Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Kona Coffee Macarons - Run #23

I miss Hawaii.

Before heading home to SF in October, Keat and I stopped by Ala Moana Center to do a little shopping.  I spotted the Honolulu Cookie Co. kiosk in the food court and I made a b-line straight for it.  My favorite out of all of the varieties is the Kona Coffee White Chocolate shortbread cookie.  If you've never had one before, you should really check into it.  Their signature shape is a pineapple - though there is no pineapple in the cookie.  The "leaf" part is left bare, while the "fruit" part is dipped in white chocolate.

They are amazing.

So here is another attempt of creating a Hawaiian-inspired macaron.  I've already made a cute speckled yellow mac with Dole Passionfruit jelly, tried recreating Liliha's Chantilly frosting (and failed), filled my Pink October macs with Honolulu Coffee Co. strawberry guava jam, and made an ultra blue Mauna Loa Chocolate Kiss Mac.  2 for 4 - wah!  Don't get me wrong, the Liliha failure, turned out to be a ftw in the end!  

Honestly, I was not overly happy with these.  I think I should have ground the coffee finer because there were chunks of coffee bean in the mac shell that kind of ruined the experience.  Or next time, I'll brew the Kona coffee in cream and use that to make white chocolate ganache.  The ganache in this one was too runny.  I think I rushed this one...so it's all my fault.

Yes, this is truly a learning experience, isn't it?

3 for 5.

Any suggestions for the next Hawaiian-inspired mac?

11/13/2012 - Kona Coffee Macarons with White Chocolate Ganache



Thursday, December 6, 2012

Mrs. Potts Macarons - Run #22

Something just hit me.

Disney's Beauty and the Beast was released in 1991.

I was 7.

Really?!  Considering I'm almost 29 years old, that's a long time ago.  To this day, I blast the Disney channel on Pandora and 100% of the time, at least one song is heard from Beauty and the Beast....and 100% of the time, you can find me singing along.  Like I said before, don't even get me started!  I adored this era in Disney Animation.  The Little Mermaid.  Aladdin.  All in a few years.  The songs accompanying the movies were amazing as well.  Come on, Celine, Luther, Peabo.

"Beauty and the Beast" sang by Angela Lansbury is so memorable because her voice is so unique and distinguishable.  Speaking of voices, who else was floored when they found out the voice of Lumiere was provided by Jerry Orbach - the actor who played Baby's father in Dirty Dancing?  I was!

But I digress...

Belle in her gorgeous golden gown and the Beast looking handsome in his blue coat dancing in that amazing ballroom is one of my favorite Disney scenes ever.  Romantic and beautiful.

I made a macaron in honor of Mrs. Potts - while the colors came out a bit too muted, I was pleased - especially after my husband said his coworkers wanted to order macs from me after they tasted this one.  The flavor?

Tea, of course!

My cousin worked at a tea shop in San Francisco, and she hooked me up with was awesome Earl Grey tea.  For the filling, I created a curd with the leftover egg yolks and added a generous amount of honey.

11/7/2012 - "Mrs. Potts Macarons" - Earl Grey Creme Shells with Honey Buttercream

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Hello Kitty Macarons - Run #21

I was 16 when I first met my Manang Yolly and Manong Jeff. They were a young married couple from Maui who rented the extra room in our home. They worked at the RC with mom, so she knew they were good people.

I count Manang Yolly and Manong Jeff as a couple whom Keat and I look up to. They met as teenagers and are now a blissfully wedded couple with two smart and beautiful children - one of whom I am godmother to.  They are both so down to earth, kind, generous, loving, and most of all extraordinarily wonderful parents to their kids.  Bonus:  Manong Jeff likes guns.  Keat likes guns.  Get the picture?  If there is ever a zombie apocalypse, I know where I'll run to.  

But I digress...

Fast forward about 12 years and they are about to celebrate their youngest's 5th birthday. Chloe is the epitome of a girly girl. Pink, check. Hello Kitty, check. Crown, check. Manang Yolly throws the greatest shindigs for her kids, and I knew I was going to make macs for the party whether she asked me to or not! It would be an honor and a pleasure...

I made plain shells but colored one batch pink. I used edible inked markers to individually draw Hello Kitty's face on the white ones. I then made a fresh strawberry buttercream and voila!

Hello Kitty macarons!

But today, they were Chloe Kitty macarons.

Happy 5th birthday, Chloe!

11/1/12 - "Chloe Kitty Macarons" - Hello Kitty Shells with Fresh Strawberry Buttercream