finally completed 1st attempt @ macarons!
baked 3 different sets 3 different ways & ONE set has feet! WOOHOO!!! the AirBake tray batch had a little bit of feet, but that made my day!!!
i end'd up aging my egg whites for 5 days, so i consider'd toss'n them out, BUT i couldn't! i love eggs! can't waste them. so...
@ 9:30 pm, i setup shop in the basement on top of the washer, so as to not wake my Pops.
here's the final product after all that macaronnage'n/macaronner'n. hehe.
ready to bake. into the small oven u go.
sakura flavor with maccha on top.
plain sakura flavor'd with sakura extract
sakura sakura - sakura flavor with sakura sugar - sugar with dried sakura flower petals & leaves
my feet-less macarons
these have feet!!! thank u AirBake!!!
boobie pads? LOL!
can u spot a very dirty pup? Yup tofupuppy likes to snooze in the kitchen doorway with all the smelly dirty shoes. silly puppy!
more pictures in the morning!!!
[update] more pictures!!!
very simple yet delicious 抹茶 buttercream
VOILA!
set up shop out in the yard with tons of props, then it start'd rain'n. yes, showers are expect'd: April Showers bring May Flowers.
bought this lovely bunny set in Hiroshima during 2009
PRETTY!!!
bought this lovely bunny set (bunny not shown) from Tokai @ Porter Exchange.
here's my favorite shot while browsing thru my camera
my pretty Hello Kitty tea cup from either Hiroshima or Kyoto
which one do u prefer: sakura macarons with sakura flowers & leaves sprinkled on top or sakura macarons with maccha sprinkled on top?
Sakura Macarons
2/3 cup ground almonds
1 1/2 cup powder'd sugar
3 large egg whites, @ room temperature (i aged mine's 4-5 days...hehe)
5 T granulated sugar
1 t sakura extract (original recipe uses vanilla extract)
1. in a food processor, grind almond flour & powder'd sugar together, then sift twice (took me an hour to sift once, so i just sift'd once, guess my strainer was too fine)
2. in a bowl, beat egg whites on high until foamy, gradually add granulated sugar, beat until stiff & glossy, add sakura extract, beat until mix'd in
3. add half of the almond sugar mixture, stir, add the rest, mix in circular motion
4. when u no longer see the flour, press & spreah out the batter against the side of the bowl, scoop batter from the bottom and turn upside down. repeat 15 times
5. pour batter into pastry bag with a wide-ish tip (depends on size u want ur macarons)
6. pipe out same size circles on baking sheet
7. when done piping, rap/hit the bottom of the baking sheet a few times
8. dry the batter for 30 minutes or more, up to when the surface is no longer sticky to the touch
9. bake with 2 trays stacked (i used 1, but airbake tray helped the feet form (kinda)) in preheated oven @ 375 F for 15-18 minutes
Maccha Buttercream
7 T unsalted butter, room temperature
3 T water
3 T granulated sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla extract
1 T maccha (green tea powder)
1. microwave the water & sugar for 3 minutes
2. beat the egg until foamy, pour in hot syrup in a thin stream while mixing the egg, mix until white & heavy, quadrupled in size
3. add butter to the egg mixture in 3 batches while beating the mix, add green tea powder, beat buttercream until fluffy & creamy (egg & butter will separate while beating, just keep going)
ENJOY!
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