Salted Caramel Macarons recipe

I quite like baking and i like macarons in particular.. they can be a little hit or miss but i guess that is part of the fun.. So much can go wrong when making the shells.. a bit like russian roulette even though i use the same recipe each time (too hard/ no "feet" - that is the frilly bit, cracked top etc). They are so worth it though when it all goes to plan and they come out looking and tasting great!

We did a bake sale for Comic Relief at work a week or so ago and i made some of my salted caramel mac's and they were a big hit!
 

Here is the recipe if anyone fancy having a go!

Salted Caramel Macarons (shells) 

Makes 25 to 50 filled macs depending on size

150 g Ground almonds

150 g Icing sugar

55 g egg whites (room temperature)

150 g caster sugar

40 g water

Food colouring (if using)

55 g  egg whites  - extra (room temperature)

Sugar thermometer

 

·         Line baking trays with non-stick baking paper or silpat/silicon paper

·         Combine the ground almonds and icing sugar in one bowl

·         Put 55 g of the egg whites in an electric mixer with a whisk attachment

·         Put the water and the caster sugar in a small saucepan over a low heat and stir until dissolved.

·         Increase the heat and cook until it reaches 118 c

·         Add liquid food colouring into the sugar water at this stage – if using a cream or gel colour – then add it to the egg whites in the mixer instead.

·         When the sugar reaches 110 c then start whisking the egg whites slowly until frothy. Increasing the speed when the sugar is up to 118 c – then slowly (at the same time as you whisk) add the syrup in a steady stream into the egg whites. Continue to whisk for 5 min or so until the egg whites have cooled down a little.

·         Add the extra egg whites to the ground almond/icing sugar mix and then scrape in the whisked egg whites. Fold through until fully combined and the mix is at a dropping consistency and falls slowly off the spatula.

·         Transfer the mix to a piping bag and pipe into small rounds about 3 cm in diameter. Easiest to pipe straight down onto the tray – not at an angle.

·         Let sit for 20 min to form a skin on top. (touch one with a finger – if it is not sticky then it is ready for the oven.

·         Oven should be pre heated to 135 C – they go in for about 16 – 20 min.

·         Take them out and leave for 2 min then try and see if they come off the tray easily – if not and still too soft, put them back in the oven for another 2 min.

·         When cooled – match them up according to size ready for filling.

Salted Caramel filling

110 g double cream

Vanilla bean or vanilla extract (to taste)

60 g water

150 g caster sugar

30 g liquid glucose

100 g softened un-salted butter

2 – 3 g of sea salt flakes

 

·         Mix the cream with the vanilla and heat slightly in the microwave

·         Put the water, sugar and glucose in a saucepan and cook until dissolved. Increase the heat and cook until the caramel is a dark amber colour.

·         Carefully stir the cream into the caramel – note that it will spit and release a lot of heat.  Stir until smooth then pour in a bowl cool until room temperature, then cover with cling film and refrigerate. (this can be done a day or 2 in advance)

·         When you want to fill your macarons – whisk (electric whisk or electric mixer) the softened butter until fluffy. Heat up your caramel until just runny in a microwave (around 50 c) then pour it into the fluffy butter and whisk until thick and creamy. Fold in some sea salt to taste.

·         Put into a piping bag and pipe onto the flat side of half of the macarons then top with the remaining shells. (i add an additional pinch of sea salt to each one before sandwiching together - entirely optional)

·         Refrigerate and let them rest ideally for 24 hours in the fridge before eating. Can be kept in the fridge for 4 days.

DONE J

Pollen Street Social - 22 February 2013

I have tried to book Pollen Street Social a few times in the past 12 months but never with any luck.. probably because it has mostly been on a spur of a moment and all tables have been booked out.

Since it was my husbands birthday i was a bit more organised and managed to to book a table 6 weeks prior - finally!

Pollen Street Social is the restaurant of Jason Atherton who used to head up Maze for Gordon Ramsey before he left to set up Pollen Street Social. I loved Maze when Jason was in charge - i went back again after he left and the food was not as good, so i was really excited about finally having a table at Pollen St!

We arrived a bit early and had a glass of champagne in the small bar area. Jason came out of the kitchen and walked around and greeted guests - nice touch! The restaurant is quite large and very busy, it is not the usual quiet experience you have when visiting a michelin starred restaurant but i quite liked the brasserie style atmosphere.

We had a nice corner table and were served some appetizers: Green queen olives, pork crackling with apple sauce and cod brandade.. not sure about the cod - very strong in flavour and did not really go with the rest of the "tapas" style dishes.

There was a choice of white or brown bread - the brown was very tasty but i would have expected a few more interesting choices when at a restaurant like this.
So, what about food? Well, I started with a dish that was called "Cornish crab vinaigraite, nashi pear, cauliflower sweet and sour dressing and peanut powder" It was beautiful and had amazing flavours. The crab worked so well with the nashi pear and the pickled cauliflower was lovely and had just the right amount of sweet and sour. There were also some cauliflower puree which added and extra dimension.

For main i had the "Turbot with clam chowder" - a perfectly cooked piece of fish with a very light clam chowder (poured at the table) served with potatoes on the side. It was really lovely but i have to say that my husbands lamb with a truffle puree was lovely too.. i do love truffle and it went so well with his perfectly cooked lamb.

So, desserts, we decided to share 2 desserts and went for "Lemon & White chocolate ganache, carrot cake, basil ash meringue & basil puree"

It looked spectacular but didn't deliver on flavour. Yes - it was nice but i expected a bit more to be honest. The lemon was slightly over powering and the carrot cake was lacking a little bit in flavour.

