{ Mélanger :: to mix }

Day 3.  The inspiration?  The humble candy cane.  An ornament and a confection, this peppermint treat with its signature stripes is hard to miss at Christmas time.  Here is my nod to this sugary sweet.

{ Candy cane macarons }

* Ingredients *
100g egg whites
3g egg white powder
125g almond meal
125g icing sugar
Pink and red food colouring
For the syrup:
150g sugar and 50ml water

* Directions *
Process the almond meal and icing sugar together.  In a mixer, whip half the egg whites to soft peaks.  Meanwhile, in a saucepan bring the water and sugar for the syrup to 117C (or 242F) on a candy thermometer.  Once ready, slowly add the boiling syrup to the egg whites and continue to whip on medium speed until they thick and shiny and are completely cooled (about 10 minutes).  At the final changes of whipping the meringue, add the pink food colouring.  Mix the remaining egg whites to the sifted almond mixture and fold into the meringue in four parts.

Pipe macarons on lined baking sheets.  Double up your baking sheets if you do not have professional grade quality.  Let your macarons sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes. Bake at 140C or 280F for 15-18 minutes.  Once cooled, gently brush red food colouring on one half of the shells.  Fill with ganache or filling of your choice.  Refrigerate to set.

{ Candy cane Buttercream }

* Ingredients *
2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
125g or 1 stick of unsalted butter
6 candy canes, crushed

* Directions *
In a bowl over simmering water, whisk the eggs whites and sugar.  Cook until the sugar has dissolved and the temperature reaches 160F or 70C.

Transfer the bowl to a stand mixer and on a medium speed, beat until you reach firm peaks, about 5 minutes.  Slow the speed and add in the room temperature butter one piece at a time.  If the mixture appears to curdle, keep beating on medium speed until smooth again.  Add in the crushed candy canes.  Makes 2 cups.

Makes 40-50 shells, and 20-25 finished macarons.

New to making macarons? French macarons :: my ‘how to’ will get you started.

Day 2.  The inspiration?  The Pfeffernussen.  This spicy German treat features pepper and a range of spices such as cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg and cloves.  All the gingerbread flavour you expect at Christmas, but just with a little more bite!  Here is my tribute to the German cookie.

{ Pfeffernussen macarons }

* Ingredients *
100g egg whites
3g egg white powder
125g almond meal
125g icing sugar
Brown food colouring
Black pepper
For the syrup:
150g sugar and 50ml water

* Directions *
Process the almond meal and icing sugar together.  In a mixer, whip half the egg whites to soft peaks.  Meanwhile, in a saucepan bring the water and sugar for the syrup to 117C (or 242F) on a candy thermometer.  Once ready, slowly add the boiling syrup to the egg whites and continue to whip on medium speed until they thick and shiny and are completely cooled (about 10 minutes).  At the final changes of whipping the meringue, add the food colouring.  Mix the remaining egg whites to the sifted almond mixture and fold into the meringue in four parts.

Pipe macarons on lined baking sheets. Sprinkle gently with pepper.  Double up your baking sheets if you do not have professional grade quality.  Let your macarons sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes. Bake at 140C or 280F for 15-18 minutes.  Fill with ganache or filling of your choice.  Refrigerate to set.

{ Pfeffernussen Buttercream }

* Ingredients *
2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
125g or 1 stick of unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

* Directions *
In a bowl over simmering water, whisk the eggs whites and sugar.  Cook until the sugar has dissolved and the temperature reaches 160F or 70C.

Transfer the bowl to a stand mixer and on a medium speed, beat until you reach firm peaks, about 5 minutes.  Slow the speed and add in the room temperature butter one piece at a time.  If the mixture appears to curdle, keep beating on medium speed until smooth again.  Add in the spices and mix thoroughly.  Makes 2 cups

Makes 40-50 shells, and 20-25 finished macarons.

New to making macarons? French macarons :: my ‘how to’ will get you started.

Day 1.  The inspiration?  White Christmas.  This traditionally Australian no-bake slice is chock full of mixed fruit – cherries, coconut, sultanas.  Here is my salute to the Australian dessert table.

{ White Christmas macarons }

* Ingredients *
100g egg whites
3g egg white powder
125g almond meal
125g icing sugar
For the syrup:
150g sugar and 50ml water

* Directions *
Process the almond meal and icing sugar together.  In a mixer, whip half the egg whites to soft peaks.  Meanwhile, in a saucepan bring the water and sugar for the syrup to 117C (or 242F) on a candy thermometer.  Once ready, slowly add the boiling syrup to the egg whites and continue to whip on medium speed until they thick and shiny and are completely cooled (about 10 minutes).  Mix the remaining egg whites to the sifted almond mixture and fold into the meringue in four parts.

Pipe macarons on lined baking sheets. Double up your baking sheets if you do not have professional grade quality.  Let your macarons sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes. Bake at 140C or 280F for 15-18 minutes.  Fill with ganache or filling of your choice.  Refrigerate to set.

{ White Christmas Buttercream }

* Ingredients *
2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
125g or 1 stick of unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup of chopped mixed glacé cherries (red and green), sultanas and coconut

* Directions *
In a bowl over simmering water, whisk the eggs whites and sugar.  Cook until the sugar has dissolved and the temperature reaches 160F or 70C.

Transfer the bowl to a stand mixer and on a medium speed, beat until you reach firm peaks, about 5 minutes.  Slow the speed and add in the room temperature butter one piece at a time.  If the mixture appears to curdle, keep beating on medium speed until smooth again.  Add in 1/4 cup of chopped dried fruit and mix thoroughly.  Makes 2 cups

Makes 40-50 shells, and 20-25 finished macarons.

New to making macarons? French macarons :: my ‘how to’ will get you started.

The last few months have been hectic and finally taken their toll.  Under Doctor’s orders, I need to take it easy.  That means limited blogging, baking and generally anything that overloads me.  It is finally time for Julia to relax since Nina arrived 11 weeks ago.

So during this month, I want to share with you some posts from the archives.  In particular, my popular ’12 days of holiday macarons’ series.  Day 1 will start Sunday the 5th of December!

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Christmas brings together family and friends, and traditions around the world are universal and unique at the same time.

In Australia, Christmas is often spent around a barbeque with family, a day at the beach, and enjoying the sunshine and outdoors.  In Finland, the traditional Christmas dinner is eaten Christmas Eve.  In America, turkey, goose, duck or ham served with cranberry is a common dinner spread.  In France, children hope Père Noël will bring them gifts.  In Germany, Nikolaustag, St Claus day is celebrated on December 6.  In Jamaica, Jonkanoo (John Canoe) is the traditional Christmas celebration, a colourful parade with masquerade costumes celebrated throughout the streets.  In Greece, children sing carols, or kalanda. In Italy, the festive season is celebrated for three weeks, starting 8 days before Christmas.

This month, borrowing a few ideas from traditional Christmas desserts, cookies and breads, share the joy of Christmas with 12 days of holiday inspired macarons, discovering new tastes and flavours from around the world.