LadyMacaron20ten

3 Macaron Flavours in One Day - Violet, Salted Caramel & Hubba Bubba Bubblegum

2012-01-05T00:06:00.001+11:00

Tomorrow I'm driving down the coast with my 2 gorgeous girls to stay with my mum & dad and visit our cousins for a week. My mum often sees pictures of macarons on my blog but doesn't always get to taste them so I've been busy all day mixing, piping and baking 3 of our favourites and now have a huge container to give her.

After my very cheeky entry in Mactweets whereby I made a Donna Hay packet mix, I also felt extremely guilty that I didn't go to a lot of effort so here we go guys I hope this makes up for it! I still think macarons made from scratch rule compared to a packet mix and there's something satisfying about making everything yourself even though it takes forever!

I'll keep this post short as I should be in bed getting my beauty sleep but I ended up making Salted Caramel (again), Violet and Hubba Bubba Bubblegum. Salted Caramel and Violet to go with some bubbly for the adults and bubblegum and soft drinks for the kids. Looking forward to some Brown Brothers Cienna Rosso and Zibibbo Rosa!

unfilled shells

a bit of gold bling on the salted caramel

I think my ruffles need a bit of practice

Hubba Bubba Bubblegum

I'll post more info on how to make these when I get back; and reply to comments:)

Donna Hay Almond Macaron with Chocolate Filling

2012-01-02T23:28:00.002+11:00

I was walking through the aisle in Coles the other day and something that I hadn't noticed before in the baking section caught my eye - Donna Hay's Macaron Mix. Now, I'm not normally one for packet mixes but since it was the last one left on the shelf I thought that it must be pretty good so into my trolley it went. I know that some bakeries also use powdered macaron mixes so a bit like Alice I was somewhat curious and curiouser to see what all the fuss was about. Could I make magnificent macarons or would they be a total disaster? Not content with following the instructions I took the chance to add my own little twist and I was prepared for failure. I followed most of Donna's instructions on the box but added 1 tablespoon of freeze dried raspberries to the almond mix and a squirt of rose pink food colouring to the egg mix. I also added a bit of pink bling to the shells before placing them in the oven. To the ganache, I added 1 teaspoon of Demerara sugar and squirted in a couple of drops of rose essence. This could go really pear shaped I thought but here's what happened.

Donna's magic mixes

Preparing the egg mix

All whipped up

Waving my magic wand

I just can't resist and have to pipe these little darlings - I can't plop them on with a teaspoon despite the box telling me so

Pretty little feet dancing in the oven

Preparing the ganache

Pink Raspberry & Rose Macarons - can you believe these are from a packet mix?

You've been a very bad, bad girl ladymacaron! Instead of going to all the trouble to make macarons from scratch you've cheated for this Mactweets entry and made a packet mix! And, if that wasn't bad enough it took you half the time to make up a normal batch - shame on you! Well, girls I've decided that if you've got friends coming over at the last minute and you desperately want macarons then you need one of these little boxes hidden inside your cupboard. You can whip up some gorgeous macarons at a whim and still look like the beauty queen that you are. Next time however, I'd cook the macarons at a lower temperature 135 to 140 degrees Celsius (fan-forced) for approx. 17 - 19 minutes and use a white chocolate ganache as I find the dark chocolate in macarons a bit too rich. This packet mix has the thumbs up from me... sorry for cheating, I promise I'll make macarons from scratch next time!

Pavlova

2011-12-25T21:39:00.001+11:00

To me an Australian Christmas is about prawns, mango, cherries, berries and pavlova. Yesterday, we headed off to the markets and bought some amazing ron cherries, a tray of calypso mangoes and the rest of our supplies ready for our big day.

Admittedly, I made our pavlova last night and left it in the oven until I was ready to whip the cream and decorate it.

Here's what it looked like before I put it in the oven

And, here it is decorated with lashings of cream and raspberries

PAVLOVA
Ingredients
6 large egg whites (preferably from a 700g carton)

1 1/2 cups caster sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar

375 ml pouring cream, whipped

400g raspberries

Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius.

Measure out all ingredients.

Using the whisk attachment, whip the egg-whites in a kitchen aid mixer on high until stiff peaks form. Add the sugar a tablespoon at a time whisking well in between to dissolve the sugar. Once sugar is added whisk for a further 6 minutes.

