Brown Sugar Macaroons 1908 Food

FRENCH MACARONS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F using the convection setting. Line 3 baking sheets with silicone mats. Measure the confectioners' sugar and almond flour by spooning them into measuring cups and leveling with a knife. Transfer to a bowl; whisk to combine.
• Sift the sugar-almond flour mixture, a little at a time, through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, pressing with a rubber spatula to pass through as much as possible. It will take a while, and up to 2 tablespoons of coarse almond flour may be left; just toss it.
• Beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt with a mixer on medium speed until frothy. Increase the speed to medium high; gradually add the superfine sugar and beat until stiff and shiny, about 5 more minutes.
• Transfer the beaten egg whites to the bowl with the almond flour mixture. Draw a rubber spatula halfway through the mixture and fold until incorporated, giving the bowl a quarter turn with each fold.
• Add the food coloring and extract (see below). Continue folding and turning, scraping down the bowl, until the batter is smooth and falls off the spatula in a thin flat ribbon, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round tip. Holding the bag vertically and close to the baking sheet, pipe 1 1/4-inch circles (24 per sheet). Firmly tap the baking sheets twice against the counter to release any air bubbles.
• Let the cookies sit at room temperature until the tops are no longer sticky to the touch, 15 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the humidity. Slip another baking sheet under the first batch (a double baking sheet protects the cookies from the heat).
• Bake the first batch until the cookies are shiny and rise 1/8 inch to form a "foot," about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely. Repeat, using a double sheet for each batch. Peel the cookies off the mats and sandwich with a thin layer of filling (see below).
• Almond-Raspberry:
• Tint the batter with 2 drops neon pink gel food coloring; flavor with almond extract. Fill with seedless raspberry jam (you'll need about 3/4 cup).
• Mint-White Chocolate:
• Tint the batter with 2 drops mint green gel food coloring; flavor with mint extract. For the filling, microwave 3 ounces chopped white chocolate, 2 tablespoons heavy cream and 1 tablespoon butter in 30-second intervals, stirring, until smooth. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon mint extract and 1 drop mint green gel food coloring.
• Blueberry Cheesecake:
• Tint the batter with 3 drops royal blue gel food coloring; flavor with vanilla extract. For the filling, mix 4 ounces softened cream cheese and 3 tablespoons blueberry jam.
• Lavender-Honey:
• Tint the batter with 2 drops violet gel food coloring; flavor with almond or vanilla extract. For the filling, mix 3/4 cup mascarpone cheese, 2 tablespoons honey and 1 teaspoon ground dried lavender.
• Pineapple:
• Tint the batter with 2 drops lemon yellow gel food coloring; flavor with vanilla extract. For the filling, press 3/4 cup pineapple jam through a sieve, discarding any large pieces.

OLD-FASHIONED MACAROONS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the almond paste and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until the almond paste is softened and the sugar well-incorporated, about 5 minutes.
• Add the egg whites a little bit at a time, incorporating fully after each addition. Egg whites are difficult to pour in small amounts, so hold a rubber spatula against the rim of the bowl, and use it to "cut" the egg whites as they are poured. If you add the egg whites all at once, the mixture will be lumpy, because the difference in consistency between the egg whites and the almond paste mixture is too great. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. You may or may not need all of the egg whites depending on the moistness and age of the almond paste. Stop mixing when the mixture reaches a consistency soft enough to pipe (similar to toothpaste).
• Place the batter in a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip. Pipe 1-inch mounds onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. It will be easier if you hold the pastry bag at a slight angle and allow the tip to touch the parchment as you start to pipe. Once you have formed the mound, stop squeezing and lift the tip straight up, leaving a small tail on the top of each mound. Space the macaroons about 1-inch apart to allow for spreading and pipe carefully. The macaroons will look nicest when sandwiched together if they are all the same size.
• Immediately before placing them in the oven, liberally sprinkle granulated sugar over the macaroons. This will give them a nice crust that will keep the inside moist and chewy. Bake until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. The top of each macaroon should be very finely cracked, a characteristic for which they are known. If over-baked, the macaroons will be dry and crunchy.
• Remove the sheet pan from the oven and immediately pour the water onto the sheet pan under the parchment paper. Be careful! If you get any water on the macaroons, they will be soggy. You will need to tilt the baking sheet to spread the water evenly. Let it sit for 2 minutes. The water will loosen the macaroons from the paper. Remove the macaroons from the paper two at a time and stick them together, matching the flat sides. Do not put them back on the hot, wet baking sheet or they will become soggy.
• The macaroons can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days or well wrapped in the freezer for up to one week. Unwrap them before bringing back to room temperature, or the condensation will make them soggy.

BROWN SUGAR BACON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Line a baking pan with parchment paper and lay the bacon out side by side, overlapping just a bit, if necessary, to fit the whole package on the pan. Sprinkle with the brown sugar and place the pan on the top rack of the oven. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until the bacon is nicely browned and slightly crispy.* Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

BROWN SUGAR MACAROONS (1908)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F.
• Whip the egg whites until soft peaks form (the original recipe omitted this step).
• Slowly stir in the brown sugar.
• Add lemon juice.
• Gradually stir in almonds.
• Mix well.
• Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Bake until golden brown, about 30-40 minutes.
• NOTE: Baking time is ONLY an estimate.

MACARONS

Steps:

• Place egg whites into a metal mixing bowl and refrigerate overnight. The next day, bring egg whites to room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 280 degrees F (138 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Whisk confectioners' sugar and almond flour in a bowl. Beat the egg whites with salt in metal bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until foamy, about 1 minute; increase speed to high and gradually beat in superfine sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, until the egg whites are glossy and hold stiff peaks, 3 to 5 more minutes.
• Gently fold almond flour mixture into whipped egg whites until thoroughly incorporated; spoon meringue into a pastry big fitted with a 3/8-inch tip.
• Pipe 1-inch disks of meringue onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches of space between cookies. The batter will spread. Lift the baking sheets a few inches above the work surface and hit them lightly on the work surface several times to remove any air bubbles from the cookies. Let the cookies stand at room temperature until the shiny surfaces become dull and a thin skin forms, about 15 minutes.
• Place the baking sheets in the preheated oven and bake with the oven door open slightly until the macarons' surfaces are completely dry, about 15 minutes. Let cookies cool completely on a baking sheet before peeling parchment paper from the cookies.
• Spread half the cookies with any desired filling, top with remaining cookies to make sandwiches, and refrigerate at least 2 hours to overnight to let the cookies soften.

MACARON (FRENCH MACAROON)

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.
• Beat egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until whites are foamy; beat in white sugar and continue beating until egg whites are glossy, fluffy, and hold soft peaks. Sift confectioners' sugar and ground almonds in a separate bowl and quickly fold the almond mixture into the egg whites, about 30 strokes.
• Spoon a small amount of batter into a plastic bag with a small corner cut off and pipe a test disk of batter, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, onto prepared baking sheet. If the disk of batter holds a peak instead of flattening immediately, gently fold the batter a few more times and retest.
• When batter is mixed enough to flatten immediately into an even disk, spoon into a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip. Pipe the batter onto the baking sheet in rounds, leaving space between the disks. Let the piped cookies stand out at room temperature until they form a hard skin on top, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 285 degrees F (140 degrees C).
• Bake cookies until set but not browned, about 10 minutes; let cookies cool completely before filling.