CHOCOLATE MACARONS

One of my readers has asked me to post a recipe for Parisian Macarons, usually filled with chocolate but which can contain other fillings. While I've never made these myself, they sound really good and not too difficult to make. Try them, if you like, and let me know your results. The request comes from Ken and the recipe from Martha Stewart.

CHOCOLATE MACARONS

makes about 16

1 1/4 C plus 1 t confectioners' sugar

1 C finely ground sliced, blanched almonds

6 T fresh egg whites (from about 3 extra large eggs), at room temperature

pinch of salt

1/4 C granulated sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. In a medium bowl. whisk together the confectioners' sugar and ground almonds.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip egg whites with salt on medium speed until foamy. Increase speed to high and gradually add granulated sugar. Continue to whip until stiff glossy peaks form.

4. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in the confectioner's sugar mixture until completely incorporated.

5. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

6. Fill a pastry bag with a 3/8 inch #4 round tip and fill the bag with the batter. Pipe 1-inch disks onto prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies. The batter will spread a little. Let stand at room temperature until dry, and soft skin forms on the tops of the macarons, and the shiny surface turns dull, about 15 minutes.

7. Bake with the door of the oven slightly ajar, until the surface of the macarons is completely dry, about 15 minutes. Remove baking sheet to a wire rack and let the macarons cool completely on the baking sheet. Gently peel off the parchment. Their tops are easily crushed, so take care when removing the macarons from the parchment. Use immediately, or store in an airtight container, refrigerated for up to 2 days, or frozen for up to 1 month.

8. To fill the macarons, fill a pastry bag with the filling. Turn macarons onto their flat side, facing up. On half of them, pipe about 1 teaspoon filling. Sandwich these with the remaining macarons, flat side down, pressing slightly to spread the filling to the edges, Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

For the filling, you can use Nutella Hazelnut Spread or a chocolate ganach; the recipe for this follows;

CHOCOLATE GANACH

2 C semi sweet chocolate chips

1 C heavy cream

2 T butter

2 T corn syrup or honey

1. Place the chocolate chips in a bowl and set aside.

2. In a saucepan, heat the heavy cream, butter and corn syrup until it starts to simmer. Remove from heat and pour over chocolate chips. Stir constantly until smooth.

3. Allow to cool completely before using.