It’s Valentine’s Day and I should really be posting something that has to do with roses or something pink, but this post is one about really dark chocolate, which I guess is still in line with the theme of the day.

When I learned about Pierre Hermé’s Macaron book near the end of 2009, it had long been sold out and no copies of the book could be found online for purchase. The other thing that held me back from going on an all out search for the book was that it was written in French. My french is really only limited to food ingredients and a few basic phrases, so I dropped the idea of getting the book.

It was only recently, having sampled PH’s macarons from Paris and Tokyo (thanks to the generosity of family and a good friend), that I began to wonder if I could accurately reproduce the same flavours at home. The book immediately came to mind and I went on a hunt for the book, which I have to say is a most fantastic read. Each flavour combination sounds like a dream, except maybe the ketchup one. I feel compelled to bake my way through the book, Julie & Julia style!

Long before I’d received the book, I already knew that the first recipe I’d try from the book would be the chocolate shells which incorporate 100% cacao chocolate, reportedly one of the more difficult shells to master. There are several flavours in the book that use chocolate shells and I went with the Macaron au Chocolat Amer.

The next task was to find 100% cacao chocolate in Singapore. Following some leads from friends and a little googling, I finally located 100% cacao chocolate at Jones the Grocer. (I’ve been told that Cold Storage carries 100% cacao baking chocolate from Hershey’s).

I followed the recipe and instructions with some hesitation for 2 reasons. First, the batter was really thick and my hands ached from the macaronage, even though I’d made only 1/2 the recipe. Second, the instructions called for baking with the convection fan setting and opening the oven twice during the baking process. Really?? Wouldn’t the macarons end up overbaked and wouldn’t the feet sink if I opened the oven? I forged on.

To my amazement, the shells were perfect in form (even with a power trip during the baking of the second batch!) Texture-wise, the shells were thin without a single dreaded air pocket in sight. The only thing was that the shells were a little crisp compared to what I usually get with my regular recipe. I filled them, keeping my fingers crossed that the shells would soften after 24 hours in the fridge, something I’ve not had to do normally.

Happily, the macarons came out perfect after the maturing process. The best part is that it’s been a week and the macarons are still good in the fridge, if not better. I’m hoping that this successful attempt was not a matter of beginner’s luck and am looking forward to trying out the next flavour!

Note: I have an extra copy of Pierre Hermé’s Macaron (brand new, in French only) for sale. Please email me if you’re interested. I will not publish any comments related to enquiries about the book. *SOLD*

A post on macarons is long overdue on this blog and so it would seem most appropriate that macarons be the subject of my 1st post of 2011.

The flavours from top to bottom are vanilla caramel fleur de sel, mixed berries with mixed berries white chocolate ganache, green tea with chestnut buttercream and dark chocolate.

I was very happy that I hadn’t lost the ability to churn out a good macaron, but I wasn’t too pleased with the chocolate ones. The feet were tiny and the shells were domed. Of course, it could very well have something to do with my having run into the kitchen and opening the oven door 5 minutes into baking, thinking that the timer had already rung. I guess this is what 9 months (and counting) of sleep deprivation can do to a person.

My favourite ones from this batch were the green tea ones for several reasons. Pretty feet, flat tops (which made the last photograph here easy to take) and most of all, these tasted the least sweet.

I also experimented with a white chocolate ganache filling for the mixed berries macarons, which turned out tasting far from satisfactory due to the awful grainy texture of the ganache. I’m not sure if it had to do with the way I made the ganache or if it was the white chocolate itself (I used Valrhona) that had that problem. I sure could use a recommendation for a good white chocolate for baking!

This post (and this batch of macarons) would not have been possible if my mother-in-law hadn’t most kindly stayed home on Saturday to help watch Ashley, so thank you, Mami!

It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost 5 months since my last post and close to half a year since I’ve gone back to work! It’s a challenge finding time to bake on the weekends and long gone are the days when I could muster up enough energy to stay up till 2am on a weekday just to try out a new recipe.

Fortunately, I have some time off from work in the remaining 2 weeks of this year, so I undusted my muffin pan and baked a dozen blueberry muffins. It’s been so long since I baked these muffins that I’d completely forgotten if I’d previously lined the pan with muffin cups or if I’d simply greased the pan. I’d tried both methods before, but preferred one over the other. I went with greasing the pan and ended up having a very difficult time removing the muffins from the pan.

Note to self: Don’t be lazy and line the pan with muffin cups with this recipe!

Blueberry Muffins (Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com)
Makes 12 large muffins

Ingredients
2 eggs
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon powder
dash of ground nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup sour cream
1 cup blueberries (a 125g box of berries is just right)

Method
1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees C. Line a 12-cup muffin tray with paper muffin liners.

2. Coat blueberries with flour to prevent blueberries from bleeding too much when baking by swirling the blueberries gently in a bowl with a small amount of flour. Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl.

3. In another large bowl beat eggs, gradually add sugar while beating. Continue beating while slowly pouring in oil. Stir in vanilla extract.

4. Stir dry ingredients into egg mixture alternately with sour cream. Gently fold in blueberries. Scoop batter into prepared muffin tray. Fill the cups to slightly beyond 3/4 full.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 20 mins. If the muffins don’t look golden brown enough after 20 mins, bake for a further 5 mins or so at 200 degrees C.

Happy holidays, everyone!