I am happiest when laughter wraps around me, when sun drenches me with warmth and rays, when I hold a strong hand, a passionate kiss, when I have an extremely sharp edge on my favorite knife, when that knife slices green onions beautifully on a bias, when a soup has all the body and richness it needs because of the well made stock, and when an unexpected recipe turns out better than expected.
Learning every day on the line I am sometimes get bored with the daily routines but, it is at home that I will continue to happily divulge and blog about my miscellaneous adventures in my cooking. Even though my career involves pots and pans and cooking, it’s when I am in my quaint kitchen that I can cater to my own creative impulses. New or old they are mine
Those droplets of cookies that you see on the top are an experiment. I love coconut macaroons and I love a deliciously nutty financier, so combined they become a delicate and nutty and chewy delight. An american delight, the coconut macaroon is usually a densely sweet pastry made with shredded coconut, egg whites & sugar. A financier is a french sweet made with a beurre noisette, egg whites, flour, sugar and almond meal. What happens when you combine them? They become a great post dinner treat with coffee or tea . Best of all they are airy, crisp, yet chewy and in this recipe gluten free.
Coconut Almond Macaroons. 8 Oz. egg whites or the whites of 4 eggs 2 C. Toasted Almond meal or Ground Almonds (finely ground and toasted) or Almond Flour 1 C. Shredded Coconut 1 C. Sugar 1/4 C. Water 1/2 T. Pure Vanilla Extract 1 T. Lemon Juice (Stabilizer) 1 T. Cornstarch 1/8 tsp. Salt Using a whisk or a whisk attachment on your machine, start by beating your egg whites – add salt – in separate bowl mix cornstarch, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Add mixture of cornstarch, lemon juice etc. into your egg whites – clean sides and continue to whisk on speed 4 until you reach medium peaks. In a small saucepan combine water and sugar- dissolve mixture till it comes to a rolling boil and sugar is completely dissolved preferred heat would be 118°. Slowly add in the molten hot sugar into the egg whites.
Your mixing bowl should be cool when the egg whites get to a stiff peak. During this stiff peak period, take out the whisk attachment, clean sides of the bowl and add your toasted and cooled almond meal, and coconut.
Fold lightly till incorporated.
Set oven to 325°. Place parchment paper on cookie sheet, using two spoons – one to scoop and one to push out batter- spoon out a non uniform and lovely little plump batter on cookie tray. Dry them out for at least 60 minutes.
Place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. Eat immediately.
*note on a humid day – you may want to re-crisp them in the oven at 300°.
Fa la la ….
State of Flux 