeK_xIZGsOVxLCeY-w5bcyykmA8anErMjY_mipRW37req1-JbttY_j/s1600/IMG_1281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1igQhbbgZK5_FfPUBbRa6rwv3NqJ2-teshfoFiru2YUddRbEYFFhTSiNUcaHcPKQh44l3YEvc6eqJlzzHVfPJ5LeK_xIZGsOVxLCeY-w5bcyykmA8anErMjY_mipRW37req1-JbttY_j/s400/IMG_1281.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Initially, my plan was to just have two chocolate macaron shells dusted with coconut, sandwiched together with chocolate ganache and some strawberry jam hidden in the middle, but my husband wasn't convinced that these would taste like lamingtons.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qAwi4dtryk4NKN_txgDm5dh-62Ho2rmlBlBstiMHfNxYb1aeeVxQu7a0q8FUPVpH4TVJjDb7tkO-s2nIu74rz0deGnzEhQpkPBeDTUduVgSKHKk9nWGn3965bqAnu8vLZdW5iQYRCZce/s1600/IMG_1268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qAwi4dtryk4NKN_txgDm5dh-62Ho2rmlBlBstiMHfNxYb1aeeVxQu7a0q8FUPVpH4TVJjDb7tkO-s2nIu74rz0deGnzEhQpkPBeDTUduVgSKHKk9nWGn3965bqAnu8vLZdW5iQYRCZce/s400/IMG_1268.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>
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We came up with idea of adding a small square of sponge in the middle of the macaron, but eventually ended up adding a chunk of lamington in the middle instead.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZJuTHl0CC6M2Ct3oFR-cUPxJk3zkDpGoTfKYqPdquWnBgqcdTrkdJ91crhouWizpq5aFsoK0GhMD9NRwZSiFJSZUpQpdcmlhS8F32OvSEV1IkcjLhyCgqTzRjDrbbZx3-6ZdUCOHcpee1/s1600/IMG_1284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZJuTHl0CC6M2Ct3oFR-cUPxJk3zkDpGoTfKYqPdquWnBgqcdTrkdJ91crhouWizpq5aFsoK0GhMD9NRwZSiFJSZUpQpdcmlhS8F32OvSEV1IkcjLhyCgqTzRjDrbbZx3-6ZdUCOHcpee1/s400/IMG_1284.JPG" width="290" /></a></div>
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I'm not convinced the end result taste like lamingtons anyway, but they look a bit like them, and taste delicious regardless!</div>
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For the shells, use the generic macaron recipe <a href="http://www.macaronsbyerica.com/2011/03/generic-macaron-recipe.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Sprinkle the shells with some coconut before they form a skin (I would recommend letting them rest for a little while first so they firm up a little bit before sprinkling the coconut on).</div>
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For the filling, make a milk chocolate ganache (heat 50g cream, pour over 100g of milk chocolate and mix until smooth). Cut a lamington or sponge cake into small cubes, and fill a piping bag with some strawberry jam (to be honest, the cheaper the better - you want that fake strawberry flavour!). To assemble, pipe some ganache onto one shell, make a little hole in the ganache to fit the sponge in, top with some jam, and cover with another shell.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghI0qnpL42pWLLoTXRF9hGghU0lZup86fsruhdNPRy6qwDPkxPlgHqF-eWgwa3byS4exj2xdwnfwghHJ1neu9n4YLHz1_iwRe5n7V_Q7G6H7Pq-Rd9IvHWRjyH9KcNKj3kTMuwAzY-5Pbh/s1600/IMG_1286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghI0qnpL42pWLLoTXRF9hGghU0lZup86fsruhdNPRy6qwDPkxPlgHqF-eWgwa3byS4exj2xdwnfwghHJ1neu9n4YLHz1_iwRe5n7V_Q7G6H7Pq-Rd9IvHWRjyH9KcNKj3kTMuwAzY-5Pbh/s640/IMG_1286.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00621243127463224418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504150209078219420.post-18458162072498447172012-08-05T15:57:00.000+10:002013-07-21T16:26:19.150+10:00Ariadne's Very Hungry CaterpillarExcuse my absence - my house burnt down so I've been a little pre-occupied and haven't been in the mood to make macarons or had an oven to use to make them! I've come out of hiding, however, for my goddaughter's first birthday today. I was a little worried about making macarons for the first time in a new oven (especially a fully automatic brand new one), but thankfully it all went ok.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZCh3ktj55Ha_mcwmYqrvN3nM7m8yFads_FsyzPmrBMlM_aSbEYRQIiewsLHvSaASFRF_BI130Zslfob7gpsEOepXytDRv5xDiSpKPIerXuJm08_6NdSk4FlC3K-R-VrZ6ksXM8oclSA-9/s1600/IMG_1242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZCh3ktj55Ha_mcwmYqrvN3nM7m8yFads_FsyzPmrBMlM_aSbEYRQIiewsLHvSaASFRF_BI130Zslfob7gpsEOepXytDRv5xDiSpKPIerXuJm08_6NdSk4FlC3K-R-VrZ6ksXM8oclSA-9/s400/IMG_1242.jpg" width="237" /></a></div>
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My goddaughter, Ariadne, turned one today. For her birthday party, I decided to make a Very Hungry Caterpillar out of macarons (for those of you who don't know who the Very Hungry Caterpillar is, see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Very_Hungry_Caterpillar" target="_blank">here</a>). I initially got the idea from the <a href="http://www.projectdenneler.com/2011/11/very-hungry-caterpillar-macarons.html" target="_blank">Project Denneler</a> blog - theirs was made from macarons laid out flat on a plate. For mine, I decided to skewer them like a macaron tower onto some polystyrene instead.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP4IG_wMAH6g79mHiD-vrFN4G2u2lAI_xzEg30dlBuRxjjrhfG01p30o-9yQW_JzW7dRk3Bx6qLDinhwEj9kakIU4cppnHK7brbLsCxcD6QLLK5N_3evnoM9oCLXMq7I1O9PX6zfwfpmnV/s1600/IMG_1172.