Macaron, sweet macaron

The French macaron is one of France's most well-known mini pastries and is absolutely decadent! There are so many different flavors and marques to choose from that it can sometimes be a little difficult. After a taste test in the winter, Shelley and I thought it would be best to go to a macaron class and learn how they are made!

Shelley & I during the class

Saturday morning we found ourselves at Le Nôtre cooking school, home to some of the best macarons! We chose the "classics" class where we would learn to make chocolate, cafe and vanilla. The class was taught entirely in French! I can now honestly say that my French language immersion has worked as I got through the class with almost no problem!

Le Nôtre Ecole de Cuisine

Our instructor, Chef Legras, walked us through the first batch of macarons, vanilla, and took the time to explain why specific ingredients were used and the difference between the different types of sugar. He also explained why the order of ingredients was important, which I've been known to ignore once or twice in my baking past...

Chef Lagras at the end of the class, assembling macarons

After the first batch was in the oven, he had us work on each of the steps so that we could fully understand what we were doing. Getting the perfect macaron size and shape was a lot harder than it looked! Each one had to match so they would all bake evenly and in order to make it easier to sandwich them later. However, that is a lot harder than it sounds, so they were not all equally sized.

Piping macarons

The hardest part was not forming a small peak on the top of each shell after we picked the pastry bag up. While the shells were cooling, we were able to make the three ganache fillings which were used to sandwich our macarons.

Macaron Steps

The class was three hours long but time passed quickly as we were always busy and the class was lighthearted and fun. At the end of the class we were give recipes for each of the three flavors and boxes filled with our homemade macarons. After trying them they were a bit crunchy, but the filling and the macaron flavor were spot on. I think they were a little overcooked as they were all different sizes making it impossible to bake them evenly. Shelley and I now understand the difficulty in making the perfect macaron! 

Eat every macaron as the last

France is well known for its amazing food and pastries, especially the Macaron, that petite, delicate and colorful confection composed of two almond meringue shells surrounding a flavored filling.

Ladurée Window Display

The history of the macaron may be contested but most believe that the macaron cookie was introduced in 1533 in Italy by Catherine de Medici's chef around the time of her wedding to Henry II, the future king of France. However, it was not the "sandwich" that we know today, but instead a simple cookie made of almond powder, sugar and egg whites. It wasn't until the early 20th century when Pierre Desfontaines, Louis Ernest Ladurée's second cousin, decided to sandwich two macaron cookies together by filling the center with a ganache that the modern macaron was created. Today, they are the most popular selling "cookie" in Paris and you you can find them in nearly every flavor and color imaginable at most patisseries and shops. Two of the most famous Macaron shops in Paris are Ladurée and Pierre Hermé. Therefore, for the sake of the blog, a macaron taste test was deemed mandatory. Shelley and I set out to discuss which ones we prefer.

Carette Macarons
(L-->R salted butter caramel, coffee, vanilla & Gianduja)

It is very difficult to get a perfect macaron. Not only do the measurements need to be extremely precise but a little bit of "know-how" is also needed, which is why the same quality macaron is almost impossible to find outside of France. Typically, the shells are made with egg whites, sugar and almond powder and the filling is usually made up of a ganache, butter cream, or jam. When made right, the macaron is crisp on the outside and slightly moist in the interior, allowing it to melt in your mouth.

The Anatomy of a macaron (Le Nôtre Chocolate macaron)

Ladurée is one of the top shops, boasting sales of over 15,000 macarons per day! In 1862 Louis-Ernest Ladurée opened a bakery in Paris, which later burnt down and was rebuilt. During the time of the rebuilding, cafés were gaining in popularity. Therefore, to adapt with the changing times, Ladurée’s wife came up with the idea to blend a patisserie and café, opening the first salon de thé. However, it wasn't until the 1930s when Pierre sandwiched the macaron, that Ladurée became famous. Ladurée's macarons are delicious, light and airy. They continuously come out with new flavors for the changing seasons. Some of their flavors are a little too sweet or strong for my taste and the idea of a marshmallow filling doesn't sit well, but I have yet to find a vanilla macaron I like better than theirs.

