Almond Macaroons

This year I was very careful to halve the nuts and sugar to make half of a recipe of Almond Paste to use for my Cranberry Stollen. Then I got to the egg, and, whoops, in went the whole egg white. Rather than waste what was in the food processor bowl, I added more nuts and sugar to make a full recipe of Almond Paste.  I figured I'd find a use for the extra paste after Christmas.  The first thought that came to mind was macaroons. I found a couple of recipes on-line that looked promising.    Actually not recipes, photos of ingredients and cookies but no quantities or baking temperatures or times. Minimal help. Then  I went to my trusty New York Times Cookbook (1950-1960 recipes from the NYT). Typical of that era, the recipe contained lots of sugar and correspondingly called for "3 egg whites, approximately" - "Use only enough egg white to make a soft 'dough' that will hold its shape when dropped from a spoon." Interestingly, one of the on-line recipes that gave only the quantity of egg whites warned, " Two large egg whites should weigh 60 grams. Using more or less will change the texture and spreading of the cookie. For best results measure the egg whites."  I reduced the sugar from one cup to one-quarter cup and used a small egg white (25 g).  I did not use any vanilla or almond extract as called for in some recipes I reviewed. I was delighted with the results (crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside),  as were two of my"testers".  The third "tester" weighed in at "pretty good!" but no comment for improvement other than probably making Nut Puffs instead.  The macaroons, however, have minimal sugar and no egg yolks or butter!

In a food processor bowl fitted with a steel blade combine:

1/2 pound almond paste, cut in small chunks

1/4 c sugar

White from a small egg (25 grams)

Pulse until well blended. Remove from bowl and shape into small balls about 20 g each.  Place on a non-stick cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F/300 degrees F convection oven for approximately 20 minutes. Makes about a dozen cookies. Scale accordingly.

I                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Almond Paste

 

At the height of the pandemic I could not get almond paste for my Christmas 2020 Cranberry Stollen at the curb-side delivery stores I shopped, so I made my own. So easy! I have been  doing it since.

(photos are for half recipe)

In a food processor bowl fitted with a steel blade combine:

1 1/2 whole blanched almonds

1/2 c powdered sugar

Mix until the nuts are very finely ground (but not almond butter!), stopping periodically to scrape the sides of the bowl.

Then add:

1 c powdered sugar

Pulse until the sugar and nut-sugar mixture are blended.

Then add:

l large egg white

1/2 t almond extract

Process until the mixture forms a clump. break up clump and mix once more until another clump forms. Remove mixture from bowl and form 2 logs, approximately 8 ounces each.

T

Maple Mustard Salmon

Although I am still partial to Salmon Rub on fresh salmon, this sauce has become a favorite to top frozen salmon. Its inspiration is a recipe I saw in The New York Times, but I have deleted the mayo and added lime juice. This recipe serves two, scale accordingly.

Marinade:

1 T maple syrup

1 T Dijon grainy mustard

1 T lime juice

                                                      6 cilantro stems, chopped very finely*

Coat with the above mixture and marinate for about an hour:

2 ~6 ounce  piece of salmon

Cook in a slow (325 degree F) oven for about 10 to 15 minutes or until temperature reaches 120 degrees (should be custard-like at this temperature) or 130 degrees F max. Alternatively  grill over a low fire.

Serve garnished with fresh cilantro leaves.

. *If I don't have any fresh cilantro I use 1 loosely packed T of frozen cilantro mixed into the marinade.

Carrot Cupcakes

I was having a party for Tokio's birthday and asked Chris, in jest, if Tokio, who loves carrots, would like a carrot cake. Chris replied, independently looking at the Smitten Kitchen recipe I was considering, she (he!) would love one! The recipe that follows is loosely based on this recipe. The SK recipe calls for 3 cups of grated carrots but does not specify loose or packed. Unpacked a cup weights approximately 3.9 ounces, packed, 4.9. I give weights for carrots along with flour and sugar.

Per SK suggestion, I did grate the carrots by hand. Planning on having hummus and carrots as an hors d'oeuvre, I saved my knuckles and one end of the carrot to use for carrot sticks.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake molds with papers, or butter and flour them. Whisk in a small bowl until well blended: 

      10.5 oz flour

      2 t baking soda

      1/2 t salt (I omit)

      2 t ground cinnamon

      1 t ground ginger

Whisk in a large bowl until well blended: 

       14 oz sugar

       1 1/4 c canola oil

       4 eggs, 1 at a time breaking into a small dish first.

Add flour mixture to the wet mixture and whisk until well blended

\

Add and mix until well blended: 

        12.5 oz grated carrots

        1 c coarsely chopped walnuts 

        1 c raisins.

Distribute batter among the 24 cups. Bake for 14 - 18 minutes or until a small metal skewer inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

MAPLE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING 

SK does a piped frosting that puts a lot of frosting on each cupcake. I planned on a more modest amount of less sweet frosting and modified the recipe accordingly. Because I cut down on the sugar but not the maple syrup or butter the frosting is not as firm and would probably not lend itself to piping. If you like things on the sweet side you may want to increase the sugar up to 1 1/2 c per the SK proportions. No raw eggs, so taste and adjust accordingly!

 Mix together in a stand mixer or a food processor (my choice):

    12 oz cream cheese, softened 

    6 T unsalted butter, room temperature

    1 c confectioners sugar

    3 T maple syrup

When blended smooth, frost the cooled cupcakes .If desired, decorate with carrot shapes or grated carrots. (If I make some cupcakes with raisins and some without. I put a carrot decoration on top on the ones with raisins.) 

Revised 13 April 2024: reduced sugar