provided cup measurements in these recipes alongside weight measurements (in grams). If you do have a kitchen scale, weighing your solid ingredients (flour, sugar, nuts, etc.) will give you a more precise amount.
26.Tea strainer: I often sift icing sugar and cocoa powder over my baking through a tea strainer. Macarons, on the other hand, require a bigger flour sifter.
27.Tweezers: To make it easier to position decorations, for example, or to remove something that has ended up in the wrong place.
28.Brush: Useful for brushing off things you don’t want on your baking, and for painting on color, cocoa powder, egg white, and other things.
29.Large cake pan (not pictured): For larger cakes, I use a rectangular baking pan measuring 12” × 16” (30 × 40 cm). You could also use a lasagna pan.
30.Nut grinder (not pictured): Essential for grinding nuts finely for marzipan—otherwise the dough will be difficult to handle. For chopping nuts, you can either chop by hand or pulse in a food processor.
WINTER INTO SPRING
The snow melts away as the mercury rises. You can hear the melting water trickle, forming little creeks. Nature slowly awakens after the long winter. The first flowers show their heads, and the trees are budding. Everything that was brown now turns to bright shades of green.
MACARONS WITH PASSION FRUIT CREAM
makes 35 macarons
Spring is here! The Norwegian coltsfoot flower is impatient. Before the snow has even disappeared, its yellow bristly head pops out of the dirt, brightening roadsides and ditches. Macarons with a refreshing passion fruit filling are the perfect way to welcome spring.
Macarons
¾ cup + 2 Tbsp (85 g) almond flour
¾ cup + 2 Tbsp (110 g) icing sugar
2 medium egg whites (70 g)
pinch of salt
3 Tbsp (35 g) granulated sugar
Sift the almond flour into a bowl. Stir in the icing sugar, then sift again into another bowl.
Using a handheld mixer, beat the egg whites at medium speed until foamy. Add the salt. Gradually add the sugar, continuing to beat at medium speed. When all of the sugar has dissolved and you have a thick meringue, fold in the almond flour mixture with a rubber spatula. When the mixture is smooth, transfer it to a piping bag.
Pipe out the macarons onto a macaron baking mat or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, forming circles about 1¼ inches (3.5 cm) in diameter (you can use the template on page 198). Tap the baking sheet with the macarons once against the kitchen counter so any big air bubbles rise to the surface and burst.
Preheat the oven to 250ºF (125ºC) on the convection setting, or 275ºF (135ºC) on the regular setting. Allow the macarons to dry for about 40 minutes on the counter, then bake them on the middle rack of the oven for 15 minutes, or a few minutes longer if you’re using the regular oven setting. See page 190 for more detailed instructions.
Passion fruit cream
2 passion fruits
2 egg yolks, whisked
⅓ cup (70 g) granulated sugar
2 Tbsp (30 g) butter, cut into cubes and kept cold
Cut the passion fruits in half and scoop out the flesh, then press it through a strainer to make juice.
Combine 2 Tbsp (30 ml) of the passion fruit juice with the egg yolks and sugar in a double boiler, or directly in a saucepan over low heat. Heat, stirring constantly. When the mixture starts to thicken, remove it from the heat and stir in the butter. Set aside to cool.
Decoration
yellow liquid gel food coloring
water
1 egg white
1 tsp lemon juice
approximately 1⅔ cups (200 g) icing sugar
In a small bowl, mix a few drops of food coloring with a little water. Using a small brush, draw lines from the middle of the macaron shell to the edge to make flower petals. Repeat this on half of the shells.
Make icing with the egg white, lemon juice, and icing sugar according to the instructions on page 188. Add a few drops of yellow food coloring. Transfer to a piping bag. Make a small hole and pipe out little dots into the middle of each of the decorated macarons. Sandwich the macarons together with the passion fruit cream, using a plain macaron on the bottom and a decorated one on top. Keep in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve.
COFFE ICE CREAM CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE MERINGUE
makes one 9-inch (23 cm) round cake
The sun has melted most of the snow on the mountain, and you can finally hike to the top again. Dramatic chocolate meringue mountains decorate this coffee ice cream cake with a crispy meringue crust. The cake is easy to make, but it does take some time in the oven and the freezer, so make it a day ahead.
Chocolate meringue
3 medium egg whites (100 g)
pinch of salt
¾ cup + 2 Tbsp (180 g) granulated sugar
2½ Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, divided
Preheat the oven to 175ºF (75ºC) on the convection setting, or 200ºF (90ºC) on the regular setting. Using a handheld mixer, beat the egg whites at medium speed until foamy. Add the salt (which makes the meringue firmer). Gradually add the sugar, continuing to beat at medium speed until the sugar is dissolved and you have a thick meringue. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in 2 Tbsp of the cocoa powder.
Fill a piping bag with a little less than half of the mixture. Cut a fairly large hole or use a large round tip. Pipe out mountains onto parchment paper by squeezing and pulling upward. Sift ½ Tbsp of cocoa powder through a tea strainer onto the meringue mountains. Spread the rest of the meringue evenly in the bottom of a 9-inch (23 cm) round springform pan lined with parchment paper. Put both the pan and the baking sheet with the mountains in the oven and leave the meringues to dry for about 5 hours. Remove from the oven and cool.
Coffee
