Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Grasshopper Mint Macaron


Happy St Patrick's Day! I come bearing green food.

Fortified with plenty of medication, I whipped these macarons out last night. Macarons were not exactly what I had originally planned for today, but they're quick and can easily be made green. Perfect for the sick food blogger who wants to get back into bed asap.

I should note that these are my French meringue macarons, I think these are the first photos of my French meringue that I've posted on the blog. For folks looking for my French meringue recipe, it's coming, just not today. I'll probably post my French meringue recipe when I do my post on Macarons 101: French Meringue. I still want to thoroughly test all the variables when it comes to the French meringue method.

It seems that baking French meringue is less straight forward than Italian meringue. Or at least, that is how folks make it out to be. Everyone seems to have their own peculiar method. Some start out in a hot oven then drop the temperature. Others leave the door ajar during the last 5-10 minutes. Some use the convection, others don't. I should have all this worked out soon, I would like to do my French meringue 101 within the next few weeks.

So far my recipe has evolved quite nicely. I've been able to produce macarons with attractive shells, soft interiors (without the hollows that can be a problem with Italian meringue) and high tight feet. Best of all, they're so tasty.

Honestly, French meringue mac's are my favorite to eat. They're not quite as sweet as the Italian meringue and their texture is preferable. Combined with mint bittersweet chocolate ganache and you've got a cookie winner.



While I might be holding off on the macaron recipe, I can share the yummy chocolate mint ganache.

Grasshopper Ganache

fills 3-4 dozen macarons
200 grams semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
100 grams heavy cream
2-3 drops peppermint oil

Place the chopped chocolate into a heat safe bowl.

In a small pan, bring the heavy cream to a simmer. Pour over the chocolate, giving the bowl a little wiggle to submerge the chocolate. Allow to stand for one minute before stirring. Stir to combine the cream with the chocolate, add a few drops of peppermint oil (you can also use extract, just use slightly more) to taste.

Once smooth and uniform, leave at room temperature until it has cooled slightly and thickened. Pipe or drop spoonfuls of the ganache onto your macarons and top with another shell.

Note: If you attempt to speed ganache's cooking in the refrigerator, watch it carefully. If it gets too cool it will be too thick to pipe easily and you will need to warm it again.

17 comments:

  1. looks soooo good. i would happily give you several dollars for one right about now. :)

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  2. These are really beautiful and look delicious! Love the color!

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  3. Oh, those look amazing.

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  4. Your macarons always look so gorgeous! Love them!

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  5. I should really send you my address... I'm a wicked taster ;)

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  6. Your house must be a delicious, dangerous place!

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  7. these look so beautiful! i'm totally making macarons soon! happy st. patty's day.
    krissy @ thefoodaddicts.com

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  8. Happy St. Patricks Day to you Ms. Humble. So impressed by how you churn out perfect macarons even when sick! Awaiting the how-to with bated breath.

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  9. These sound delicious and they're so cute!

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  10. YUM! I love mint & chocolate together. Can't wait to try making these! Beautiful pics.
    -Stephanie

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  11. The ganache sounds fantastic. I'll have to keep that in mind.

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  12. Hi! I love everything you make...but this has got to be my favorite one yet since I love anything mint and chocolate combined. Btw, have you read Bakerella's blog. She's a food blogger too (mostly baked stuff - she's famous for her cake pops). Anyway, sometimes, the articles that you two post seem parallel to each other (some recent posts were about macarons too. She even made macaron pops). Just an observation. Love you both though. :)

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  13. Your recipes look terrif.

    Feel better.

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  14. Ms. Humble, I opened my Washington Post Food Section this morning (a day late - yesterday was a full speed sprint)and saw . . . macarons! They are not nearly as beautiful as yours, and I didn't examine the recipes or tips...but I can't believe they did an entire full page article and did not mention YOUR search for macaron perfection! Here's the article if you want to read it. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/16/AR2010031600933.html

    I love the way yours look better but then I often sniff contemptuously at anything the Post prints in any section.

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  15. Mine will be posted soon.

    They have eggs Sanjana. Not for you. For me, Ms. H.

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  16. Just a request--if you ever get a chance, could you do a post about frosting cakes and cupcakes? I see a lot of different techniques and recipes suggested, and I'm intimidated by the sheer variety.

    I love the grasshopper idea, and these are ADORABLE. If anything could inspire me to actually try making macarons, it's your systematic approach.

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  17. I can always count on you to make me feel better. And never fear sweetheart, this blog will always be about fun, passion and lust...I don't do serious all that well and there are far better writers than I that are already doing that stuff. Buy Viagra

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