"Everybody Has Different Taste Buds"

“Well you know, Gagi, everybody has different taste buds.” A direct quote from my 5 year old granddaughter this past holiday season. One of those bits of philosophy passed on through the generations. I don’t recall what we were talking about at the time. But, I decided that her comment will be my inspiration for the next couple of weeks. 

We occasionally attend a monthly potluck supper that some of our neighbors host at our community’s lodge. I usually bring both a main dish and a dessert. I’ve inherited some gene from my mother that makes me go overboard when it comes to food. My mom was a good cook. She found some sort of satisfaction in pleasing our individual palates, often making more than one entree, so as to give you a choice. Not like some moms where your choice is: “take it or leave it.”

The group that hosts the potluck purchases a huge tray of fried chicken from a local restaurant. Every couple or person attending brings a dish to share. It’s usually a nicely balanced mixture of main dishes, soups, salads, sides and desserts.

I’ve learned quickly that this group seems to have pretty basic tastes where food is concerned, no real connoisseurs of taste buds here, nothing deemed too spicy, nothing deemed too ethnically different, i.e., I can’t imagine that a crock full of Indian dal or a plate of sushi would go over very well. A debacle occurred last night when it was discovered that someone forgot to order the fried chicken. People grumbled good-naturedly all evening, and it would only be a bit of an exaggeration to say that a few nearly came to tears. At any rate, it was obvious that the chicken was a big draw for most.

I’d made a tray of mostaccioli and bolognese sauce for my main dish and in the last hours decided to try my hand at macarons. For the sake of keeping things basic, I opted for a batch each of vanilla macarons with vanilla ganache and chocolate macarons with chocolate ganache. I wanted to make whipped ganache for each, but time ran out and I wound up with whipped vanilla ganache and regular chocolate ganache.

Here is the basic recipe for the macarons and ganaches:

Macarons

3 egg whites

1/4 cup of granulated sugar

1 2/3 cup of confectioners’ sugar

pinch of cream of tartar

1 cup of almond meal/flour

3/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract, if making vanilla macarons

3 tablespoons of baking cocoa, if making chocolate macarons

Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or Reynolds’ Non-Stick Foil or baking parchment. If you do not have these non-stick aids, don’t bother making the macarons.

Prior to making the recipe, separate 3 egg whites into a small clean bowl, making certain that not one bit of the yolk is in the whites. Stir or whisk them a bit with a fork, cover and set them aside for at least an hour or until they are at room temperature.

Sift confectioner’s sugar and almond meal in a separate bowl and set aside. (If you are making chocolate macarons, measure out the cocoa and sift with the confectioner’s sugar and almond flour.)

Fit a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and until whites are foamy; beat in the granulated white sugar and a pinch of cream of tartar. Continue beating until egg whites are glossy, fluffy, and hold soft peaks. Do not overbeat.

Sprinkle vanilla extract over egg whites if making vanilla macarons. Quickly fold the almond mixture into the egg whites using a rubber spatula. Gently fold the ingredients until they are just combined and don’t be too concerned if the meringue seems to deflate. Stop folding when there are no traces of egg whites and the batter resembles a cake batter.

Spoon the batter into a pastry bag, fitted with a round tip or a plastic bag with a small corner cut off.

Pipe the batter onto the baking sheet in 1 1/4 inch rounds, leaving 1 inch of space between the rounds. Bang the tray of rounds on the counter a couple of times. Then let the piped cookies stand out at room temperature until they form a dry skin on top - at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F and bake cookies until set but not browned, about 10 minutes; let cookies cool completely before filling

This little bit of rough area on the bottom of the baked macaron is called its "feet"

Whipped Vanilla or Chocolate Ganache

4 ounces of good quality white or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped in small pieces

4 ounces of heavy cream

1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or a scraping of vanilla bean

Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it just starts to boil. Gently stir in the chocolate, then let sit for 1 minute. Add the butter and vanilla and stir until smooth. Chill in the refrigerator until thickened but still spreadable, about 20 - 25 minutes. Whip in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment for 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula and beat for one more minute.