The Art of Le Macaron

by

Foodie Fish

Most people think of the baked condensed milk balls of coconut or almond, and sometimes they are even covered in chocolate.  When I think of the macaron (usually still pronounced as macaroon) I think of the French delicacy of a dessert. 

The macaron is very trendy in New York City right now, and some have even called it “the new cupcake.” Macarons are sweet cookie-like sandwiches filled with jam or cream that are on average about one inch in diameter.  The cookie part is made with egg whites, icing sugar, granulated sugar, and sometimes almond powder.  The cookies are extremely difficult to make, so difficult that Macaron Café (server of one of New York’s best macarons) published an entire cookbook with all their “secret” recipes knowing.  With the exact ingredients and techniques published, this only goes to show that the macaron is 70% the artwork of the pastry chef. 

The macaron can be so hard to perfect, the most famous maker of the macaron is Ladurée.  Ladurée is a French-based bakery that had to come all the way to the United States for the desirable macarons to be within reach of hungry Americans.  Ladurée’s macarons are imported all the way from Paris to New York every day for New Yorkers and tourists alike to enjoy macarons made by professional French pastry chefs.  The macarons at Ladurée have almost a cotton candy type quality to them.  Biting into one is first fluffy like a cloud, and then it melts in your mouth.  The rich creamy filling of Ladurée’s macaron is extremely buttery and they are definitely worth the trip to New York and the wait in line.  They are so delicate; I cannot fathom how they do not dissolve simply by being held in the hands of the chef.  Their rose is extremely fragrant, and it feels as though you smell actual rose petals while devouring it.  The pistachio is just the right amount of sweetness—not overwhelming the flavor of the pistachio.  My favorite Ladurée macaron is the orange blossom, which is both fruity and fragrant, much like herbal tea.

 

The second most famous macaron in the city is Macaron Café, as I have mentioned earlier.  Their macarons are brightly colored and beautifully decorated.  They come in all sorts of amazing flavors such as Italian wedding cake, green tea, rose lychee, and cassis jasmine.  The flowery flavors are not too fragrant, helping you avoid the feeling of drinking perfume.  They are less rich and fluffy than the ones at Ladurée, but there are more options and have a more classic cookie-sandwich kind of mouth feel.  Personally, I prefer these macarons here.  I love the variety, the appearance, as well as the slightly heavier feel to them, but that’s just me. 

There are also places like the well-known Bouchon Bakery that have macarons that are 3-5 times the size of the classic.  Although I cannot deny the fact that these macarons are absolutely delicious, they do not have the same airy light feel to them that macarons should have.  If you are looking to try one of the absolute best desserts ever invented by man, visit either Ladurée or Macaron Café, and you tell me which one you think is better!

Kelsey's Banana Bread

by

Foodie Fish

Sorry it’s been so long since my last recipe! Who likes bananas? My close friend Kelsey is absolutely obsessed with them. She especially loves them adding both for flavor and moisture in banana bread! So I decided to invite her and some of my other friends over to make some. This banana bread recipe is the most moist you’ll ever get. The secret? Sour cream. Trust me on this one.

BANANA BREAD

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 stick of butter, softened

1 ½ cups sugar

½ teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 tablespoons sour cream

4-6 bananas, mashed

semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

· Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

· Sift the flour, baking soda and powder

· Cream the butter with the salt and sugar

· Add eggs, vanilla, and sour cream to the mixture

· Then add the dry, sifted ingredients

· After the mixture is a smooth consistency, stir in the desired amount of chocolate chips

· Place the mixture in a bread pan and bake for 1 hour

What really did it for me is adding semi-sweet chocolate chips. We use a delicious organic high-end chocolate chip from Princeton’s Whole Earth Center.

Levain Bakery

by
Foodie Fish

Most people marvel at the density and size of a legendary 6-ounce cookie from the famous Levain Bakery in New York City. My experience with their cookies may be record breaking and considered a bit out of the ordinary…

I literally spent months constantly obsessing over these giant cookies from Levain Bakery, New York ever since they were featured on an episode of Throwdown With Bobby Flay. I also happen to be a ‘cookie monster’ of sorts. I had been back and forth from the city plenty of times to visit La Mode Mare (yes, our beloved fashion blogger), but I never got the chance to go try these cookies. Okay, that was a lie. As you all may know, I always make time for some good eats. However, whenever I felt the cookie calling when in New York City, I headed straight for the amazing Macaron Café. Those rose lychee, coconut, and lavender macaroons kept distracting me from my mission: to try a 6-ounce cookie from Levain.

Finally, I get to spend the night with La Mode Mare, which meant more time in the city. The next morning, I was sure to head directly to the Levain Bakery in downtown Manhattan.

After waiting so long for these cookies, I was ready to dig in to a cookie that didn’t make me have to keep longing for more. I reached into the paper bag they were in and pulled out the original chocolate chip walnut cookie. I will admit that it is a pretty decently sized cookie. You can feel the thing weighing down your hand a little.