The second dessert we had i loved. it was the "PBJ" Peanut parfait, Cherry & Yuzu sorbet and Nitro peanut. Loved this! Great flavours that worked so well together.. and i loved the nitro peanut.

I will definately be back again.. would like to try the lunch offer which is a great deal at £27.50 for 3 courses. Jason is also opening a new restaurant in Soho later this spring. To be called "Social Eating House".

Flat Iron and Bone Daddies

It is so easy to always go to the same favorite restaurants again and again for weekend lunches (like Busaba, Byron etc).. but New Year.. time to explore new places!
So, for lunch on Saturday we went to "Flat Iron" in Soho which is a restaurant that only has one dish on the menu: Flat Iron Steak for £10 and a few different sides and sauces.
On arrival you get a mug of popcorn and a carafe of tap water whilst you check out the (very short) menu.
We both had the steak (doh :-)) and 2 sides of chips, 2 bearnaise sauces and a Sophies salad (salad with blue cheese, walnuts and lemon dressing). The steak also comes with a small salad in a glass with a house dressing.
We ordered the 2 steaks Medium but when they arrived they had gotten the order wrong and had one medium and one medium rare - too hungry to wait for them to rectify i had the medium rare which was actually great and more of a medium to me anyway.
The steak was good - for that kind of cut..but the chips and the bearnaise were the stars of the show..wonderful.
I'd definately go back again at one point .. well, when i have exhausted all the new places that is.. ;-)

So, Sunday came along and we were going to go to Burger & Lobster in Soho for lunch (i have been before but hubby has not - the lobster roll is FAB) but the queue was too long so we decided to go to another Soho newbie called "Bone Daddies". It is not fancy with communal tables, loud music and quite small. The chef used to work at Nobu and Zuma and i guess he knows a thing or 2 about asian food!!
We both had a variation each of Tantanmen which is a noodle soup with sesame and chili oil. It was lovely and full of flavour but a bit on the spicy side for my sensitive husband.
The place was packed when we were there - again, the seating is communal on long tables with bar stools. Great place for a quick lunch.. as long as you are careful when eating.. i of course slurped my noodles a bit too much and made a mess of my top.. oh well..

Raspberry mac's

New Year, more macarons to be baked on Sundays afternoons :-)

I now follow Adriano Zumbo's recipe for the shells and i find that it works the best. It is the Italian version with hot sugar syrup which is a bit more time consuming than the French version - but it makes the shells crack free, shiny and with good feet!
I will post the recipe shortly.
For yesterday's baking session i did a raspberry macaron filling:

White chocolate & Raspberry ganache

- 100 gr white chocolate - broken into pieces
- 1 dl of double cream
- 3 teaspoons of powdered freeze dried raspberries
- tiny bit of pink gel colour
- 25 grams of unsalted butter

Heat up the cream and when boiling - pour over the white chocolate pieces and stir until melted. Add the powdered raspberries and the colour and stir. Add the butter and stir to combine. Pour into a disposable piping bag, seal and put in the fridge to set.

Here are the little finished macaroons. They turned out pretty nice if i may say so myself.

2013!!

Wow, Time has flown by and it is 2013 already.. i just realised that i have not written anything for almost 1,5 years! My new year's resolution (apart from dieting, excercise etc etc is now officially to continue to update my tastebuds from now on! So, a lot has happend during the missing 1,5 years.. many restaurants have been visited and many macaron experiments have taken place together with cake pops, cupcakes and numerous banana cakes.. oh well, you just have to take my word for it!
For NYE i made a lovely 3 course meal starting with a lobster salad with textures of vegetables, some i pickled some i steamed and some where raw. Served with a truffle mayonnaise - yummy and very light. This was folloed by a loin of lamb with a cauliflower puree and beans with a light porcini and lamb jus.. and the dessert.. well, all of my favorite flavours = vanilla, pistachio and raspberry! I made a moist pistachio cake and a white chocolate pannacotta which i "quenelled" over a slice of the cake. I also made raspberry jelly which i cut into lovely wobbly cubes and "pistachio crumble" made from caramellising sugar adding pistachio nuts, stir and pour on baking sheet to cool.. then crush up with a pestle & mortar.. Very yummy.:-)

Dinner in Chelsea - 21st of July

Had a little catch up dinner with my friend Iolanda at the Chelsea Brasserie close to Sloane Square Tube. The food was really really good and i highly recommend this restaurant. The bar was buzzing with an after work crowd when i arrived. The waiters were charming and very attentive. We were on a toptable deal which was great value for money.
I started with an amazing dish of warm soft goats cheese rolled in almonds (then baked in the oven until golden and toasted) served with some salad and onion marmalade.. Very very good.
Main was panfried bream with gnocchi and artichokes in a butter sauce. Again very good.
No room for dessert but i would definately like to come back for more!

Cup cakes - 21st of July

Riiight.. i have been soo bad with updating my blog recently.. but in all fairness,  have been busy getting married and enjoying my honeymoon :-)
So, one of my exec's decided to butter me up and say thank you for all my hard work.. so very sweet of him! I took delivery of a yummy box of cup cakes at work which i have to say were some of the best cup cakes i have had. A very moist almost almondy cake with a nice and light topping of buttercream. Highly recommend them. The company is called The little cupcake company: http://www.thelittlecupcakecompany.co.uk/