Epic Fail

You see those lovely french chocolate macaroons to the left.....those arent mine. Thats the picture I got from Google and have no resemblance whatsoever to the ones the came out of my oven last night. What happened in my kitchen last night in my first attempt at french chocolate macaroons was an epic fail....EPIC.

I blame my sister for this. I was all set to attempt something a bit more manageable (i.e- less potential for a screw up) when she showed me the William-Sonoma receipe website. And of course these little guys caught my eye, so I put my other project on the back-burner for this.

In my recent quarter-life crisis, a series of fortunate events led me to book a flight to Paris in September with my brother and sister, then meeting Mom and Grandma in Barcelona a few days later. In celebration of that, I thought the macaroons would be an excellent thing to make for the blog. But I was wrong.

French macaroons are WAY different than the coconut version I grew up on. The are light, but crunchy cookies sandwiched between a creamy ganache filling. They can be many different colors or flavors, from the ordinary (chocolate, vanilla, coffee) to the interesting (rosewater, pistachio, etc). Armed with my excitement for going back to Paris in a few months and my new blue Kitchen-Aid mixer (thanks mom), I was ready to attempt this French treat. I really thought I was doing an ok job too. I had to blanch my own almonds because my local grocery store didnt sell them already blanched, but the was no biggie. Just pour boiling water over the almonds and let sit for a minute. Then rinse with cold water and peel off the skin.....easy. I made my ganache and put it in the fridge to cool....no issues there. The cookie batter seemed to be coming along just fine....stiff peaks formed in my egg whites, I thought I was home free. The I tried to put the batter into a bag to pipe onto the cookie sheet and things went downhill- quickly. Instead of being dough-like, I had a chocolatey soup that ran out of my piping bag so fast that I got it all over the kitchen. Once I finally gained some control and got a pan in the oven, I noticed that they were not baking up at all, just hardening. When they came out, they were flat, hard, and stuck to the parchment paper.....not good. Then I tried to put a batch into a muffin pan, thinking I could salvage the mess. Those turned out better, but still not presentable. I ended up with something that resembled a brownie which I frosted with the ganache. They tasted great, but looked like a kindergarten kid made them.

There was a split second when I decided I was going to swear my roommate to secrecy about the whole incident and not blog about it. But then I decided that the blog wasn't about making things perfectly every time, but experimenting, playing, and, at times, screwing up royally. I need to let go of the idea that everything has to be perfect. I'm allowed to screw up...in baking and in life. So below is the recipe I attempted last nite (courtesy of William-Sonoma). You are welcome to try it out and let me know how it goes, but as for me and my house, we will steer clear of french macaroons for a bit!!

Ingredients:

For the macaroons:
1/2 cup blanched whole almonds
1 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
3 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder
3 egg whites
Pinch of salt
2 tsp. granulated sugar

For the filling:
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder
5 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

Directions:
Position a rack in the middle of an oven and preheat to 400°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.To make the macaroons, in a food processor, combine the almonds with 1 cup of the confectioners' sugar and pulse until finely ground. Add the cocoa powder and the remaining 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar and pulse until well blended.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the egg whites and salt on medium-high speed just until the whites form soft peaks when the beaters are lifted. Add the granulated sugar and beat just until the whites form stiff peaks when the beaters are lifted. Using a whisk or a rubber spatula, gently fold in the almond mixture.

Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip. Pipe out 1-inch-diameter mounds about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake, one sheet at a time, until the tops are cracked and appear dry but the macaroons are still slightly soft to the touch, 6 to 8 minutes.

Transfer the cookies, still on the parchment paper, to barely dampened kitchen towels and let cool for 5 minutes. Carefully peel the paper off the macaroons, transfer to wire racks and let cool completely. (The macaroons can be made 1 day in advance and stored in layers separated by waxed paper in an airtight container.)

To make the filling, in a saucepan over high heat, bring the cream just to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the cocoa powder. Add the chocolate and butter and whisk until smooth. Let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until the filling is firm enough to hold its shape when spread, at least 30 minutes.

If desired, transfer the filling to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip. Pipe the filling, or spread it with a table knife, generously on the flat side of half of the macaroons. Top with the remaining macaroons, flat side down, pressing together gently to form sandwiches. (The cookies can be stored in layers separated by waxed paper in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.) Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Adapted from Luscious Chocolate Desserts, by Lori Longbotham (Chronicle Books, 2004).