Add the vinegar and whisk for another 2 minutes until glossy and combined.

Place a sheet of parchment paper over a baking tray and using a spatula create a shape similar to the first photo above.

Reduce the oven temperature to 120 degrees Celsius and bake the pavlova for 90 minutes. Turn the oven off and allow to cool completely in the oven. If making the pavlova the night before it's ok to leave it in the oven until you're ready to decorate it. Decorate with lashings of whipped cream and raspberries.

Hattie and Blythe Make Awesome Retro Sweets

2011-12-23T23:54:00.000+11:00

I love lollies! In fact, I love all sorts of lollies. More importantly however, I love old fashioned lollies and when I lived in the UK I even got used to calling them sweets. This year instead of buying a ready made hamper my two gorgeous girls and I decided to make up our own and I reckon it has to be the best one yet!

This is what we have lollies. Lots of lollies. But oops.... these are really special ones and I should be corrected and call them sweets as they are the old fashioned kind from the UK. Our new favourite sweets are from Hattie and Blythe and oh my goodness are we looking forward to Christmas day or what!

We have got the most enormous tub of Stellar Starr... Defenders of the Taste Planet Retro confectionery that include every fizzy sweet you could imagine. There are flying saucers, Fizz Wiz, Swizels Fizzers, Sherbert Lemons, Gobstoppers, Black Jacks, Fruit Salad, Shrimp and Rainbow Drops. Hidden inside the tub is also a little green plastic whistle. The type of whistle that the kids will get hold of and blow all day just to drive me mad. And, that's ok because I probably did that too.

Here's what they look like....

Planet Retro

We also have space lassoos...

Space Lassoos

And, an enormous candy cane...

And, gobstoppers...

Mmmmm, these will come in very handy indeed when there's too much whistling!

Anyway, so much for me thinking that we were going to open these on Christmas day, the kids got a tad too excited and we could no longer stand the suspense so we absolutely had to conduct a very serious taste test to determine whether they were up to our very high standards! But I'm sorry I cannot report any more as our mouths are full and they're just soooooo yummy that we will need to test them again just to make sure. Hattie and Blythe's website is still under construction but we absolutely can't wait for them to open their online store! Retrolicious!

Mastering 1920s Style Jelly Making Skills

2011-12-21T17:59:00.002+11:00

Inspired by Under Belly Razor and "The Great Gatsby" (2012 film) starring Leonardo Di Caprio, I decided to have another go at making a 1920s style jelly using an Australian brand that has been around for generations "Aeroplane Jelly". I chose to make a ribbon jelly in red and blue and the flavours were Berry Blue & Bubblegum. No rocket science involved with making this type of jelly, I followed the directions on the box but instead of adding 200ml cold water, I added 100ml and poured the first layer into my porcelain "Carlton" art deco mould. I then let it set before I poured in the second. To remove the jelly, I followed the exact same procedure as before but made the water hotter, dipped it in for about 30 seconds (once only) then gently pried the jelly away from the edges and voila, one AWESOME, MAGNIFICENT, SPECTACULAR jewel-like art deco jelly emerged. It was almost like the vintage mould gave birth to a new generation of jelly in the 21st Century but only with cooler flavours. It seemed that the jelly was so excited to be freed that it sat there quivering with glee for at least a few seconds. And, I was so proud of my 1920s jelly making skills that I strutted around the house like a very posh waitress doing a balancing act with the plate... I'm proud as punch or should I say JELLY at the moment:)

Salted Vanilla Caramel Macarons

2011-12-20T20:56:00.000+11:00

SALTED VANILLA CARAMEL MACARONS
Ingredients
125g Fresh Pouring Cream (min 35% fat)
175g caster sugar
5g Fleur de Sel (or substitute Maldon sea salt)
175g unsalted butter (chopped into small cubes)
1 vanilla bean (seeds removed)

Step 1. MAKE THE CARAMEL: Melt the sugar over low heat until it caramelises. Heat the cream and vanilla seeds in a separate saucepan until it reaches boiling point then slowly pour it into the melted sugar. Blend with a whisk and allow the caramel to cool. When it reaches 45 degrees celsius add the butter and whisk until well combined. Pour into a shallow stainless steel tray, place cling wrap on the top, to prevent a skin from forming, then cool in the fridge. When set, remove from the fridge, bring back to room temperature, sprinkle the salt on top and hand whisk again until the colour changes and it becomes glossy.

