Recently, my sister Laura (follow her neato Tumblr HERE) was invited to a tapas party, so, she figured, what better to make for a “small plate” dinner party than the two-bite fancy French macaroon? (Perhaps she was inspired by my previous post…)
So, she did some Googling and found a delicious-sounding recipe on Epicurious for Raspberry-Chocolate French Macaroons. I was lucky enough to sample one, and they were quite delectable. Ground almonds get mixed into the meringue of the cookie and provide a mild (but angelic) nut flavor. Then, the almond meringues sandwich the raspberry-flavored chocolate ganache—and really, how can you go wrong with a ganache? The result was a subtle, delicate cookie with a good balance of flavor.
Laura suggests practicing your piping to get the cookies a nice, uniform size, especially if you’ve never made French macaroons before. (She said it took her a tray or two to get a feel for the batter.) Also, dye the meringue darker than you think it should be, as they lighten up significantly when baked. If you want that nice pink contrast with the chocolate-brown filling, add extra food coloring!
The recipe for these macaroons can be found HERE on Epicurious.