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP4IG_wMAH6g79mHiD-vrFN4G2u2lAI_xzEg30dlBuRxjjrhfG01p30o-9yQW_JzW7dRk3Bx6qLDinhwEj9kakIU4cppnHK7brbLsCxcD6QLLK5N_3evnoM9oCLXMq7I1O9PX6zfwfpmnV/s400/IMG_1172.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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For the macaron shells, use the generic macaron recipe<a href="http://www.macaronsbyerica.com/2011/03/generic-macaron-recipe.html" target="_blank"> here</a>. To make different colours of macarons from the same batch, you have to mix the batter first and add the colouring at the last minute (this can be tricky and you can end up over beating the mixture). Mix the batter until just combined and then remove a large spoonful for the head. I used green colouring for the body and red colouring for the head.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2I2Uxc-RUfOiFZaGqKU_XLeapAdo8HcN-XJkD1yWBG4ro589Mwpnnm8V0HbV2B2DuakTXsAhBRMKkfn3LlK-WzUFFeuG2o9rtMXj-gB0E-e8mXTkm3fD3Aqxk8HOBrWPBIYt3BG_rN9a/s1600/IMG_1174.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2I2Uxc-RUfOiFZaGqKU_XLeapAdo8HcN-XJkD1yWBG4ro589Mwpnnm8V0HbV2B2DuakTXsAhBRMKkfn3LlK-WzUFFeuG2o9rtMXj-gB0E-e8mXTkm3fD3Aqxk8HOBrWPBIYt3BG_rN9a/s400/IMG_1174.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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For the filling, I used the mint macaron recipe <a href="http://www.macaronsbyerica.com/2011/12/christmas-macarons-3-chocolate-mint.html" target="_blank">here</a>. To assemble, I used a large flat piece of polystyrene and covered it with brown paper. I then used half toothpicks to make the shape of the caterpillar and secured the macarons onto the polystyrene with the toothpick going through the ganache (rather than the macaron itself).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi88jLF3Iw-5HQJSjD5hQukzoBf7n_DcXUvoklbe4Q8mN2Y9DIkhJ8epZWPzM5Opy0Uu1otNWJwW1dGWxT-webtJXrKmSSw_l8FbYV6BilMEx4_gzuKkI7zs3fri2omand5wLt2Irt0LWfP/s1600/IMG_1173.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi88jLF3Iw-5HQJSjD5hQukzoBf7n_DcXUvoklbe4Q8mN2Y9DIkhJ8epZWPzM5Opy0Uu1otNWJwW1dGWxT-webtJXrKmSSw_l8FbYV6BilMEx4_gzuKkI7zs3fri2omand5wLt2Irt0LWfP/s320/IMG_1173.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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To make the little legs, I used fondant icing with brown food colouring and moulded them around a half toothpick (easiest way to get them to sit in the ganache of the macaron without breaking). <br />
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My sister is the fondant icing queen of our family and made the apple, strawberry, cheese and lollipop for me. You can see some of her other works of art below.<br />
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<br />Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00621243127463224418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504150209078219420.post-18918483892621935152012-05-28T20:34:00.002+10:002013-07-21T16:26:31.092+10:00Banana, Toffee and Chocolate Macarons...<a href="http://www.biggestmorningtea.com.au/" target="_blank">Australia's Biggest Morning Tea</a> continues in our tearoom this week. Last week, we managed to raise over $500 for the Cancer Council, and this week my contribution was inspired by leftovers in my kitchen...<br />
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I had a small, over ripe banana in my fruit bowl - hardly enough to make a banana cake or some banana muffins, so I thought I'd see if I could use it for a ganache.<br />
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I started with a dry caramel - by heating ~100g of sugar in a pan until it liquefies and then turns a golden brown. I then added some cream, folded in my mashed banana, and then added some dark chocolate. I wish I could tell you the exact quantities, but to be honest, I didn't measure anything!<br />
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Unfortunately, the ganache didn't set hard enough, so I added some more dark chocolate. The result was quite surprising - the banana flavour was so strong it almost tasted like I had added banana essence into the mixture.<br />
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For the shells, follow the generic macaron recipe <a href="http://www.macaronsbyerica.com/2011/03/generic-macaron-recipe.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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I made these yellow, and used a pastry brush to flick brown food dye on them so they had a speckled appearance (like a banana!).<br />
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I think I'll be making these again one day soon...and I'll measure the ingredients out next time!<br />
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<br />Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00621243127463224418noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504150209078219420.post-70127957214598491732012-05-26T16:15:00.000+10:002012-05-26T16:15:32.089+10:00Ferrero Rocher Macarons for Australia's Biggest Morning TeaIn case you aren't aware, <a href="http://www.biggestmorningtea.com.au/" target="_blank">Australia's Biggest Morning Tea</a> was held last week. At work, we decided to have a cake stall in our tea room all week to raise money for the Cancer Council.<br />