Step 2. MAKE THE MACARONS: Follow the basic recipe and make 1 quantity of macarons coloured caramel.

Step 3. FILL YOUR MACARONS

This is also my entry for Mactweets. Salted Caramel Macarons are a favourite in our household and I think I would have been in lots of trouble had I not made them during the holidays so here they are with a vanilla twist. The colour reminds me of autumn but the saltiness reminds me of an Australian summer at the beach! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all at Mactweets.

Crystallized Rose Petals

2011-12-19T00:07:00.003+11:00

Organic Roses from my garden

Preparing the sugar syrup

Place the sugar syrup into a bowl of ice to cool

Delicate rose petals dipped in sugar syrup...

...then rolled in caster sugar

Crystallized Rose Petals
1 cup organic rose petals
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1-2 drops of rose pink food coloring
A few drops of rosewater
Caster sugar for dusting

Wash the rose petals and dry with a paper towel.
Trim the base of the rose petal to remove the bitter part.
Place sugar, water, rosewater and food colouring into a saucepan and heat until it reaches 112 degrees Celsius.
Remove from stove and place the saucepan into a bowl of ice. Allow to cool.
Using tweezers dip each rose petal into the syrup then place on parchment paper.
Roll each petal in caster sugar, allow to dry then store in an airtight container.
Enjoy on top of cupcakes, scones, ice-cream, trifle or a lovely pudding... or simply eat one straight from the container!

Tip: for an extra special touch tint the caster sugar for dusting with 1-2 drops of rose pink food colouring.

Orange Flower Water Macarons

2011-12-18T23:43:00.003+11:00

To make these macarons follow the basic recipe and colour the shells orange. Make a white chocolate ganache with a 2:1 ratio of chocolate to cream and add a tablespoon of orange flower water.

Mrs Beeton's Everyday Cookery Book

2011-12-17T20:13:00.003+11:00

I've just bought an original Mrs Beeton's Everyday Cookery Book and plan to make some gorgeous desserts. I notice that there's another one on Ebay that dates back to the 1890s so if you're into vintage cooking you might want to check out this link.

Merry Jelly Christmas

2011-12-16T11:40:00.001+11:00

Wishing everyone a very merry jelly christmas!

Brown Brothers Zibibbo Rosa 1920's Style Jelly

2011-12-10T18:08:00.000+11:00

When making this jelly it's very important to buy 2 bottles of Zibibbo Rosa so that you can consume one immediately!

Allowing the froth and bubble to dissipate

Dissolving the sugar in the Zibibbo

The gelatin has been added and I'm waiting for the jelly to cool

Ice with a little bit of salt hastens the setting process

My circa 1920s Jelly Mould lightly sprayed with canola oil and pre-chilled

The leftover jelly fills this French glass perfectly

1920s Style Zibibbo Rosa Jelly

1 x 750ml bottle Brown Brothers Zibibbo Rosa

125 grams caster sugar

7 titanium strength gelatin leaves (softened in cold water for 5-10 minutes)

Place the sugar and Zibibbo Rosa into a medium saucepan.

On a medium heat dissolve the sugar; heat the liquid until hot but not boiling; turn off the heat.

Squeeze excess water from the gelatin and add to the saucepan; stir to dissolve.

Strain through a sieve and pour into a jelly mould.

Refrigerate until set.

Remove jelly from the mould and serve with Turkish Delight & Macarons!

Anyway, after the jelly had set over night I removed it from the fridge, filled up a bowl with hot water; and placed the mould inside for about 30 seconds. I also gently removed the edges of the jelly from the mould with my fingers and all was looking pretty good. But then I inverted it and waited patiently for the ruby rose delight to emerge. Was it going to be perfectly formed? Was I going to be able to show off my 1920s jelly making skills? Mmmmm.... sadly not as most if it came out but then the top got stuck and there was absolutely no way it was going to come out. Yeah, I think I can recollect this type of challenge before somehow. My first few batches of macarons were EPIC failures and now it appears I've got another challenge... learning how to remove jelly from ceramic moulds! Ha - how hard could this be? Very, apparently... just take a squiz at my half formed jelly below. And, this is what I've got to say... "you will not defeat me dearest #$@#% jelly mould!" And, if you're an expert with removing jelly from a ceramic mould leave me a comment I'd love to hear from you!