Many may disagree with me, but it was actually smaller than I expected. During the times that I obsessed over the 6-ounce cookies, I read reviews such as, “I find it difficult finishing half,” and, “I’m a big guy, but one of these cookies makes a meal for me.” I thought that for the first time, I wouldn’t need at least a half a dozen cookies to leave me satisfied, that one would do just like it would for a normal person.

The cookie disappeared in my hand quicker than I had expected. So to my surprise, I did have to reach in for the next cookie. This was the oatmeal raisin. (It is delicious and packed full of raisins, by the way.) I finished that one almost just as quickly. My hand unexpectedly went in for a third 6-ounce cookie. This one (the dark chocolate peanut butter chip) turned out to be my favorite. Still, with a little room left in my stomach, I tried their last flavor: dark chocolate chocolate chip. I was not the biggest fan, for I found the double chocolate overwhelming, so I only ate half.

At the end of it all, I had consumed 21 ounces worth of Levain Bakery cookies and tried all 4 flavors. Overall, I thought they were good. Flavor-wise, the oatmeal raisin lacked cinnamon/overall seasoning. It relied completely on texture. Texture-wise: all 4 were incredible. Crisp on the outside, moist on the inside. The sweet-meets savory-meets intense chocolate flavor cookie was my personally favorite as I mentioned before.

I jokingly complained on Levain Bakery’s wall about how these cookies were not nearly as big and filling as I had hoped and was forced to consume 3.5 cookies to reach a full stomach. Later, they replied and asked what was the largest amount of 6-ounce cookies anyone has had in just one sitting. For a woman, usually only a half. For a man, usually just one.

They told me and congratulated me that I had beaten a cookie-eating record for their Bakery. They also said not to feel bad about the amount I ate since Pam Weekes (one of the owners) has 2 at a time. Unlike her though, I’m not an Iron Man Triathlete, I’m just one ravenous fish.

One Smart Cookie!

by
Foodie Fish

No, finals are not known for being something to look forward to, but fueling your brain on brain-nourishing foods is always fun! This weekend, I made a flourless cookie with brain super foods proven to be good for your brain and possibly even improve concentration. Perfect for finals :-)

• 1 cup mashed bananas
• ½ cup peanut butter
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 egg
• Semi-sweet of milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray/oil/ butter a baking sheet.

Combine banana, sugar, and peanut butter. Beating with an electric mixer is heavily recommended. Add vanilla, a beaten egg, and baking soda. Continue to mix until smooth and creamy. Fold in chocolate chips.

Shape the cookies into round balls then flatten them a bit on the baking sheet. (I like to make my cookies nice and big.)

Bake for about 10-15 minutes.

You can also make these cookies marbled, which is where you melt the chocolate before mixing it in the batter for those cool chocolate swirl

These cookies are moist, cakey, and they have the texture similar to banana nut muffins or a black and white cookie. They have awesome balance between peanut butter and banana. The chocolate chips are just the icing on the cake!

They are called smart cookies because peanut butter has healthy fats for your brain and omega-3’s come from the egg. Bananas are also said to be good for your brain, and cocoa powder in the chocolate is proven to improve concentration. The Aztecs used to eat chocolate like medicine to make them smarter!

I hope you consider whipping up a batch before your next exam to fuel your brain, as well as relieve some of that stress from studying.

Happy Mother’s Day with Tableside Flambé

by Foodie Fish

Happy Mother’s Day everyone! Did you take your mom out somewhere nice to eat for Sunday brunch? I took my mom to a neighborhood gem in Princeton called La Mezzaluna. Although it is not as popular as some of the other Princeton restaurants, every passionate central-Jersey foodie has eaten there before. Their prices are right and their food is filled with love.

It was the perfect place to take my mom since the last time we had been there was a couple years ago when we tried the place for the first time, which also happened to be on Mother’s Day. My mom likes the modern and low-noise level ambiance as well as the friendly service. The highlight of an exceptional meal—including stuffed eggplant and hazelnut/pistachio encrusted lamb—was the flambé and house made gelato for dessert.

The flambé is done with seasonal fruit and tableside, so you can get the aroma of the food cooking and the cool sight of a pan lit on fire too! When our waiter sprinkled in the cinnamon the flames glowed in an amazing pattern. We also got to see the quality liquor being used in this dish. It is served on top of a house made gelato that you get to choose the flavor of. Today they had vanilla, chocolate, black cherry, expresso, and hazelnut. My mom and I simultaneously said “hazelnut.” The Italian ice cream was smooth, and surprisingly bursting with flavor. La Mezzaluna managed to make it so packed full of hazelnut taste, I would choose it over Nutella any day. The cold ice cream harmonized beautifully with the hot, sweet, syrupy flambé.

La Mezzaluna is an underated restaurant, but is dear to my heart as well as that of my mom’s. After our second dessert (which I’ll talk about later), we finished an excellent meal with the chef handing my mom a single red rose.

