Baking | PINKARONS – MACARONS FOR PINKTOBER
“We’ll drink a drink a drink
To Lily the pink the pink the pink
The savior of the human race.
She invented medicinal compound.
Most efficacious in every case.”
Brobdingnagian Fairy Tales
The MacTweets time again, and this time we’ve gone PINK in support of Breast Cancer Awareness for Pinktober. Through the month of October, I tend to think a lot of PINK. Often, the first song that comes to my mind is this funny pub song. Have you heard it before? I’m not sure if we were taught it in school {a pub song seems somewhat inappropriate to be taught in school}, but I can sing it out loud, along with the ‘Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree’, and of course Ob-La-Di-Ob-La Da ! Hmmm, hail the human mind – complex, intriguing, and connected; and this month, musically inclined to sing PINK too!
Jamie and I thought we’d go PINK this month, as October is officially the Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and October every year is kicked off with a PINK cake on Mr PABs birthday. We were sure the mac gang would rise to support the challenge {Lori, you put words into my mouth}, and would be more then happy to strut their PINKS. Cancer has touched so many of our lives, a 6 letter word that can create havoc in a small space of time, can turn the world upside down … yet it throws up amazing survival stories and celebrates the human spirit.
About my macaron saga … when you least expect it, you will see the mountain move! FEET, the bane of my baking life. Feet that have the power to bring me to my knees with ingredients as few as sugar, nut meal and egg whites repeatedly. Who was to know I would find feet? Sigh, I cannot but tell you of my woes of the lack of feet, the trials and tribulations, reading, tweeting, silently trashing the failures after sugar overdoses of every sort. Looking at yolks and weeping, yet not having the courage to make a batch larger than a single white. Quite unbelievably, I found feet on one batch, and that too baked out of a new oven!
You see, with the kitchen finally remodeled, a few weeks ago Mr PAB decided it was time for a new oven. This followed a rather alarming in depth ‘interrogation’ about macarons and those evasive feet. He is super confident of my baking skills, but is majorly perplexed at my repeated macaron failures. He sits and takes in the Mac Tweet round up month after month & wonders why I am still so foolishly footless!
So off we went oven shopping, with loads of advice from all quarters, market researches done to the hilt, models, price ranges, everything. We barely entered a store, and he said “That’s the one”. All the research fell to nought. “This is the one”, he insisted. I whispered, “It’s out of budget, it’s imported and I’m not sure if it’ll work”. The guy who owned the shop sang the virtues of the ‘model‘, and Mr Man suddenly turned to me, “What about feet?“. I didn’t know whether to answer him, or try not to laugh at the shop owner who couldn’t figure out what ‘feet’ had to do with all this! Whatever… but we came back with THAT one!
So here are my feet this Pinktober … Pinkarons with some degree of success. Will fine tune the macarons in the days to come. This month has been far too busy, so I haven’t had the time to try more batches. I added the ‘pink ribbon‘ on top after the shells were baked and had cooled. It’s pink royal icing which I let dry for a day.
I had some fun on the side with origami. Clearing my files I found some old print outs of origami boxes I used to make ages ago. The lad loves origami and is constantly making complex storks and inter-locked stars, so I invited him to make star boxes with me. One disdainful look and he exclaimed, “From a print out? No!! I can only make them from you-tube!’ Ugh, the sign of the times to come. I sat in solitude and made my own boxes, and used one for my pinkarons!
Do you want to join Jamie and me making MACARONS?? If you do, you are most welcome to join the ‘Attack’. You can find all the information at our dedicated macaron blog MacTweets. The rules for can be found here. You can always join us next month too. Just drop us a mail or tweet.
CHOCOLATE MACARONS
Recipe & inspiration from Northside Kitchen
For the Macarons:
recipe from Nigella Lawson’s How to be a Domestic Goddess
1 2/3 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of ground almonds
2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
4 large egg whites
1 tablespoon of sugar
2 baking sheets
1/2 inch plain pastry tip and pastry bag
For the ganache filling:
6 tablespoons of heavy cream
5 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons of unsalted butterMethod:Preheat the oven to 180C.
Sift together the powdered, ground almonds, and cocoa powder
Whisk the egg whites until half stiff, and sprinkle the granulated sugar into the egg whites. Continue to whisk until very stiff, but not dry.
Fold the sifted ingredients into the stiff meringue in increments using a silicone spatula.
Fit the piping tip into the bag, sit it in a tall glass, turn the bag back to form a cuff, and fill with the macaroon mixture.
Pipe out 2-inch rounds on the baking sheet and leave to stand for 15 minutes (will form a skin).
Bake for 12-15 minutes. The macaroons should be dry on top but chewy underneath.
Remove the macaroons from the oven and let them cook on a wire rack. When they are cool, spread the ganache on the underside of one, and stick another (right side up) on top to create a sandwich. Should make around 18 macaroon sandwiches.
♥ Thank you for stopping by ♥
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Also find me on The Rabid Baker, The Times of India 
Deeba @ PAB
About me: I am a freelance food writer, recipe developer and photographer. Food is my passion - baking, cooking, developing recipes, making recipes healthier, using fresh seasonal produce and local products, keeping a check on my carbon footprint and being a responsible foodie! I enjoy food styling, food photography, recipe development and product reviews. I express this through my food photographs which I style and the recipes I blog. My strength lies in 'Doing Food From Scratch'; it must taste as good as it looks, and be healthy too. Baking in India, often my biggest challenge is the non-availability of baking ingredients, and this has now become a platform to get creative on. I enjoy cooking immensely as well.
37 Comments
Deeba @ PAB
Sorry you couldn’t comment earlier. I think I’ve fixed it now! Phew!
