Strawberries and Cream Macaron

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Everyone at work has come to love my little baking expeditions.  Including the macarons.  These turned out nice and chewy.  They weren’t hollow, but they weren’t smooth.  I am really trying to master the smooth part of this process.  I think the strawberry powder that I put in them really did the trick in making them NOT smooth.  It doesn’t seem to matter how much I fold, they just don’t seem to get smooth.  *sigh*

I’ve been put on notice.  I’m traveling August 18th.  Hopefully, this will be the last trip for a while.  We’re sending a financial spec down to Bogota that will report directly to my department.  I am part of the team that is to train this person and get them up to speed on what we’re dealing with.

The phone conference today?  Yeah.  Didn’t go to well.  They didn’t appreciate it when we said they had to scrub their books, too.  I mean, we can only do so much here before we put the onus on them at the embassy to handle funds down there.

Yeah.  Venting again.  Sorry.

On the way home tonight…I honest to God saw a woman taking a hit off a pipe.  And I’m not talking about a regular tobacco pipe, too.  Seriously?  As if that road isn’t bad enough as it is without those that are stoned trying to drive on it.  We passed 3 accidents on the way home and it was before 4.  Rush hour lasts 3 to 7 sometimes 8 on that road.  The legal rush hour time is 3 to 7.  At least that’s what the HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) sign claims.  I’m sure it starts around 2:30 and lasts until at least 8 or 9 on the weekends.  It’s crazy.

There are people who have personalized license plates stating the fact that they hate this particular road.  It was meant as a commuters road into the district.  But, since the Metro doesn’t reach out father west, it’s one of two ways to get even remotely close to public transportation so they don’t have to drive into the city.  That’s where the HOV comes into play.  Only vehicles with 2 passengers or more can drive into the city on that road.  Others will have to use alternate roads or simply use public transportation.  I remember when it used to HOV-3 instead of HOV-2.  I don’t remember when they lowered it, but I think they 1 – need to remove all the alternative fuel vehicles from the HOV restrictions and 2 – keep the HOV restrictions throughout the weekend, too.

The traffic is just as bad on the weekends as it is on the weekdays at this point.  It’s really crazy.  There’s just NOT a good time to drive on this particular road.  Unless it’s like 2 am on a Thursday with no construction.  I think that’s about the only time you can travel on that road without sitting in any traffic.

And the public transportation isn’t any better.  I get text messages when there are issues with commuting via public transportation.  I get an insagn amount each week.  It’s amazing that anyone gets home at all in this area.  Trains down.  Tracks down.  Electrical issues.  FIRES!  OMG!  Fires!!  Suicides.  Track maintenance.  Brake issues.  Train operators not paying attention to their track signals.  Is it just Mother Nature eliminating some of the weaker members of the “herd” or what?  Seriously!

I LOVE the movie Footloose.  Both versions.  Yes.  It’s a random blog post.  I have been drinking, just so ya know.  It seems I ramble on the most nonsensical subjects.  Um. Yeah.  I do have a cape when I parade around as Captain Obvious.

Maybe I should just leave ya to the recipe.

Preheat oven to 300, making sure to check the temperature with an oven thermometer.
Sift the almonds with 150 grams powdered sugar and the ground strawberries. Remove any large bits and sift again. Discard any large bits. Sift the almond mixture again removing any large pieces. Set aside.
Add egg whites and 50 grams of granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat eggs at medium power for 3 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for an additional 2 minutes. Increase the speed to high and beat 3 minutes.
Add the vanilla extract and food dye. Beat on high an additional minute. The meringue should be stiff and glossy.

Yes.  It does look like red poop.  LOL

Place the mixture in a piping bag fitted with a 1/2 inch plain tip and pipe circles approximately 1 to 1 1/2 inches on baking sheet covered with parchment paper or a silpat baking mat.  After filling the tray, quickly and sharply rap the baking sheet on the counter twice, then turn the sheet and rap it three more times.  Allow the cookies to set 20 to 30 minutes before baking. Once set, bake at 300 for 15 minutes.  Test the macarons by attempting to peel them off the paper. If they peel cleanly off, they are done. If not, give them 1 or 2 more minutes and try again.  Once done, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before removing from the pan.  While they are cooling, make the filling. Combine the marshmallow fluff and margarine in a large mixing bowl. Whip until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, apple pie spice and vanilla extract and continue to whip until the sugar is incorporated.  Put the filling in a piping bag and pipe dime sized rounds on one cookie then top with a matching cookie and serve.  Refrigerate 24 hours before serving.

Strawberries and Cream Macaron

Recipe by A Kitchen Hoor (@flowerfroggirl)

Ingredients

• 90 grams
  egg whites
• 50 grams
  fine sugar
• 120 grams
  almond flour
• 150 grams
  powdered sugar
• 20 grams
  freeze dried strawberries, ground
• 1 teaspoon
  vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon
  red food dye gel
• For
  Filling:
• 4 tablespoons
  margarine, softened
• 4 ounces
  marshmallow fluff
• 2/3 cup
  powdered sugar

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300, making sure to check the temperature with an oven thermometer.
2. Sift the almonds with 150 grams powdered sugar and the ground strawberries. Remove any large bits and sift again. Discard any large bits. Sift the almond mixture again removing any large pieces. Set aside.
3. Add egg whites and 50 grams of granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat eggs at medium power for 3 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for an additional 2 minutes. Increase the speed to high and beat 3 minutes.
4. Add the vanilla extract and food dye. Beat on high an additional minute. The meringue should be stiff and glossy.
5. Add the nut mixture to the meringue and fold them together. This is the most crucial part of the process. Counting your turns, closely examine the mixture after 25. The mixture needs to be thick enough to hold up on it’s own when dropped from the spatula, but soft enough that it will melt back into the batter after about 20 seconds.
6. Place the mixture in a piping bag fitted with a 1/2 inch plain tip and pipe circles approximately 1 to 1 1/2 inches on baking sheet covered with parchment paper or a silpat baking mat.
7. After filling the tray, quickly and sharply rap the baking sheet on the counter twice, then turn the sheet and rap it three more times.
8. Allow the cookies to set 20 to 30 minutes before baking. Once set, bake at 300 for 15 minutes.
9. Test the macarons by attempting to peel them off the paper. If they peel cleanly off, they are done. If not, give them 1 or 2 more minutes and try again.
10. Once done, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before removing from the pan.
11. While they are cooling, make the filling. Combine the marshmallow fluff and margarine in a large mixing bowl. Whip until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, apple pie spice and vanilla extract and continue to whip until the sugar is incorporated.
12. Put the filling in a piping bag and pipe dime sized rounds on one cookie then top with a matching cookie and serve.
13. Refrigerate 24 hours before serving.