Note: one titanium strength gelatin leaf is approximately 5 grams or 1.5 level teaspoons of powdered gelatin and sets 250ml liquid.

Laduree Savoury The Recipes - The Perfect Christmas Gift

2011-12-09T11:39:00.001+11:00

This brand new Laduree book has to be the most perfect Christmas gift. If you'd like to buy a copy follow this link but be quick because it won't last! SOLD.

And, for the absolute macaron enthusiast follow this link to get a rare copy of Stephane Glacier's Macaroon Swoon. SOLD.

Limoge Coffee Set is still for sale. If you're interested send me an email at ladymacaron20ten@gmail.com

Set of 6 Retro Vintage Jason Anodised Kitchen Canisters. SOLD.

Vintage Lemon Cake from 1912

2011-12-04T12:32:00.001+11:00

To make this cake I modified the orange cake recipe from "The Goulburn Cookery Book" twelfth edition published in 1912. The original recipe is as follows:

Three eggs, their weight in sugar, butter and flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 orange, a pinch of salt.

Beat the sugar and butter to a cream; add 2 eggs one at a time, and beat well; then add half the flour, beating well all the time; add the grated rind of the orange and half the juice; then put in remainder of flour and a small teaspoon of baking powder; add the third egg. Bake 1 hour or longer in a moderate oven. Ice with the following icing: - Six ounces of icing sugar, enough orange juice to make a thick cream (about 1 ½ tablespoons); warm, but do not let get hot, and pour over the cake.

This cake is so delicious and moist that I increased the quantity and used 4 eggs, their weight in sugar, butter and flour; added a heaped teaspoon of baking powder and replaced the orange with one whole lemon. Guaranteed this cake will not last long. It's moist, flavorsome, has a gorgeous texture and rises really well. I baked the cake at 150 degrees celsius (fan forced) for one hour.

I also made a Rose Cake from the 1930s from a different vintage cookbook but sadly it was a flop. Although, the recipe sounds gorgeous I was skeptical when I started making it as the mixture was extremely runny. When cooked, the cake was moist and the flavour was allright but it had this weird rubbery texture. It also didn't rise that well. The recipe also omits instructions for the cooking temperature and time which is problematic in itself. I cooked the cake in a moderate oven (150 degrees celsius) for 45 minutes.

Take 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 3 eggs, 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, 1/2 teaspoon bicarb. soda, 1 tablespoon milk, with enough boiling water to make 1/2 cup, a few drops of essence of rose, 1 teaspoon cochineal and 1 tablespoon butter. Cream sugar and butter, add eggs well-beaten, the flour sifted with cream of tartar and soda, then milk and water, and lastly the essences. Bake in sandwich-tins. When cold ice the rose-flavoured icing and fill with whipped cream.

I chose not to add the cochineal

Vintage 1930s MACARONi Croquettes

2011-12-03T13:23:00.001+11:00

MACARONI CROQUETTES
One-quarter lb. macaroni, 1/2 pint milk, 1 oz butter, 1/2 oz flour, 1 gill cream, 2 oz cheese, 2 eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 salt spoonful pepper, 1 grain cayenne, 3 tablespoons bead-crumbs.

Wash well the macaroni, place it in a saucepan, cover it with the milk, and boil slowly for 3/4 hour. Drain the macaroni well on a sieve, and cut it in 1/2-inch. lengths; melt the butter in a saucepan; add the flour, then, by degrees, the cream; stir all till boiling, boil 2 minutes, take the pan at once from the fire, add the cut macaroni, pepper, salt and cayenne; grate the cheese, add it also, then drop in yolks of 2 eggs, stir well together, and place on one side till quite cook; roll the mixture into small balls; beat well the whites of the eggs on a plate, roll the balls in the whites then place the breadcrumbs on a plate and roll the balls also ini it; heat some clarified fat in a stew pan, and when the smoke rises drop in the balls and brown them for 2 minutes; drain on a sheet of kitchen paper and serve very hot.

