Monday, November 21, 2011

Macaroon??

One day, a friend of mine asked me, "Do you have any macaroon's recipe?"

Innocently, I asked her back, "What is macaroon?"

Then, she started her story about the macaroon and her passions towards this dish.


Brief info about macaroon...

A macaron is a sweet confectionery made with egg whites, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond powder or ground almond, and food coloring. The macaron is commonly filled with buttercream or jam filling sandwiched between two cookies. Its name is derived from an Italian word "maccarone" or "maccherone". This word is itself derived from ammaccare, meaning crush or beat, used here in reference to the almond paste which is the principal ingredient. It is meringue-based: made from a mixture of egg whites, almond flour.

The confectionery is characterised by its smooth, domed top, ruffled circumference (referred to as the "foot"), and flat base. It is mildly moist and easily melts in the mouth.

Macarons can be found in a wide variety of flavors that range from the traditional (raspberry, chocolate) to the new (truffle, green matcha tea). The fillings can range from jams, ganache, or buttercream. Since the English word macaroon can also refer to the coconut macaroon, many have adopted the French spelling of macaron to distinguish the two items in the English language. However, this has caused confusion over the correct spelling of the cookie/biscuit. Some recipes exclude the use of macaroon to refer to this French confection while others think that they are synonymous.

(Source: Wikipedia)


Then, I'm searching for the recipes........


There’s nothing scary about macaroons and they’re perfect as edible presents. This easy-to-follow recipe shows you how to make them.

1-2 hours preparation time

30 mins to 1 hour cooking time

Makes 10 macaroons



Ingredients:

  • 125g/4oz ground almonds
  • 200g/7oz icing sugar
  • 3 free-range egg whites
  • 2 tbsp caster sugar
  • ½ tsp cream of tartar
  • pinch red powdered food colouring


For the chocolate filling:

  • 200g/7oz dark chocolate, chopped
  • 200ml/7fl oz double cream
  • 15g/½oz unsalted butter


Preparation method:

  1. Blend the ground almonds and icing sugar in a food processor until well combined. Set aside.
  2. Using an electric whisk, slowly whisk the egg whites in a large bowl at a low speed until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed. Slowly whisk in the cream of tartar and caster sugar until the mixture is smooth and glossy, increasing the speed of the whisk as the mixture stiffens.
  3. Gently fold in the food colouring and blended ground almonds and icing sugar until the mixture resembles shaving foam.
  4. Spoon the macaroon mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm/½in round nozzle. Pipe 5cm/2in circles onto the baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. If a peak forms, wet your finger and smooth it down. Sharply tap the bottom o f the tray to release any air bubbles from the macaroons, then set aside for 60 minutes (the macaroon shells are ready to go in the oven when they are no longer sticky to the touch).
  5. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 160C/315F/Gas 2½.
  6. Bake the macaroons in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 5 minutes. Carefully peel away the greaseproof paper and set aside to cool completely.
  7. Meanwhile, for the chocolate filling, heat the double cream and chocolate in a saucepan over a low heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth and well combined. Add butter and stir until smooth, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely.
  8. Use the filling to sandwich the macaroons together then chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Link(Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/macaroons_16105)


I am waiting for my holiday to come. As I am staying at the hostel, there's no equipment to bake or even cook. (Poor me..) So, I will try this recipe later...

Hope all of you enjoy the info and the recipe.

Rewang @ AIKOLFest 2011

Rewang atau bergotong-royong biasa diamalkan oleh masyarakat Melayu di kampung-kampung ketika kenduri-kendara. Seronok apabila dapat bertemu rakan taulan dan penduduk kampung sambil melakukan pelbagai kerja bersama-sama. Konsep ini diadaptasi di dalam salah satu program semasa AikolFest berlangsung.

Kemeriahannya bertambah dengan kehadiran pensyarah-pensyarah yang turut serta melapah daging dan memasak. Para pelajar yang terlibat bekerjasama menyiapkan bahan-bahan untuk memasak. Pelajar lelaki melapah daging manakala pelajar perempuan pula memotong bawang, kentang dan sebagainya.

Ukhuwah yang terjalin hanya di dalam kelas dapat dirapatkan lagi melalui aktiviti seperti ini. Semoga kerjasama yang diberikan akan berterusan di masa akan datang.


Galeri Gambar

"Yang ini saya punya...yang itu kamu punya.."


"Apa juadah kita malam ni?"


Semuanya bekerja bersama-sama.


Mengupas dan memotong bawang. Sempat bagi special pose lagi.

Melapah daging lembu dengan tekun.



Menjamu selera bersama-sama.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

untungnya menjadi seorang "SAYA"...

Sejak naik sem baru, ada je orang baik hati dan pemurah nak belanja saya makan. Alhamdulillah. Rezeki Allah tak pernah putus. Subhanallah. Simple rule makes my life beautiful. Thank you Allah for this beautiful life.

Remember!! "Love to be loved"




Hadiah dari Kak Mika masa nak naik sem. Sedap sangat. Yummy!!




Tomato and durian flavours. Sedap juga sebab tomato rasa macam kismis. Daripada seorang sahabat kepada sahabat.




Cup cakes birthday Kak Mika. Buat untuk diri sendiri. Tapi saya tolong makankan. Enak sekali.

Seronokkan?? Ramai lagi yang bagi chocolate and cakes. Tapi tak dapat nak upload.
Terima kasih kawan-kawan. Bak pantun Melayu lama;

"Terima kasih daun keladi,
Kalau sudi bagilah lagi."

Terima kasih sebab gembirakan saya dengan makanan enak ini. =)