Asha@FSK
Yeahhhh!!! It works! :)))
neway what I was gonna say was that it’s simply amazing that son refers to youtube and not printed stuff… sigh…. world is changing.. i no like 😀 I like turning pages.. but in a few years there may not be any page to turn :OO
Lora
OK the stove/feet story is hilarious. LOVE those pink ribbons on your macs and the origami boxes – adorable. Just beautiful!
Lora
p.s. Forgot to say: Thanks for the link love!!! yoyoy
Lora
p.s. Forgot to say: Thanks for the link love!! xoxox
Sally - My Custard Pie
I was brought up on Lily the Pink by the Scaffold – I’m so glad you put this at the top of your post – it had me singing along. Wonderful macs for a great cause.
arthi
Lovely pink macs and im glad you finally have yr kitchen ready…woot woot…
Rosa
Those are so cute! I love those pink macs.
Cheers,
Rosa
Katie Lane
Those look so yummy!! Love the pink ribbon on them 🙂
Kiran
What a fun concept to honor PinkOktober 🙂 Ive never made macaroons before. I guess it’s time. I am a fan of Origami too. You creations looks awesome!
Anna Johnston
Fantastic to hear you’ve survived through the remodelling & your the proud owner of a new glorious kitchen & oven & feet…… lol
Good story. Lovely macs too btw…
Sandy
An inspiration as usual…they are beautful and I love the box..
Shirley@kokken69
Deeba, congratulations on your footed macs! Love the pink ribbon frosting on your macs, a suitably reminder of Pinktober as we nibble on your macs….
Phuoc'n Delicious
Your macarons look so beautiful! What a great way to raise awareness.
Chocolate Shavings
Perfect, delicious way to bring awareness!
bake in paris
Cute pinkarons you got there! Just love the pink ribbon sign, sitting so gracefully on the macarons..
Sawadee from Bangkok,
Kris
MyLittleSpace
Hi Deeba, thank you for visiting my blog earlier and it’s a great pleasure of meeting you. You have such a beautiful blog. I am really amazed and impressed. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful pink post with us. I’ll keep this in mind.
Blessings, Kristy
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
Gorgeous idea Deeba and Jamie! You gals are always thinking about how to help other people. So lovely! 🙂
hannah {greenoatsandjam}
whoohoo congrats on the feet! (((:
Anjali
What a lovely post! Would you mind sharing the details of your new oven with us? I have an OTG that’s around five years old and I don’t get feet either.
Deeba @ PAB
Hi Anjali,
I got a Morphy Richards 40L OTG, ref picture
Anjali
Thanks! I’ve had my eye on the Morphy Richards for a while now!
Barbara
What adorable macarons, Deeba! Such a cute idea to pipe pink ribbons on them.
I still haven’t had the nerve to make these! I promised myself this winter …I think the scare about finding feet is bothering me!
tasteofbeirut
Congratulations on your new oven~ I think it is always exciting to get one! Just got one in Beirut in the family’s kitchen and it does something I love: it has a turning roaster!
Anyway, the pink macs look adorable, what a great way to support a cause that concerns us all; and your origami boxes are just too cute: perfect in the photo.
Yogalili
Congratulations on the FEEEEEEEET victory, doll! Now there is NO stopping the Goddess of baking! LOVES YA!
Deeba @ PAB
Liligirl…gosh, LONG time! How I thought of you when I found my feet! Missed you, but have been missing on twitter too. All good?
Yogalili
Still busy at work, but always making time for Macarons and a good Deeba recipe fix! Keep inspiring, girl! Big weekend hugs and Parisian air kisses to both side of the face to ya! 🙂
Deeba @ PAB
Awww, you are a sweetheart! have to catch up soon!! xoxo
Jamie
Sweetheart, I wanted to be the first to leave you a comment on this beautiful post but glitches…well, bah! I’ve been thinking of your macs and feet or no feet you always create the prettiest, most tempting, most perfect macs anywhere. These are just perfect with their pretty pink ribbon. Glad we went PINK this month, sister! More power to us!
Honey @ honeyandsoy
Hi Deeba, long time no ‘speak’ (I’ve been overseas) These macarons are so adorable! And what a good cause as well. Congrats on the new oven and finding your feet!! 😀
Sara
Both You and Jamie are AMAZING gals!
Macs look just perfect with the pink ribbons!
CafePepela
Woow!
I really love ‘macarons’ and those look so yummylicious!
Great photos,super recipes.I’m going to follow you.
Best wishes.
shaz
Wow and hooray for your feet Deeba. You have been so dedicated in your quest, and it seems that hubby is equally dedicated lol! Lucky you 🙂 And I’ve missed so many of your posts because blogger wasn’t updating my feed ;( So much catching up reading to do…
sunflowers8
I thank you for the comment you left me, I was very pleased to know that especially while writing in English school I can make myself understood. Or not? ;-D
The macarons I have come very beautiful, I saw my what a mess! I draw inspiration from your recipe, thanks for sharing it ^_^
See you soon
Sonia
Sue
Congrats, Deeba! Your little macs are so beautiful and perfect! Love the presentation and the ribbon decoration! I think I need a new oven:) Thanks for the wonderful idea of Pinktober!
sigal
what is all the green/ pink about? your macs look perfect and delicious to me! with perfect pink ribbons… =)
thank you! and Jamie.. for having this theme for october- and every other theme for that matter! the perfect place to practice fun creativity for mad macaron lovers like us !
SHERMAN
just had an awesome time dialing into #teatimeKL with @kurrik to discuss the Twitter API – huge thanks to @nazroll for putting it together!