Conversions:
One-quarter lb. macaroni equals 4 ounces
1/2 pint milk is 300ml
1 oz butter equals one tablespoon
1/2 ounce flour is roughly 15 grams
1 gill cream equals approx 142 ml

My tips;
I cooked the macaroni for about 15 minutes.
Make sure you watch the macaroni/milk on the stove so that it doesn't boil over.
For a family of four double the recipe.
Instead of rolling balls, I poured the macaroni into a non-stick pan, sprinkled the cheese on top, poured the sauce over the top then blended with a wooden spoon to combine the mixture.
Smooth the top of the macaroni with the back of a spoon then place cling wrap on the surface. Place in the fridge to set.
Cut into squares then follow the recipe above by rolling the squares in egg white and breadcrumbs.
When cooked serve with a sprinkle of lemon juice and a green salad.

Bubblegum Jelly & Boysenberries with Smashed Macarons

2011-12-02T09:00:00.000+11:00

One of my gorgeous girls has been sick lately and has had difficulty eating so to cheer her up I made her a very special treat - Bubblegum Aeroplane Jelly & Boysenberries with Smashed Macarons.

To make this recipe follow the instructions on the Aeroplane Jelly, Hartley's or Jell-o Box. Divide into 4 moulds and place in the fridge to set. When the jelly has started to set add fresh boysenberries (washed). To serve, put the mould in a bowl of hot water being careful not to introduce water into the jelly for a couple of seconds; place a plate over the top of the mould and invert to remove the jelly. Decorate with roses and smashed macarons. You can either use your own macarons or cheat and buy some from a patisserie. These would equally be delicious served at the end of a dinner party.

Recipes from my MUM

2011-11-27T20:55:00.001+11:00

Here are a couple of recipes given to me by my mum.

SWEET LAMB CURRY
Parsnip, carrots, swede, celery, onion, tomato, apple, rice, stewing steak, water to cover, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup vinegar, curry powder, salt

Place all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer till done. Serve with fresh fruit chutney (see recipe below).

FRESH FRUIT CHUTNEY
1 onion diced, green cucumber, tomato, granny smith apple, green pepper, juice of a lemon, salt and pepper.

Dice all ingredients finely, mix and chill in fridge. Serve with sweet lamb curry.

CHICKEN PAPRIKA
1 chicken cut into pieces, 1/2 green pepper, 1/2 red pepper, 1 medium onion, carrots, potatoes, celery, salt & pepper, butter, paprika

Cut vegetables and place in a baking dish; place chicken pieces on top.
In a saucepan on low heat combine 1 carton of sour cream, 1 chicken stock cube, 2 tablespoons water, 2 level dessert spoons of plain flour, salt & pepper; pour sauce over chicken and vegetables; cover in foil; bake in moderate oven for 1 hour. Remove foil, sprinkle paprika over chicken and vegetables and dot with butter return to the oven for another 1/2 hour to brown.

Vintage Cooking in 1912

2011-11-25T19:41:00.001+11:00

In between making macarons I'll also be making lots of vintage recipes from 'The Goulburn Cookery Book' twelfth edition printed in 1912. And, although I've stated that these recipes are dated 1912 they are much older as the first edition was printed in 1899. This Australian cookery book was so popular that up until 1912 it had to be re-printed each year! Here are some snippets of this amazing but very fragile little book. I don't know its previous owner but it has been well loved and is jam packed full of scribbled notes and newspaper cuttings. Some recipes even mention war coupons! I think this little gem is really exciting and I love it to bits... so lets start baking and bring it back to life ready for its centenary next year. Be warned however, that I absolutely cannot and will not cook sheeps head, tripe, liver or the like... eeewwwww!

Vintage Scones circa 1899

2011-11-25T17:29:00.001+11:00

Today, is too wet to make macarons so instead I've had a vintage recipe cooking day. I'm sick and tired of buying inferior quality cake and biscuits from the supermarket as snacks for my gorgeous girls. So its back to basics and vintage cooking! This delicious scone recipe is circa 1899 and so is this fantastic silent movie of "Cinderella".

SCONES
One pound of flour, 1 tablespoon of butter, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, a good 1/2 pint milk, 1 level teaspoon salt.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together; work in the butter with finger-tips till it is fine like crumbs; mix in the milk, and form into a dough with the blade of a knife; knead lightly; roll out about 1/2 an inch thick, and bake in a quick oven.

Conversions:
1 pound of flour is about 453 grams
1/2 pint milk is about 300ml
A quick oven - I cooked my scones at 220 degrees celsius for 12 minutes.

