They aren’t French macs, but they are “killer”!
Today’s post was supposed to be my newest entry for Mac Tweets, but alas, I have nothing to contribute this month. This upsets me. I had such a fabulous idea. It was going to be awesome. Still, I’m not going to tell you what it is because I want to surprise you guys with it in the future.
The reason I have nothing to show for myself is not for a lack of trying though, believe me! My most recent attempt was my 12th at making French macarons. I was SURE I was going to get it right … absolutely positive! I was wrong. After disaster number 12, I had run out of ingredients, and because of the weather conditions outside, it was impossible for me to replenish my stock and make the macarons in time for the deadline (as the eggs need time to be “aged”).
There are two ways of making French macarons. One is by using the French method of making meringue, and the other is the Italian method of meringue. All along I have stayed away from the Italian method because it involves using a sugar thermometer. For some reason, I have always found this too intimidating. At this point though, I feel like I have exhausted the French method without much success, and quite frankly I’m tired of it and ever so slightly annoyed. I am going to buy a sugar thermometer, and I’m going to restart my efforts after a short break (cause I need one).
So today I thought we could explore the other, and much neglected, coconut macaroon, which is without a doubt delicious… and a lot easier to make! I have been eating coconut macaroons since I was a little girl. I have loved them way before I ever heard the word “Laduree”! Can you believe there was such a time? Well, I have tried many macaroon recipes in the past, but this one is the tastiest. The method is slightly different than your average macaroon, as it is cooked on the stove before it goes into the oven. I think these are my favorite macaroons ever.
Servings: approximately 2 dozen
Ingredients:
4 large egg whites
1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 2/3 cup desiccated coconut
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 ounces dark chocolate, melted over a double boiler
In a saucepan, over medium heat, stir together the egg whites, sugar, salt, almond extract and coconut. Add flour and salt and mix until well combined. Cook and stir constantly for about five minutes or until the mixture begins to pull away from the pan.
Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Put mixture into the refrigerator to chill.
Roll into 1 inch “meatballs.” Place macaroons on a greased baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven once golden. Cool completely, then dip into chocolate. Let chocolate solidify (but not in the refrigerator, this will cause the chocolate to discolour). Store in an airtight container up to 5 days.