Praline, Rose Peppercorn, Café, Gingerbread, Pistachio & Vanilla

Pierre Hermé is tied with Ladurée for the best macarons. Hermé originally worked for Ladurée and when he left he opened his first store in Tokyo, as his contract forbid him to open in Paris. However, he returned in 2002 and has since gained quite the reputation. Here is where you can try macarons with a twist such as violet-vanilla blackcurrant, passion fruit, truffle or even foie gras, He is not afraid to blend flavors and because of this, it is quite the experience to visit. As I tend to air on the side of caution and this was a comparison test, Shelley and I stuck to his classics and twists on the classics. His macarons were light and airy and provided just the right amount of flavor without being too overwhelming. I really enjoyed the violet-vanilla blackcurrant and we both liked his salted-butter-caramel. When I return I may opt to go a little more out of the box (although the foie gras macaron will take a lot of convincing). 

Pierre Hermé Macarons
(L--R Salted butter caramel, violet-vanilla, rose & chocolate)

Ladurée and Pierre Hermé are obviously not the only Macarons, but they are the most well-known and worth the splurge when you're here. One thing is for certain, when in Paris splurge and have a macaron (or a few) as they are not the same elsewhere!

My Oh My, Pumpkin Pie

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday and it fills me with such joy and happiness. I love everything about it: spending the day with my family, the smell of the cooking and baking, the warmth and laughter that fill the house and a little bit of organized chaos make the day just perfect.

Casual family t-shirts

This year, Friendsgiving 2014 was a huge success! Shelley, some of her graduate friends and I had Thanksgiving this past Sunday. Armed with recipes from home and online, we split the grocery lists and set out to recreate an American Thanksgiving in Paris. Since ovens and turkeys are hard to come by in Paris we bought two rotisserie chickens which allowed us to free up the oven for the other necessities (ie the dessert). We spent Sunday afternoon in the kitchen cooking, baking and preparing for Thanksgiving dinner. We sat down to eat at around 6 pm and our dinner menu included chicken, fresh cranberry sauce, green beans, mashed potatoes, sweet potato puree and stuffing with craisins, apples, celery, onions and walnuts.

Our table, my plate and our feast

After dinner, we watched "My Best Friend's Wedding" while we waited for dessert, which included chocolate pecan pie and Nana's Pumpkin Pie, which is one of my favorite desserts. My grandma's recipe is near and dear to my heart, and is the best pumpkin pie you will have. Her pie reminds me of home, family, the fall and Thanksgiving. Spending Thanksgiving away from home is always hard, but having the family pumpkin pie recipe, allows me to always have a little bit of home wherever I am.

Nana's Pumpkin Pie & Chocolate Pecan Pie

I am so glad that I got to spend Thanksgiving with these girls. The day was filled with amazing food, fine wine and a great group of people!

On Thanksgiving, I was able to skype with my family. My mom's family travels to NY as Thanksgiving is the one holiday that we all spend together. This year 25 of my family members were able to make it and as always, they were having a blast! Being able to see and talk to everyone made my day! As I was skyping with James, I heard everyone get ready for for the annual football game and it made me feel like I was right back at home. Although I was so sad to miss it, it was great to "join" everyone for a little (thank goodness for skype!)

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, a few of the things I am thankful for:

• My loving family & amazing friends
• My health& freedoms
• My life
• The fall season
• Good food & fine wine
• The ability to explore & see new places
• Skype/Imessage to keep in touch

Cooking in Como

After two weeks of Academic Travel, we came back to Lugano ready for some great Italian food. And what better way then to make it ourselves in a cooking class on Lago di Como? Tuesday morning Jeannie, Stephanie, Chris and I headed to Varenna, Italy, a small but beautiful town located on the eastern side of Lago di Como for a day filled of laughter, cooking and fun at Ristorante il Caminetto. In order to get there we drove to Menaggio, Italy and hopped on a 15 minute ferry ride to cross the lake.

Crossing Lago di Como with Menaggio behind us

Once in Varenna we were met at the ferry by Rossela, who brought us up to their small family run restaurant situated in the cliffs. Upon arrival, we were greeted by Moreno, the chef and owner, who would be our amazing instructor for the day!

Over the next few hours we watched and learned as he went step by step showing us how to make the dough for fresh pasta, fresh gnocchi, gorgonzola cream sauce and an amazing vegetable sauce.

Moreno making the pasta dough

We then donned our aprons and assembled around the wooden table to learn the proper steps of forming our pasta and gnocchi. We were each given a piece of both the doughs and were walked through the steps of rolling, cutting and forming our little gnocchi pillows and tagliatelle pasta!

