Movember Moustachioed Macarons

I have been dieing to do something for Movember. I hate when you don't have as much time as you want. But, c'est la vie! It is especially true considering I don't have kids. Most of my friends who do laugh that I get time at all to bake, so I guess I need to have more compassion and patience.

So, this week given my recent baking trend for co-workers, I decided to do something Gluten Free for the two on staff who never get to taste anything I make. The thing is, I wanted it to have a moustache. What is cuter than a Macaron with a Moustache? (maybe one on a stick!)

I have to admit, Macarons are still a struggle for me. The delectable treat tends to get all finicky in my oven. I love how they look and am still trying to perfect them. These Lemon ones, for example, slid a little in their dome. You can JUST make out the crusty bottom of the Macaron, and there are a few pock-marks on the tops. ZUT!
It is my challenge to eventually get it right!

So, I made several Macarons with Moustaches. These were my favorite: The trucker (aka. handlebars), the Undercover Brother and the Connoisseur. Hubbie can't exactly grow a mustache, but beards are his thing... go figure? My friends and I were all sitting around at a Mexican restaurant in town looking at all the moustaches. It is awesome to see, and yet part of me screams in terror at their mere presence. Our server in particular had an amazing 'stache!

Recently we've begun watching old 70s movies, and I don't know how they did it back then... how was that a trend?!


Well, combining two trends: Moustaches for Movember and Macarons for baking, I believe that I'm getting closer to my goal of making a delicious and perfect Macaron. Maybe in time! Until then, I'm going to serve these up and laugh. Maybe I need some more chocolate moustaches too!

Orange Spice Macaron

Today a rather large storm passed over my place of work. It was amazing! The best part was the smell after the storm, the whole area (which is located in the country) smelled of wet leaves. It's that fall colour you come to associate with love! True, pure love! There were many times in my life when I would go hiking in the fall and that smell would greet me in the morning. Cool and crisp, it's not the smell of decay (even though literally, that is what it is), but rather, the smell of warmth.

I imagine that if orange had a smell, it would smell of the fall leaves.

So, keeping with the theme of fall, I made Orange Spice Macarons!

The idea was a basic orange macaron (colored orange with orange-zest and a little orange extract) filled with a maple-cream cheese buttercream (spiced with a little extra cloves, ginger and cinnamon). To top off the look, I sprinkled a little cocoa powder on top.

I'm still working on the dome top. The problem with this batch is that I added a little too much almond flour, so they were heavy, and did not settle the way I would have liked. But they still remind me of fall, and are still quite delicious! I am my own worst critic!

So, here's the question I pose, what do you know of macarons.

Last April, the Times Online posted an interesting article on the Macaron: Macaroons (edit: STUPID! They even have a picture of a macaron): what that fashionista is eating. Claiming that a rise in popularity for the little cookie has caused it to begin bumping the beloved cupcake.

So, the questions I pose is this: Is the macaon the new cupcake?

Tell me what you think! I'm curious to know!

So, What is a MACARON Exactly?

I don't suppose many people around North Western Ontario know what a Macaron is. MaCaRon, is a fabulously simple, yet rich pastry. Most people praise their delicate nature, but me, I love the colors!


French Macarons are traditional egg-white, almond and sugar pastry dating back to the 18th Century.

Macarons are smooth, domed topped cookies, with a ruffle of almond around the base (middle for the sandwich). Connoisseurs prize a delicate, egg shell-like crust that yields to a moist and airy interior." What's more, is that they can come in various flavors, depending on the tastes (like Truffle, Maple, Vanilla, Raspberry, etc.).

The truth is simple, I ♥ Macarons!

Flavor of the Month... MACARONS!

It is no secret that I LOVE reading Bridget's blog Bake at 350.
After months of browsing through her Flavor of the month, I've decided to give it my own go.

This month, the flavor was Cookies (which is not truly a flavor, but I can overlook that because cookies are fun to make, and I am sure there will be an assortment of different types to browse).

Anyway, being the strange person I am, I decided to make Macarons. I think they are so beautiful, and so perfect, that to resist the opportunity would be foolish!

There was only one problem. I burnt the first batch! :( So we'll just ignore that, and move on to the successful batch.

So, these wonderful Macarons were flavored Chocolate Mint (For the season). The tops of the Macaons were put into a swirl pattern, which I then started to hate. The conventional flat-topped Macaron looked a lot nicer, and sat better together. Still these were cute too.

The Recipe:

1 1/4 cup icing/powered sugar
4oz almond flour
2 lg egg whites
pinch of salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla
(color)

Directions:
1. Trace 1inch circles on parchment, flip over

2. sift almond flour and icing sugar together. In a dry, clean bowl, whip eggs whites with salt until foamy. Increase speed, add sugar, extract and color. Whip to stiff peaks (should be firm and shiny).

3. With a rubber spatula, fold in the icing sugar mix until incorporated. Make sure to touch the mix only as much as needed to mix together. The mix should 'flow like magma' when ready.

4. Fill piping bag, then fill in 1inch traced circles on parchment. Tap baking sheet to remove air bubbles, then let dry at room temperature for 1/2 an hour.

5. Heat oven to 325 and bake for 8-11 min (depending on oven ).

6. Remove Macarons from oven and transfer parchment to cooling rack. When cool, slide Macarons off with pairing knife. Pipe filling (below).

Filling:

These babies can be filled with all sorts of things. I like using Swiss Meringue found on Martha's webpage. Thanks Martha!

Now, go and enjoy!