Tips:
My nanna taught me to dab milk on top of the scones with your fingertips so that they brown nicely and wrap them in a tea towel after getting them straight out of the oven to keep them moist and warm.

Always put your scones close together

All wrapped up

Chantilly Cream and Apricot Jam

Bejeweled Pomegranates

2011-11-25T14:36:00.001+11:00

Here is a simple but delicious recipe from the 19th Century which was called 'A Dish of Pomegranates'. I've changed the name to 'Bejeweled Pomegranates' as the original title didn't do this simple dessert justice.

Remove the seeds from 6 pomegranates and place in your prettiest silver or glass bowl. Sprinkle with rosewater, lime juice and sugar (I used Demerara) and serve very cold.

Vintage Orange Cake from 1912

2011-11-25T14:01:00.001+11:00

A vintage orange cake from my collection of recipes that was printed in 1912.

Three eggs, their weight in sugar, butter and flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 orange, a pinch of salt.

Beat the sugar and butter to a cream; add 2 eggs one at a time, and beat well; then add half the flour, beating well all the time; add the grated rind of the orange and half the juice; then put in remainder of flour and a small teaspoon of baking powder; add the third egg. Bake 1 hour or longer in a moderate oven. Ice with the following icing: -Six ounces of icing sugar, enough orange juice to make a thick cream (about 1 ½ tablespoons); warm, but do not let get hot, and pour over the cake.

Old Fashioned Sherbet Fountain

2011-11-18T16:08:00.001+11:00

To make a homemade version of Basset's Sherbert Fountains blend 50g icing sugar, 5g freeze dried raspberries and 1 teaspoon each of bicarbonate of soda and citric acid in a mini chopper. Store in a zip lock bag for up to two weeks - if it lasts that long. Enjoy with really soft licorice such as Darrell Lea Batch 37. Great for kids but even better served at the end of a dinner party - this will really surprise your guests!

And, here's what Darrell Lea's Sherbert Fountain looks like.

Zumbo's Salt and Vinegar Macaron

2011-11-05T21:53:00.000+11:00

Purple and Brown Macaron Shells waiting to be filled

To make Zumbo's Salt & Vinegar Macarons, make two batches of my basic macaron recipe, one coloured purple and the other brown.

To make an adapted version of the ganache set aside 50g Modena Aged Balsamic Vinegar, 2g Maldon Sea Salt flakes, 240g White Chocolate & 140g Pouring Cream (minimum 35% fat).

Bring the cream to the boil then blend with the white chocolate

In a slow stream add the balsamic vinegar and combine, fold in the salt then allow to set

Pipe your macarons and assemble

Store in the fridge for at least 12 hours but preferably 24 hours before eating - try to resist the temptation

I'm not exactly a fan of salt and vinegar crisps so I'm doubtful that these we will be my favourite but we'll see. They're currently in the Perfect Fresh zone in my new Miele fridge soaking up all that lovely humidity!

I just checked the macarons after 12 hours and they still don't have that lovely fudgy chewiness inside yet. This is because Zumbo's recipes don't make as much filling compared to Pierre Herme. Had I made Pierre Herme's recipe with oodles of ganache these would have been ready to consume by now but because the filling is sparse they need another 12 hours to mature. I'm rather fussy as I like my macarons to have the perfect texture both inside and out - nothing worse than crisp flavourless shells.

After 24 hours these macarons were just PERFECT and gave salted caramel a run for their money!

Orange Blossoms

2011-11-01T22:27:00.002+11:00

Tonight, I can smell the gorgeous scent of orange blossoms wafting through my windows... it's absolutely heavenly.

Blood Orange Pate de Fruit

2011-10-16T22:55:00.000+11:00

Savour Chocolate & Patisserie school recommend that you practice your new learned skills soon after acquiring them so this weekend I decided to make Blood Orange Pate de Fruits. The only difference, however, is that this time I experimented with the use of NH Pectin instead of Citrus Pectin. Apparently, with Citrus Pectin you need an acid to start the setting process but with NH Pectin you don't.

If you'd like to try making these yourself the Les Vergers Boiron Fruit Puree website has the ratio's of fruit puree, sugar/pectin, apple juice, caster sugar, glucose and tartaric acid. Click on the pdf file relating to Confectioners and select the type of pate de fruits you'd like to make with the specified quantities, then follow the recipe below.