Rolling out the dough for the Tagliatelle

Making Gnocchi

After a full day of cooking and anxiously waiting to try everything, at around 2pm lunch was served! We were able to enjoy all the food we made by hand with a few additions, made by Moreno. Throughout the day we were able to enjoy:

• Cappuccino and panforte (a traditional Italian fruit & nut cake) served upon arrival
• Meat & Cheese platter, Before we started cooking, we had a little snack to hold us over
• Gnocchi in a Gorgonzola cream sauce
• Tagliatelle in a fresh vegetable and basil sauce
• Vanilla gelato with strawberries reduced in sugar and orange juice, brandy and balsamic vinegar

Pasta with veggies, meat & cheese snack, dessert
& gnocchi with a gorgonzola cream sauce

Stuffed and content, we left Moreno's Ristorante al Caminetto armed with three pasta and sauce recipes and a certificate of completion from his class. His five hour class went by so quickly, as he filled it with stories and jokes, making everyone feel right at home. If ever in the Milan or Como region, I would most definitely recommend a day trip to his restaurant, to spend cooking and enjoying an authentic taste of Italy! Moreno and Rosella make you feel right at home and will cater the class specifically to your wants and needs. All four of us thought the class was a great experience and it is something that I will always remember. I can't wait to attempt to recreate the gnocchis back in NY! 

After our cooking class in front of Ristorante il Caminetto

I never met a *Swiss* chocolate I didn't like!

Switzerland is known for their chocolate. They boast the best chocolate in the world and it's easy to taste why! Swiss chocolate is known for it's smooth texture and high quality due to the ingredients used and care that is taken in producing it. Although they import their cocoa, the milk comes from Swiss dairy cows raised outside on the mountains and the grasslands (They have organic diets). The Swiss also regulate what ingredients go into the chocolate and the ingredient ratios to ensure the highest quality. In many countries you can buy "chocolate" that isn't technically chocolate. However, if you buy Swiss chocolate you are guaranteed that it is real chocolate and completely manufactured in Switzerland!

Lugano has a few of its own chocolate shops in the city, the supermarkets have entire sections devoted to Swiss chocolate and located a few miles outside is the Alprose Chocolate Factory, where you can visit and take a tour.

Läderach Chocolate Shop Lugano

I always knew Swiss chocolate tasted good, and although surrounded by it here I never thought to ask why. Until I saw this statistic:

• The average Swiss eats 23lbs of chocolate per year compared to the 11.7lbs consumed by Americans!

The Swiss are the largest chocolate consumers in the world!! And with that little fun fact I stumbled upon I began to wonder about Swiss chocolate and the history behind it.

Chocolate was introduced to Switzerland in 1697 by the Zurich Mayor Heinrich Escher and was served in secret to various ruling guilds. Although enjoyed, it was banned in 1722 by the Zurich Council because they considered chocolate an aphrodisiac. A few decades later chocolate was reintroduced by the Italians and the first chocolate manufacture opened in 1750 in Bern. However, it didn't stay open for long. Nevertheless, chocolate did take and before the end of the century chocolate factories began to open up. (One even opened in Ticino, the canton of Lugano!) Since then the Swiss have continually made their chocolate the best in the world and are credited for many of the innovations that make chocolate what it is today.

• The first chocolate bar was produced in Switzerland by Francois Cailler in 1819 and the Cailler brand still exists today. (They are now owned by Nestle) 

Callier Dark Chocolate Bars

• Peter Suchard invented the mixing machine that combined the cocoa and sugar which it is still used today.
• Daniel Peter was able to successfully create milk chocolate by using Nestle's condensed milk instead of regular milk. Milk has a high water content that wouldn't combine with the cocoa and the milk turned the chocolate rancid quickly.

Milk Chocolate & Hazelnut Milk Chocolate from Alprose in Ticino!

• Rodolphe Lindt (of Lindt Chocolates) created a machine called a conch that makes the chocolate smoother and less bitter by breaking the chocolate and sugar into particles smaller than your tongue can detect. The longer the chocolate stays in the conch the higher the quality. Some chocolate stays in the conch for up to 72 hours.

Lindt Chocolates

Next time you buy chocolate make sure it's Swiss to enjoy the finest chocolate in the world!

