Nurul's Farewell (and simply delicious Pistachio Macaron recipe!)

adoiii la haiii....tuan punya diri dah sebulan sampai msia, baru hegeh nak update citer.

sedih tau besfren kita kt sini nak balik msia for good (for the time being la, hopefully ada rezeki balik kampung aberdeen balik aminnn)

apa daaa....kita baru je habis tempoh melankolik homesick kembali merantau and tukar status SAHM, dia lak rezeki kembali ke tempat asal, kita hanya merancang Allah jua yang menentukan dan Maha Mengetahui yang terbaik untuk hambanya, kan?

untuk meraikan farewell kecil-kecilan keberangkatan pulang Nurul and family, kami pun berbesar hati lah menjemput rakan2 rapat geng gagak hitam ni makan2 di teratak comel. at this time diorg dah hari terakhir kena keluar rumah and stay dekat hotel dah, so alhamdulillah rezeki pada hari2 terakhir di Aberdeen tu ada je orang jemput datang rumah untuk farewell, ye la nak organize satu jamuan farewell besar sekali harung camne lak nak dpt venue dan penganjur ye tak? 

Blueberry Cheesecake, belated birthday cake for Kakak Sarah, sorry la Sarah anty memang tak sempat nak survey and beli hadiah, failed big time nak fikir apa hadiah sesuai for 8 year old girl, apa yg budak sekarang suka eh? serius xde idea.

Seri Muka from Mummy Ina, karipap daging by tuan rumah comel

Ayam Masak Pedas aka Ayam Ungkep, Sambal Belacan dan ulaman.

kali ni konsep makanan ala kampung, jemu pulak asal buat makan2 je nasi yg berperisa so 

kali ni makan nasi putih je, memang layannnn

dalam periuk tertutup tu ada Gulai Kambing (sedapppp la pulak kambing gulai ni hoi, hasil mengorek resepi di google, masakan gulai ala kelantan, wah mentang2 suami kelantan celup sokmo masak lauk kelate uolls), Udang Masak Lemak dengan Nenas, Ayam Goreng for kids, Sayur Campur dengan Egg Tofu.

cheerful kiddos, diorang ni asal nyanyi2 besday memang suka la kan. ni je gambar bebudak yang ada, gambar mak2 dan anty2 budak memang nan ado lah ye, very the busy top up food, prepare hot drinks, jenguk bebudak kat atas, and of course chit chatting. Nurul siap ada bagi hadiah lagi sorang satu, wah meriah dah macam krismas lak hehe.

lambakan Macaron, memandangkan minggu tu last week sekolah memang dah plan buat macaron ni banyak2 dari minggu sebelum tu lagi, a week before sediakan shell yang pink dengan purple pastu masuk freezer, senang je kan? then hari isnin tu bake warna hijau dengan putih lak. sekali harung la ni dengan krismas goodies untuk teacher Mya. 

kitorang buat hari Jumaat malam, memang party sakan weolls, gelak2 sampai sakit perut. in fact the next morning nak bangun cam mamai and pening2 kepala haha..pastu cakap kt mi amor,'adoiii mama hangover la papa..sakitnye badannn...peningnya kepala agaknya cam ni la kut omputih rasa kalau malam tu dok minum todi banyak parti2 kan?' wah gitu hangover katanya.

memang merangkak beb nak turun katil. ye la kan, nak prepare bahan masak or rewang hari sebelum tu dah kena siap2, 3 hari sebelum balun buat karipap frozen, 2 hari sebelum dok sakit hati prepare filling untuk macaron kalerful bertuah tu asyik tak jadik je (ada ke patut tengah pukul butter buat buttercream split sampai berair?? sedihhhh)  pastu hari khamis elok lak cik abang dondang sayang tu dok ajak jugak teman gi dentist, uwaaa....camne nak teman lak mama nak gi beli barang yang x cukup, nak buat kek, nak blend itu, nak buat ini, rumah x kemas lagi, meja tak susun, bunga x masuk pasuuu...tak nak ikot boleh? kena teman gak ke?

cannot ye. arahan pihak atasan, kena gak ikut. dia cakap kira dating la ni. dating berjumpa dentist and tengok hasil x-ray gigi. hahaha. 

but its okey, had fun laughing out loud tengok x-ray gigi yang senget nak kena cabut tu. ;P

as for Nurul, really hope and doa supaya semua urusan dia and family nak settle down balik msia dipermudahkan, ahli ketat geng mengopi ni tau! sedih giler masa hantar kt airport, melopong mya tengok mama nangis. dah hilang sorang kawan rapat. huhu.

even kitorg ni beza umur dan bukan sebaya tapi memang boleh ngam and jadi rapat sebab satu kepala, ye la kan mummies2 yang boleh jumpa selalu and mengopi bersama baper orang je kan, yg sahm je la, kalau yang sambung belajar tu camne nak melepak bagai, kalau ada event baru la dapat jumpa tanya khabar. 

haih. *sigh*

so glad these babies went down so well with the guests, semua pun suka! 

sebenarnya kan, filling tu kan cam ala2 tak jadi sebab tetibe split jadi berair la apa kan. bencik tau.

dah la ambitious giler nak buat banyak perisa; nutella ganache, raspberry, blueberry, pistachio.

disyaki punca adalah dari butter tak berkualiti iaitu jenama pasaraya. haha. padan muka.

itu je la punca yang boleh dijadikan teori, puas dah dok kaji apa la masalahnya kau ni butter oh butter.

memang tak pernah yang ong la dengan buttercream, 

manjang bad luck dari masa buat kek besday mya lagi.

bayangkan la, dah siap pistachio buttercream masuk dalam piping bag. 

