Day 3

Brunch
Katherine Munire (owner and chef of restaurant, Étape du Randonneur) : Salade with Pélardon Cheese and Chicken.

Desert
Macarons Praliné Noisette
Every ingredient in this French delicacy must be precisely weighed. If the proportions are off at all, your macarons will come out less than perfect. The amount of time you spend mixing the batter will also determine if the cookies will resemble the real thing. It is so difficult to make these sandwiches correctly that you can spend up to 3 euros each On this ping pong ball sized cookie!

150g powdered sugar
90g ground almonds

75g egg whites (about 2 ½)
1 pinch cream of tarter
35g sugar

parchment paper

1 Mix the ground almonds and powdered sugar.

2 Whip the egg whites with the cream of tarter until it forms peaks, gradually add the sugar.

3 Add the powder mixture to the egg whites and fold with a spatula until mixture is shiny. (You are essentially overmixing, but not overovermixing. It will take time to get this recipe right)

4 Pipe it out onto baking sheets (you can use a zip lock with the corner cut out, or use what we used—disposable pastry bags). Sometimes it is easier to get consistently sized cookies if you draw circles on your parchment paper before piping.

5 Bake at 180˚ for 11-12 minutes. After 5 minutes turn the temp down to 160. And open the oven door every once in a while to keep the humidity out.

Hazelnut Praline Cream
(I made this before hand, but here is the recipe if you’d like to try it at home!)
3 egg yolks

90g sugar
45ml water

150g butter, softened
50g hazelnut praline (I bought it at G. Detout)

1 Start by mixing the egg yolks together in a bowl.

2 Stir the water and sugar together in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved, and then heat to 115˚C (on a candy thermometer) Steam will appear, but don’t let this get too hot!

3 Do not stir the sugar after you have begun cooking it (you may cause it to crystallize) but you can move the pan around if you want.

4 When the sugar is at 115˚C, you may SLOWLY add the sugar to the egg yolks (you don’t want sweet scrambled eggs) while continuously stirring.

5 Once the sugar is incorporated, never stop stirring, add the butter, and then the hazelnut praline. The mixture should be soft but not too soft. Experiment with the texture here, using a fridge to cool it off and a second or two in the oven to warm it again.

6 When you think it has come to the right consistency to pipe, put it in a pastry bag and make some sandwiches!

Note: The only advice I can give you for these little devils is: Don’t get frustrated, and don’t give up!






Dinner

Cauliflower Gratin

Escarole and Belgian Endive Salad with Pink Lady Apples, Crème Fraiche and Roquefort.