Green Tea Macarons + Nutella Filling

It was such a coincidence that my blog-buddy, KL, and I made macarons on the same day! 


In the midst of mac-ing, we were whatsapp-ing each other on the recipe we were using - the ingredient proportions, the drying time, the oven temperature, baking times, etc. So many factors that could make or break a macaron. 

I don't know why this picture turned out so psychedelic.

It's really not meant to be so neon.

The first few minutes in the oven are anxious minutes. 
Will those elusive feet appear?
Yes, they did. Phew!! 


But will the tops be nice and smooth? Or will they crack and erupt?
Thankfully, they turned out just fine. 
Now I can breathe...

Green Tea Macarons

30g egg white (or 1 egg white)

10g caster sugar 

40g almond powder

60g icing sugar

1/2 tsp green tea powder (1 tsp for a more intense green tea flavour)

Blend almond powder, icing sugar and green tea powder till fine. 

Sift two times. Set aside.

Whisk egg whites till foamy, then add caster sugar and whisk till soft peaks appear.

At this stage, you may want to add some colouring to enhance the appearance of the macarons. The colour fades quite a bit after baking, so your mixture should be a few shades darker than your desired end result.

Continue whisking till the meringue is glossy and stiff.

Fold in almond/sugar mixture in 2-3 batches till batter is evenly combined and somewhat sticky.

Using a #11 piping tip, pipe 1-1.25" circles on parchment paper or silicone mat. 

Let the piped circle air dry for about 30-60 min till skins form and are no longer tacky.

Bake at 140*C for 18-20 min. 

Now resist the temptation to peel the macs off. Allow macarons to cool completely before removing from parchment paper or silicone mat. 

Nutella Filling

This has got to be the easiest yet tastiest filling ever!
You can simply use Nutella straight from the bottle.

Or if you prefer something a little more delicate, mix some milk or whipping cream into the Nutella and fill those macs!

Now for the most important question: Do you like mini macs or maxi macs?


Me? I like 'em mini. 

Macarons - Getting it right

Finally!!! Some decent looking macarons from my oven!!!

This time, rather than rushing into it, I compared the ingredients and each of their quantity in a number of recipe books and blogs. Below are 3 recipes that I found to be particularly insightful and helpful! The fourth column was from my previous macarons attempt - it was from a kids' easy macarons kit. My macarons didn't turn out perfect, but at least, they had feet and smooth shells.

Comparing the three expert recipes, I found that their dry ingredients all add up to be in the range of around 340-360g. The temperature that they use to bake is between 140-160 degree celsius, much lower than what I used to set. Now, of course, this is only part of the success story for the perfect macarons.

I tested using the recipe from Tartelette but included the cream of tartar from Sweet & Skinny. Because I did not have enough fine almond meal, I substituted the balance amount with cocoa powder, just to make up the amount of dry ingredients required.

My ingredients for this batch:

• 1 egg white from "Pasar" - 35g
• 21g caster sugar
• 78g icing sugar
• 2g or 0.4 tsp cocoa powder
• 31g almond meal
• 0.5g or 0.1 tsp cream of tartar

For future reference, I made this conversion table.

In macarons making, it is THE TECHNIQUE that is the most important. I used to whip my whites until it became very stiff. This is incorrect. It should be a MEDIUM peak - see picture below from the book "Sweet and Skinny, by Marisa Churchill". Do NOT over-whip or meringue will become very dry and the macarons will not work.

When mixing the meringue and the dry stuff, fold in half of the dry mixture in a few quick sweeping strokes to break the mass and slow down. When it is mostly incorporated, fold in the remaining mixture. The whole process should not take more than 50 strokes. Test a small amount of the batter to see if it has the correct consistency before piping.

I have a small tabletop oven and I find the heat to be somewhat higher than that stated in most recipe books. Hence, I lowered the temperature by another 5 degree celsius.