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I made Ferrero Rocher Macarons as my contribution.<br />
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For the shells, use the generic macaron recipe <a href="http://www.macaronsbyerica.com/2011/03/generic-macaron-recipe.html" target="_blank">here</a>. I sprinkled them with feuilletine to add the wafer-like crunch. You could also sprinkle with crushed hazelnuts.<br />
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For the filling, make a ganache with 100g dark chocolate and 100g cream. Fold through 2 tablespoons of Nutella. You can also add crushed hazelnuts if desired.<br />
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<br />Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00621243127463224418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504150209078219420.post-65885727713270802722012-05-13T15:31:00.000+10:002013-07-21T16:28:51.944+10:00Baklava Macarons...for Mother's DayI've been meaning to make these for a while and today's rainy weather was a good excuse to stay inside and have the oven on all day.<br />
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Baklava can be made with pretty much any kind of nut, but I chose walnuts as they're probably the most traditional baklava nut.<br />
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For the ganache:<br />
100g cream<br />
50g honey<br />
250g white chocolate<br />
1 tsp ground cinnamon<br />
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg<br />
- heat cream, add white chocolate and mix until smooth, add honey and spices and refrigerate overnight
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For the shells:<br />
Use the <a href="http://www.macaronsbyerica.com/2011/03/generic-macaron-recipe.html" target="_blank">generic macaron recipe</a>. You can substitute some of the almonds for other nuts if you like.<br />
Grind about 100g of walnuts with cinnamon to taste. Once Macarons are piped, sprinkle some walnut mix on each one before resting.<br />
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To sandwich:<br />
Pipe some ganache and add some of the ground walnut mix in the centre. Sandwich and leave in fridge to mature for 24 hours or freeze immediately.<br />
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Now that I think of it, I'd better put some away for my Mum for Mother's day!<br />
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<br />Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00621243127463224418noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504150209078219420.post-71808805154241760942012-04-25T18:19:00.000+10:002012-09-02T20:26:43.181+10:00Macaron cake for Monie and Pandan Macarons for Karen...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My friend Mona had her last day at work yesterday before moving interstate to a new job. I made this macaron cake for her farewell afternoon tea.</div>
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For the cake, any chocolate cake recipe will do - an easy one is Martha Stewart's Devil's Food Cake, and you can find the recipe <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/318202/moist-devils-food-cake" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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I sandwiched the cake with a chocolate cream (whipped cream with Dutched cocoa and some sugar), then covered it with dark chocolate ganache (equal parts dark chocolate and cream).<br />
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For the shells, I just made one batch of the <a href="http://www.macaronsbyerica.com/2011/03/generic-macaron-recipe.html" target="_blank">generic macaron recipe</a> and divided it into bowls with food colouring - you can be smart with colours and add blue to pink once you've piped some pink ones to make purple, and add red to yellow to make orange, etc. Arrange the macaron shells on the cake whilst the ganache is still soft.<br />
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One of my other friends, Karen, had a baby last week and has been having cravings for pandan macarons for weeks.<br />
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For the shells, stick with the Generic Macaron Recipe <a href="http://www.macaronsbyerica.com/2011/03/generic-macaron-recipe.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Add green colouring to the mixture. If you have some shredded coconut handy, sprinkle some onto the shells before resting (unfortunately I couldn't find any in my pantry!)</div>
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For the filling, I cheated by using pandan essence which I bought from an Asian grocery store on Victoria Street in Richmond. You could probably use real pandan leaves and infuse some cream and make ganache from that.</div>
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I added the pandan essence to white chocolate ganache, and I'm told that they definitely tasted of pandan!</div>
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<br />Ericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00621243127463224418noreply@blogger.com0