A Wedding Cake To Envy

by
Foodie Fish

After I watched the Royal Wedding, all I could think about was “where’s the cake”? I am indeed food obsessed, and I immediately wanted to know all about it. There were actually two cakes for this wedding: the official 8-tiered fruitcake and a chocolate biscuit cake. The fruitcake was the flawless and showy wedding cake requested by Catherine. The chocolate biscuit cake was a request by Prince William, for the recipe has been within the royal family for years.

Is it not perfect? I want a cake this gorgeous to call mine some day! The lady who designed this cake, Fiona Cairn, is literally a genius. I’m not into baking deserts or super fancy decorations, but she did something incredible. Every little detail on this cake has a reason to be there. The flowers are all symbolic. Roses symbolize the bride/love, the shamrocks represents Ireland, and 15 other symbols! The designer/baker of this cake said that Catherine sent her the list of symbols for her to use.

This fruitcake was said to be delicious as well. It is composed of many different types of flavorful dried fruits and Fiona Cairn said she thinks the royal couple requested her to be the designer because they personally love her fruitcake!

Best Cake

by
Foodie Fish

←Ever seen this show??? It’s one of my favorite shows. Professional chefs and other food experts brag about some of their personal favorite foods, and tell you exactly where they got it. You often times also get to go behind the scenes into the kitchen to see how it is made as well. I wanted to have a “best thing I ever ate” moment of my own to fawn over the carrot cake at Elements. In case you didn’t read my review of the swanky restaurant posted earlier on this blog, Elements is an excellent restaurant in Princeton. The best cake I’ve ever had was made by head chef and owner of Elements, Scott Anderson. This carrot cake is like no other cake you have ever tasted. The ginger sauce it is paired with gives the taste a little extra spice, and the texture was also extremely unique. This carrot cake was made with local whole wheat, providing the cake with a rich hearty texture and a rustic taste. The flavors of the many components in your typical carrot cake, such as walnuts and raisins, exploded in your mouth. There was homemade ice cream on the side as opposed to the usual cream cheese frosting. There was still that sweet and slightly cheesy flavor, but creamier. The cold ice cream complemented the warm temperature of fresh-out-of-the-oven carrot cake.

Princeton Pi Day!

by
Foodie Fish

Pi Day in Princeton is of course much more significant than it is anywhere else. We had an entire week of good old geek freaking. One of the main events was the pie recipe competition. There was the proffesional round, where the best cooks of Princeton submit their pies to judges and see who has the best pie. There was also a home baker’s round so passionate amateur bakers can compete too.

An amazing new Italian market that I am absolutely in love with called D’Angelo’s won the professional round for an Italian Easter grain pie. The winner of the home baker’s round is a bit of an interesting story. Over the summer, my dad introduced me to his friend. His friend has a son who will not stop asking me out! Imagine the biggest nerd ever, and you got the guy I’m talking about. Unfortunately, we have A LOT in common. Most importantly, we are both huge gourmet foodies. He invited me to his sixteenth birthday celebration, and I was hesitant at first. However, he bribed me with a menu of sixteen dishes and I also get to taste his mom’s cooking. I did not know what his mom’s cooking was like. Later, I read the local paper to see who won the home baker’s round of the pie recipe baker…and it was the nerd’s mom!!! That sealed the deal. I would date him if he asked me out with a slice of his mother’s award winning chocolate chestnut pie in his hand.

Vegan?! No way...

by
Foodie Fish

For all you vegans out there, I would like to apologize off the bat. I am not at all ashamed in admitting that I am the polar opposite of a vegan. I drink milk more than water, my refrigerator is persistently stocked up on fine cheeses, and I love to eat lamb. However, today I would like to shed some light on something I never even pay attention to: Vegan Desserts. And yes, they do exist.

Vegan desserts are like a whole another world. I love making pies, and I hear that vegan desserts do not even taste good. Rumor has it that vegan desserts are weird or gooey, or food which resembles chewed up grass. Well even though vegan desserts involve many complications and using techniques most people do not know about, they can in fact be delicious. One of the winners of Cupcake Wars was even a vegan cook. I have never even dared to go near vegan dishes until last Sunday, March 6, 2011.

My Dad loves taking me out to eat. He takes great pleasure in watching me devour food because according to most people, I am what they call a “good eater.” Last Sunday he took me out to Small World Coffee in Princeton for breakfast. I had just ordered some coffee au lait and steal cut oats when I saw the delicious fresh baked goods sitting in the window. Many of them were enticing, but the treat that truly grasped my attention was the vegan moon pies. They looked chewy, moist, and were filled with a ton of cream. I could not resist them. Something in my brain was telling me that now was the time to try some vegan baking. It was AMAZING!!! For a cream-enthusiast like me, I was especially impressed with the cream filling of the moon pie for tasting so rich. It lacked in neither texture nor flavor. I must say that I apologize to all you vegan cooks out there. Now I know, a gifted vegan cook can create magnificent foods.

One last note: I would like to give Small World Coffee for completely rocking my world with their vegan moon pies.