Martha Stewart's French Macaron Recipe

French Macarons are taking over the web! Everyone is taking photos of these colorful cookies and sharing it through all sorts of social networks. Most people know what they are, but they have yet to try them. They're readily available at specialized bakeries or french cafes or tea houses. After I had my first french macaron, I loved the texture and flavor but found it to be too sweet. Why does it have to be so sweet? Another important question is, why are they so expensive for such a little cookie? I decided to make homemade macaroons, I then understood. These cookies are pretty difficult to make and perfect. The ingredients are kind of pricey. Also, it's kind of hard to manipulate the recipe without having to mess with science of it all. After learning how to make these cookies, I have a deeper appreciation and love for these sophisticated cookies. They go great with with unsweetened hot teas. It's my favorite way to enjoy them.

Martha Stewart's French Macaron Recipe
Yields 35 macarons
(This recipe was the easiest for me to make, but Martha's instructions are really difficult to follow and aren't accurate. I edited her instructions to match the proper french macaron method.)

Macaron Shells 

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 3/4 cup almond flour
• 2 large egg whites, room temperature
• Pinch of cream of tartar
• 1/4 cup superfine sugar

Swiss Merigunge Buttercream Filling (Chocolate)

• 2 egg whites
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup of butter (1 1/2 sticks sliced)
• 1/4 cup of cocoa powder

One by One. Macaron Shells.

1. Pulse confectioners' sugar and almond flour in a food processor until combined. Sift mixture 2 times.
2. Preheat oven to 300-325 degrees. Depending on your oven, you should experiment by baking small batches in order to get the accurate temperature.
3. Whisk egg whites with a mixer on medium speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar, and whisk until soft peaks form. Add superfine sugar. Increase speed to high, and whisk until stiff peaks form. 
4. Sift 1/3 of the almond mixture over the meringue (whipped egg whites), add food coloring at this point.  Fold mixture until well incorporated. Repeat until almond mixture and meringue is well combined. The mixture should be smooth and shiny, be careful to not over mix by stopping once you achieve this appearance. If your mixture looks clumpy and doesn't smoothen out after piping, you undermined it.
5. Transfer batter to a pastry bag or ziplock bag. Pipe the mixture into 1 inch diameter circles. Be patient during this process to ensure you get the same sized cookies. Tap bottom of each sheet on work surface to release trapped air. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. This allows for the shells to rest and stabilize it's shape for baking. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Allow your oven 5 minutes to re-heat before baking another batch. After the first batch, it is the best time to test out the texture of your cookies to make any adjustment to oven heat or cook time. 
6. Once the macaroons have cooled, pipe the filling onto bottoms of the cookies and sandwich. Refrigerate in a tightly sealed container for a day to allow the cookies and filling to mature. Bring to room temperature before enjoying. 

One by One. Swiss Merigingue Buttercream Filling.

1. Over a double boiler in a large mixing bowl, whisk together egg whites and sugar for about 3 minutes or until sugar crystals are dissolved into mixture.
2. Remove mixture from heat and allow to cool.
3. Beat the egg whites with a mixer on high medium until foamy, increase speed to high. Continue beating until you form stiff peaks.
4. On low speed incorporate butter slices into the mixture. Once well incorporated mix in the cocoa powder. You could use other flavoring agents to make the filling if you want. 

Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese

Growing up, I was always fond of $0.10 boxes of Kraft's Mac N Cheese and I always wondered what the homemade one tasted like. Baked macaroni and cheese is good and all, but it doesn't deliver that gooey cheesiness like the box version. I found Alton Brown's Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese recipe and it's everything I imagined it to be. Cheesy GOODNESS!

Alton Brown's Stove Top Mac-n-Cheese Recipe

• 1/2 pound elbow macaroni
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 eggs
• 6 ounces evaporated milk
• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Fresh black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 10 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded (I used 3 oz. Velveeta and 7 oz. sharp cheddar)

One by One

1. In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente and drain. Return to the pot and melt in the butter. Toss to coat.
2. Whisk together the eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and mustard. Stir into the pasta and add the cheese. Over low heat continue to stir for 3 minutes or until creamy.

Prosciutto and Swiss Panini

If you grew up loving your sac lunches of wonder bread ham & cheese sandwiches for lunch, you'll love this panini recipe. It's a bit healthier and great for everyone to enjoy anytime of the day.

Prosciutto and Swiss Panini Recipe

• Sliced french bread
• Prosciutto
• Sliced Swiss Cheese
• Mayonnaise
• Oregano
• Butter

One by one.

1. Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread. Place butter side face down.
2. Spread mayonnaise on both slices of bread. Season with oregano.
3. Place cheese on each slice of bread.
4. Place a single slice of prosciutto on top of cheese of one slice of bread, then sandwich in the two slices of bread.
5. Place sandwich inside of a medium-high heat panini maker until bread is golden brown. If you don't have a panini maker, place the sandwich on a medium heat fry pan and cook each side till golden brown. Enjoy.