Steps and things to note:

1. Sift the almond meal and icing sugar & / or cocoa. Or blitz in a food processor until very fine. Otherwise, the macarons will have a rough surface.
2. Whisk the whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar.
3. With the mixer running, add caster sugar slowly - one teaspoon at a time.
4. Continue to whisk until medium peaks form. Do NOT over-whipped. The meringue should curl over softly when you lift the whisk.
5. If you are adding colouring, add now. Mix just until the whites are evenly coloured.
6. Fold in half the almond mixture in a few quick strokes to break the mass and slow down. Fold in the remaining almond mixture, mixing until combined. Do not over-mixed. The entire folding process should take no more than 50 steps.
7. Check the consistency of the batter. It should flatten on its own after counting to ten. If it stands with a pointed top, it is under-mixed. Scrape the mixture back and give it a few more turns.
8. Place the piping bag into a jar so that the batter can be poured in nicely.
9. Pipe the macarons, leaving 2cm gap between them.
10. After piping, leave macarons to dry for at least 30 minutes.
11. Pre-heat the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
12. Let the macarons cool down before peeling them off the baking paper.

Orange Chiffon Cake in Little Hearts

~~~Happy Teachers' Day!!! ~~~

Ingredients:

• 6 large eggs, room temperature
• 250g caster sugar
• 3/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 225g top flour
• 1 tbs baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 120ml vegetable oil
• 180ml orange juice
• 2 tbs orange zest

Steps:

1. Separate egg whites from egg yolks.
2. Sift flour and baking powder. Make a hole in the middle. Add salt, vanilla essence, vegetable oil, orange juice and orange zest. Mix until smooth.
3. Whisk egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar. Add sugar.
4. Continue whisking until stiff peaks.
5. Fold egg whites into the egg yolk batter.
6. Bake at 160 degree celsius for 60 minutes.
7. Cut into thick slices. Use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes.

August POP (Pig-out Party)

And so the day finally arrived.

Saturday 13 August 2011.

The much-anticipated gathering for fellow baking enthusiasts in Singapore.
Hopefully in the future, we'll see more bloggers joining in the fun. Or perhaps even those from other parts of the world who might be in Singapore. It's always nice catching up with familiar faces, putting faces to blogs, and meeting new friends who share the same passion.

Taking pictures of food at these parties is always an agonising moment. Only because the pictures have to be taken before we all dig in, and with all the deliciousness in front of you, it's really a test of endurance. With 11 cameras and 17 dishes, that's a whopping grand total of 187 shots to get through before you can dig in... absolute torture!!!  LOL  :)

Inevitably, with so many dishes, and with the impatience to tuck into the yummy food, there's always one or two shots that get away. And sometimes it's cos of trembling hands (from the excitement of seeing all the mouth-watering dishes) that result in blurry pictures, so I've had to borrow some pictures.

OK, enough yakking.
I won't torture you anymore.
Now feast your eyes...

* Just click on the pictures below to get to their blogs.

picture courtesy of Tested and Tasted

picture courtesy of Kitchen Corner

picture courtesy of Kitchen Corner

Thanks to everyone who took time off their crazy schedules to cook/bake for this POP.

To those who couldn't make it, hope to see you at the next one. 

Special thanks to Jo for letting us in to her lovely home. 

Hope we didn't leave too many crumbs behind  :P 

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Oatmeal Loaf

How to make an Oatmeal Loaf.

20g bread flour
100ml water
100ml milk
30g sugar
240g bread flour
30g wholemeal flour
10g milk powder
1 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp salt
20g butter or margarine

In a saucepan, whisk together 20g bread flour and water over low heat till it thickens.

Remove from heat, add milk and sugar and stir till well incorporated.

Combine the rest of the ingredients, then pour the mixture into the dry ingredients and stir till a dough forms.

Knead till dough is smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and allow to rise for about half hour.

Punch down dough. Let it rest for about 5 min. Shape into a loaf and place in a greased loaf pan.

Let dough rise for about half hour.
Bake at 170*C for 25-30 min.
Cool completely before slicing.

Apple Crumble Tart

This tart consists of 4 layers:  
  * Layer 1: Tart shell  
  * Layer 2: Apple sauce  
  * Layer 3: Sliced apples  