Boiron Pate de Fruits - Defrost the fruit puree. Place the fruit puree and apple juice in a pan and bring to the boil. Slowly sprinkle in the pectin and caster sugar mixture. Heat gently, stirring constantly until the mixture comes to the boil. Add the granulated sugar and glucose. Add the tartaric acid if necessary. Cook to 107 degrees celsius. Cool by adding spirits (if desired). Pour into a frame. Note: Try to use a non-sterilised 100% apple juice without added acid or simply replace the apple juice with water.

Organic Blood Oranges

Blood Orange Zest

Blood Orange Juice

NH Pectin & Sugar

Glucose & Sugar

Orange Juice, Zest & Water getting ready to simmer

Bubbling away

Waiting for the Pate de Fruit to set

In the absence of a guitar a pizza wheel and ruler will have to suffice

Orange Jewels

Just Perfect!

Zumbo's Strawberry Bubblegum Macaron

2011-10-14T19:26:00.001+11:00

This Teaberry Gum Stand is perfect to display Hubba Bubba Bubblegum, French brand 'Malabar' would work just as well

Pop Rocks

The biggest tip that I've got when you make some of Adriano Zumbo's recipes in his new book Zumbo is to prepare as much as you can in advance so that it makes your job easier. There is nothing worse than learning a new recipe and trying to tackle too much, spending hours in the kitchen and getting stressed. Who wants that... nuh uh not me! So I've bought my ingredients and all's good. I plan to make these beauties on the weekend and although I haven't planned when, I've already started on the pop rock insert. This recipe is going to be a bit like your progressive dinner party in that I'm going to do a bit of this and a bit of that then update this post. And, by the end hopefully it'll be an explosive hit!

Zumbo's strawberry bubblegum macaron comprises of the basic macaron recipe, the strawberry bubblegum ganache and the pop rock insert.

Day One - I decided to prepare the pop rock insert, turned the music up loud and had an awesome time consuming Blue Raspberry Pop Rocks whilst I worked. This part of the recipe is easy peasy lemon squeezy! I've included quantities below but I've adapted the recipe.

Slowly microwave about 25g cocoa butter

When it cools to 32 degrees celsius add 55g pop rocks and combine

You can get colour coated pop rocks or plain from Melbourne Food Ingredients Depot

This dim sum rolling pin I bought in Hong Kong worked wonders

Roll out until a couple of mm thick and allow to set

Work really hard to feed your face whilst concentrating

Day Two - I followed Zumbo's basic macaron recipe. I made the shells with fresh egg whites and 2 grams of egg white powder just to see how they would turn out.

mmmm, not bad at all

I also smooshed up the strawberries and popped them in the fridge ready for when I need to make the ganache.

I used 2 punnets of strawberries to get 150g of strawberry puree

Strawberry Pureee done and dusted

And, I broke up the pop rock insert.

Day Three - Today, I made the strawberry bubblegum ganache and assembled the macarons.

First I heated the strawberry puree and bubblegum

As soon as it reached near boiling point I blended it with a stick mixer

The ganache is made of 245g white chocolate, 27g cocoa butter, 75g butter, strawberry puree & bubblegum - note this is an adapted version and Zumbo's book has slightly different quantities.

I poured the strawberry puree & bubblegum mix over the chocolate. When cool I added the butter and cocoa butter then mixed it with a stick blender.

Bubbalicious

After I made the ganache I popped it into the fridge to set. Then when ready I piped a very small blob onto each macaron to fix the pop rock insert.

Very posh Hubba Bubba indeed!

OMG - I'm still in shock that I made these with FRESH egg whites

These were a lot of fun to make and since its Pinktober I had to absolutely positively enter my Strawberry Bubblegum Zumbarons into this months Mactweets challenge. Please support Breast Cancer Awareness Week by making a donation here. And remember gorgeous girls don't forget regular pap smear tests and mammograms!

I also had to add this cool photo of a psychedelic strawberry bubblegum macaron made with leftover shells stored in my freezer. You can see the pop rocks in the middle. My daughters couldn't get enough of these and thought that they were AMAZING!

For the full version of Zumbo's macaron recipe and strawberry bubblegum ganache click here.