*Title adapted from Deanna Troi in Star Trek: The Next Generation

For Coffee Lovers Only

So here I was thinking that ordering coffee in Europe would be the same as the US, and I was wrong. European coffee names are not the same as what America (and Starbucks, which I still love) has led us to believe. Therefore, in Lugano and other non-touristy cities you must be sure of what you're ordering. This past semester I've come to learn the actual differences in the multitude of espresso based drinks, through some trial and error. People have their one size only coffee in the cafe or bar and therefore to-go cups do not exist. I'm still trying to comprehend the reason behind this, and am currently unsure if I ever will. Therefore, I am ordering a large coffee to go right when I return to the states!

Un Caffe

Also known as espresso in the states, it is the basis of the specialty drinks described below. Espresso is just hot water run through coffee beans in a very concentrated manner. It has a higher caffeine volume than most beverages. In Europe, espresso is the caffeine drink of choice in the afternoons and after meals because you are not supposed to have hot milk after you eat. I don't like espresso and therefore, do not follow that rule.

Latte Macchiato:

Latte Macchiato literally means stained milk. Therefore, there is only about half a shot of espresso- not even a whole shot!! It took me a little while to realize this and have since stopped ordering it- because 1/2 a shot is not enough to get me through the day....The Latte Macchiato consists mostly of foam, rather than milk, and they make it by adding warm milk, espresso and than topping the rest off with milk, creating the layered effect seen below. The latte macchiato tastes more like a latte that you would get in the states. However, if you order a "latte" you will receive just hot milk, I can luckily say that I have not made that mistake!

Latte Macchiato and a berliner from Al Porto

Cappuccino 

The most popularized espresso drink. It's equal parts espresso (1 shot), milk and foam. The espresso is added first, followed by the hot milk and topped with foam. Sprinkled on top is usually cinnamon or chocolate, but here in Switzerland, they naturally choose chocolate. Originally cappuccinos were usually consumed in the morning as part of breakfast, however, now people order them in the afternoon at cafes as well.

Cappuccino and Raspberry Tart from Al Porto

Caffe Latte

This is just espresso added to hot milk. Out in restaurants and cafes they add just a little bit of foam to top the drink off. The Caffe latte is much stronger than the macchiato due to less milk and more espresso, which I personally prefer. It is usually ordered in the morning with breakfast. This has become my caffeine drink of choice, due to the stronger espresso taste.

Caffe Latte from Al Porto

Let's Talk Turkey!

Happy early Thanksgiving!! Thanksgiving is my ABSOLUTE favorite holiday. I love everything about it: being with family, helping my mom cook eating all of her delicious food, family football games, cousin pictures, etc. etc! (Side note: I spent many hours perched on the kitchen island after school chatting away with my mom watching her cook dinner. I have her to credit for my love of good food and the ability to cook.) We always have Thanksgiving at my house with my mom's entire family and guests. It usually ends up being around 30 people and this year does not disappoint!

Thanksgiving dinner table a few years ago

I won't be in Lugano on Thanksgiving and therefore will miss my friend's Thanksgiving dinner. I decided I still needed a little bit of Thanksgiving anyway so I decided to make pie. My mom sent me some Libby's pumpkin (one can for the pie and another for options like pumpkin oatmeal, which I am really excited to try next week), necessary spices and Nana's famous Pumpkin Pie recipe.

Surprisingly, Switzerland does not sell many baking ingredients like brown sugar, baking powder baking soda etc. Luckily, the only ingredient I was lacking for this recipe was brown sugar. I ended up attempting to make my own with white sugar and molasses, but due to the fact I don't have a mixer or blender it didn't really take on the brown sugar look...however, the proportions were correct so I threw caution to the wind and used it anyway. After a little over an hour of baking the pies were done.
My room now smells a little like Thanksgiving and I am really enjoying it. Tomorrow I'll bring the pie up to class so we can all have a little bit of home!

Finished Pumpkin Pie!

I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving! And in the spirit of Thanksgiving a little list with a few things I am thankful for :)

• A loving family
• Amazing friends
• My health
• My freedoms 
• My life
• The ability to travel and explore
• The Fall season & all things "fall"
• Good food & fine wine
• The Adirondacks (especially the escape & beauty it provides)
• Skype/iMessage (to easily keep in touch!)
• Coffee
• Colgate
• Photos & scrapbooks
• Laughter
• Fireplaces