  * Layer 4: Crumble / streusel topping  


(Maybe I should have called this a 4-layer tart.)

TART SHELL
Makes a 16cm tart shell.
80g flour
20g almond meal
20g sugar
40g butter
1-2 tbs water


Cream butter and sugar.
Stir in flour and almond meal till a dough forms.
Add water as needed till dough comes together.
Press dough into a disk and wrap with cling film.
Refrigerate for about half hour or till dough firms up.
Then roll the dough out and press into the tart pan.
Blind bake the tart shell at 180*C for about 15 min.

Allow the tart shell to cool.
Then fill the tart with about 1 cup of apple sauce.
I used canned apple sauce for convenience, adding 1/4 tsp of cinnamon.

Peel and core an apple.
Slice into half. Then thinly slice each half.
Arrange the apple slices in concentric circles on top of the apple sauce.

CRUMBLE / STREUSEL TOPPING
50g flour
40g brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
30g rolled oats
20g walnuts
55g butter

Combine all ingredients and blitz in a food processor till it crumbles to about the size of peas. Generously sprinkle on top of apples.
Bake at 180*C for about 30 min till topping is brown and crisp.

Enjoy the tart plain, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.



I am submitting this to Aspiring Bakers #10: Easy as Pie (August 2011), hosted by Janine of Not the Kitchen Sink!

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Fresh Peach Tart

This was the first time in my life that I made a fresh fruit tart with pastry cream. 
Let's see how it went....

TART SHELL:
Makes enough for an 18cm tart.
80g flour
20g almond meal
30g sugar
40g butter, softened

Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
Add flour and almond meal.
Mix till the dough comes together.
Press the dough onto cling wrap, wrap it up, and chill it for about half hour.
Roll out the dough till large enough to cover tart pan.
Press into a greased tart pan, pressing around the edges firmly and trimming away any excess.
Chill for at least half hour.


Next, blind bake the tart shell. (This means baking the shell on its own, since it has to be pre-baked cos the filling and topping need not be baked.)


Fill the tart shell with pie weights, or beans or rice. Even coins if that's the only thing you have. Basically, anything that will weigh the shell down, so it doesn't balloon when you bake it. 


Bake at 180*C for 10-15 min or until the edges are golden brown. 
Remove pie weights and allow to cool completely.

PASTRY CREAM:
125ml milk
2 egg yolks
40g sugar
4 tsp flour
4 tsp cornflour
10g butter
1 vanilla pod or 1 tbs vanilla extract
1/8 - 1/4 tsp cinnamon (to taste)
1 tsp Cointreau (orange liqueur)

Scrape out the seeds from the vanilla pod.
Add to milk and bring to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from heat. Set aside.

Whisk together egg yolks and sugar till thick and pale.
Sift in flour, cornflour and cinnamon and whisk till well combined.
Continue whisking, at the same time gradually pouring in the hot milk.
Strain the mixture back into the saucepan (to remove lumps).
Gently heat the mixture till mixture thickens, stirring constantly to prevent lumps.
When the mixture resembles custard, remove from heat and stir in the liqueur.

Transfer to a clean bowl and cover the surface of the pastry cream with cling wrap. (The cling wrap must touch the cream; this prevents a skin from forming.)
Allow to cool completely before spooning onto tart shell.

Arrange your favourite fruit onto the top of the cream, sprinkle icing sugar, and serve!

My mother-in-law passed me some fresh peaches, so I used them for this tart. And since it was fresh peaches, the colour is paler and more varied than the canned peaches we are more familiar with.  If you are using canned peaches, remember to drain the syrup. Other fruits that would be great for this tart are any berries, cherries, grapes, kiwi... well, you get it, just about any fruit you like!


In the end, I never got to sink my teeth into this tart. 
Except for the pasty cream, which I tasted cos the little black vanilla dots in the pale creamy pastry cream was just too enticing. And boy was it amazing!  Imagine, the seeds of one whole vanilla pod crammed in a modest 18cm tart shell.  Mmmmm...


You see, since the peaches were from my mother-in-law, I thought I'd make a tart for all of us. I took the tart to her in the morning on my way out, so she could have some after lunch. By the time I returned in the evening, it was all gone  :(  Well, I guess on the bright side, it must mean that it was decent tasting at the very least. 

I am submitting this to Aspiring Bakers #10: Easy as Pie (August 2011), hosted by Janine of Not the Kitchen Sink!

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