cherry macarons

Our aunt is coming to visit this weekend so I thought I'd bake up a batch of festive macarons for her to send back to our uncle for the upcoming holiday. Which makes me wonder - what are your thoughts on Valentine's Day? Do you and yours go all out with dinner, gifts, flowers the whole shabang? Do you think it's just a commercialized holiday? Do you fall somewhere in between? Did you forget this weekend is Valentine's??

My husband and I like to get each other little gifts, usually setting a limit of $25, and either make a nice dinner together, or head out to one of our favorite restaurants. Since our aunt will be here this weekend with her granddaughters, we will likely stay in and do some cooking and baking, which I'm very excited for :)

And to you I wish, a Happy Valentine's Day!

Festive Cranberry & Pistachio Macarons with White Chocolate Vanilla Cream

via Cherrapeno (be sure to check out the link, she has quanities for just one egg white!)

Amounts for 4 egg whites

125g ground almonds

225g icing sugar

110g egg whites brought to room temperature

30g granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

3 teaspoons of dried sweetened cranberries that have been minced or chopped finely

Couple of drops of red food coloring

Handful of pistachio nuts, finely chopped (I omitted this time :)

White Chocolate Vanilla Cream

150ml double cream, whipped until stiff

150g white chocolate, melted and cooled slightly

½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Mix the ground almonds and icing sugar together in a bowl and put to one side.

In a large clean, dry bowl, whip the egg white with a pinch of salt until it becomes foamy and stiff. Gradually add the granulated sugar, whisking well after each addition, until the mixture is stiff and shiny.

Gently fold in the almond mixture and the minced dried cranberries using a large spoon or spatula, until incorporated. The mixture should be shiny and firm, but with a bit of 'flow' to it. Don't over-mix it or it will be too runny.

Fill a piping bag with a 1cm round tip and pipe the mixture onto Silpat or baking parchment. Tap the sheets gently to remove air bubbles and sprinkle a few chopped pistachio nuts onto half of the macarons. Let dry at room temperature for about an hour or so before baking.

Bake in a preheated oven, 160º/325F for about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on their size.

Remove from the oven and leave to go cold. Peel off the Silpat or baking parchment.

Whip the cream until stiff and gently fold in the melted chocolate and vanilla bean paste. Pipe or spoon onto half the macarons and top with the other half before serving.

Shrimp Pasta

This was a delicious, fun, quick, and easy recipe to make on a weeknight. I used whole wheat pasta I had on hand. I think I might modify this sometime as a shrimp scampi by omitting the tomatoes and adding more garlic and tons of lemons. Also, this could easily feed a crowd. Like today, the unofficial holiday, Super Bowl Sunday.

PS - The Pioneer Woman rules.

Shrimp Pasta
Recipe from The Pioneer Woman

1/2 cups olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 whole 14.5 oz cans diced or whole tomatoes
1/2 cups white wine
2 lbs jumbo or large shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt & pepper to taste
fresh parlsey, minced
1 lb linguine, uncooked
red pepper flakes, to taste

Cook pasta for 1/2 the recommended cooking time. Pasta should still be very firm.

In a large skillet or pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for a minute. Dump in the tomatoes and wine. Stir the mixture together, season with salt and pepper, and allow to cook for ten minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare a large parcel of heavy duty aluminum foil. It should be large enough to hold the entire pasta dish.

Throw the shrimp on the top of the pasta sauce. Throw the drained pasta over the top, then pour the whole dish onto the foil. Tightly wrap the foil into a parcel.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and keep warm until serving.

Open the foil parcel right before serving. Drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil over the top. Squeeze on lemon juice, if desired.

french onion soup

Please excuse my brief hiatus. I have been very busy in the kitchen continuing to bake my little macarons! Be still my heart. There have been over-cooked ones, under-cooked ones, beautiful ones and very dry ones. This has been a fun little adventure, although my husband is getting tired of being the guinea pig and really wants me to go back to baking his favorite cookies!

Here is a yummy french onion soup recipe I made the other night after a long night of baking. I don't really have a lot of experience with onion soup - I've only had it one other time at a restaurant. But this recipe was cheesy and definitely fulfilling! I used mozerella instead of gruyere and I also omitted the parmesan rind because I didn't have it on hand. FYI - we bought those cute little soup bowls at World Market!

French Onion Soup

recipe from Food Network

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 large yellow or Spanish onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 large red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup port wine
6 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
1 (2-inch) piece Parmesan rind
Reserved bread from bread bowls or 4 slices sourdough baguette, about 1-inch thick and lightly toasted
8 slices Gruyere cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and preheat broiler.

Melt butter and oil together in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and sugar and cook 10 minutes, until onions are tender and golden brown. Add thyme, bay leaves, salt, and black pepper and stir to coat. Cook 1 minute, until fragrant. Add port and simmer until liquid is absorbed. Add broth and Parmesan rind and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low, partially cover and simmer 20 minutes.

Remove bay leaves and Parmesan rind and ladle soup into oven-proof bowls. Place bowls on a baking sheet. Place reserved bread rounds or a sourdough round into each bowl and top bread with Gruyere cheese. Broil 2 to 3 minutes, until cheese is golden and bubbly.