FRENCH MACARONS

I just posted a recipe for French macarons on July10 and find it interesting that today's NY Times food section talked about them and gave another recipe. So, here, straight from "Cuisinier Lorraine" is the "authentic" recipe, not the Martha Stewart one. (And they're pronounced ma-kah-RHONS, not like our coconut macaroons, which are an entirely different thing). You can use my chocolate ganach recipe (posted on July 10) for the filling, or you can use a filling of your own creativity. Try Nutella!

FRENCH MACARONS

3/4 C plus 2 T sugar

1 1/4 C almond flour or meal

2 egg whites (from large eggs at room temperature)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, make a paste using 1/4 C plus 2 T sugar and 2 t water.

3. Add almond meal and unwhisked egg whites and mix. Add remaining 1/2 C sugar and mix until thoroughly combined.

4. Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a smooth tip; pipe out circles about the size of quarters, spacing each disk at least an inch apart. Rap the pans on the counter a few times to even out batter and elminate air bubbles.

5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until edges are golden but centers are still light and slightly soft .Let cookies cool on baking sheets for a few minutes to set.

6. When cool, fill the flat side of one cookie with filling and put another cookie, flat side down, on top of the filling.

If you try this, let me know how it goes.