pastu letak la atas meja and sambung buat filling lain, 

sekali tengok balik boleh bertakung air kt bahagian bawah piping bag tu. 

frust ahkak. terus snip lubang kecik and keluarkan air, still berair lagi, keluarkan filling and letak atas kitchen towel tebal2 untuk serap air. time ni dah lemah semangat dah, penat pun ye.

sedihhh kannn...

tu belum masuk citer yg blueberry dengan raspberry uolls. sama je tahap disaster dia

end up raspberry tu cam tak jadik ;(

perasan tak bahagian muncung bag filling pistachio tu cam berair? 

sedih rupa paras dia tak semenggah, sebab rasa dia sangat lah sedappppnye la hai!

dah macam kilang macaron santa claus

krismas goodies untuk cikgu cikgi, tak dan nak deko bagai letak je la kad warna2 

corak2 apa yang ada lebih buat bunting bilik mya. 

yg bestnya lepas naik term baru teacher siap bagi thank you card, specifically mentioned dia enjoy makan the cookies during holiday. awww...sweet kan diorang ni? kalau bab appreciation, bagi kad ucapan thank you for courtesy memang patut dicontohi. minggu last sekolah tu even mya pun dapat byk holiday card dari classmates, tu baru primary 1 uolls, umur 5 tahun. malu mak si mya ni takde prepare pape untuk balas balik wish kt budak2 yang bagi tu huhu...thats why la untuk cikgu berazam nak buat something yang homemade, can prepared in advance and frozen. 

and boleh hidang untuk party jugak,ye tak? FYI, si Sarah, Nurul's eldest girl tu hantu macaron just like Mya.

lepas tengok Nurul berjaya buat macaron comel jugak la yang buat kita rasa bersemangat sangat nak try bermacaron sampai jadik, si Sarah ni la yang dok stadi resepi untuk mummy dia, research detail okey.

siap btau tips baper kali kena kacau adunan sume. hoho.

tercabar tak uolls kalau budak 8 tahun btau tips buat macaron secara teori? ;P

so bila Sarah cakap anty lin is the best, pistachio ni so yummy bla bla

wah happy sangat, hilang penat maki hamun drama air mata dengan buttercream haha

close up sket, ni snap masa hari hangover tu. ada la baper ketui je lebih dari party malam tadi.

untuk resepi shells tu yang basic je, boleh gunakan mana2 resepi yang uolls dah serasi.

for me, warna pink tu guna red coloring powder.

yang purple guna water based purple color, which is tak vibrant langsung wpun dah curah sebotol.

and hijau ku hentam je pandan paste, haha tu je yang ado.

kalau nak warna yang menyerlah guna gel, paste, atau powdered food coloring okey.

kat sini takde pilihan, kalau nak kena beli online. tak kuasa la kan delivery je dah baper.

takpe balik msia esok akan ku tapau segala mak nenek flavorings.

resepi kat bawah untuk pistachio aje ye, yg blueberry dengan chocolate usah ditanya.

sebab dah penat and tak larat main campak je. huhu.

blueberry tu, basic cream cheese frosting campur dengan blueberry compote (blueberry fresh yang dimasak dengan air yg sangat sedikit, gula dan lemon juice ikut citarasa tahap masam manis)

nutella chocolate ganache pulak; satu bar milk/dark choc dicairkan, letak cream sket, nutella 2 sudu besar and kacau sebati.


PISTACHIO FILLING
Source: foodnouveau.com

45 g unsalted and shelled pistachios
1 cup powdered sugar - sila kurangkan sket ye, letak 1 cup ni cam manis sgt
6 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon vanilla extract - yg ni sy x letak

Finely grind the pistachios with the powdered sugar in a food processor.
Cream this mixture with the softened butter until you reach a creamy consistency.
Incorporate the vanilla extract. If the cream is too thick or won’t blend well, add a tiny bit of cream or milk until you reach the right consistency.

my French Macaron journey, and the inspiration behind it (^_^)

le Macaron.

kenangan entah kali ke 3 dengan kali ke 4 buat kut, out of entire batch tu yang ada rupa sebanyak atas piring tu je la haha sedehhhh... ;P tapiii...shell chocolate tu addictive woi sangat sedap dikunyah begitu sahaja

*sigh*

macam susah je, macam leceh je...haha nak jugekk ber'macam..macam..' mula tu ingat kan apa ke benda la macam comel macam kiut ni...rupanya wabak video baru, almaklumlah duk benua lain lambat sikit nak catch up naik ketapi ;P

anyway, macaron.

dulu memang tak suka pun nak makan, tapi anak bertuah saya ni la suka bebeno.

dia memang. benda kiut, colorful, pastu manis harus la suka. semua orang tau la kut bila cakap pasal macarn je seram sejuk nak buat. memang leceh. they are really cerewet, finicky little cutie.

lepas tu siap challenge mama lagi;

mama....buat la macaron lagiii...mya sukeee....seddapp sangat!
mama dah buat la mya tapi tak jadii....huhu...
mama, take ipad...kan? mama bukak la video dekat youtube tu..then mama learn la dengan anty tu. learn sampai pandai okey mama?

erk. betul jugak tu kan. awat la mama ni sengal sangat ek? tak terfikir lak nak belajar betul2 dengan acik youtube (-_-')

lantas dengan papa yang out of town ada course kat London for 3 days, terus ting! datang idea nak spend masa lapang yang tak payah masak dengan register kelas macaron one-to-one dengan acik youtube.

semangat prepare bahan sume. papa belum masuk teksi dah kuarkan bahan. teksi gerak je terus trrrrrrr....on mixer membancuh. haha macam tu la penangan ketagihan macaron ni, berhantu sungguh. malam sebelum tu siap bersengkang mata stadi banyak2 video tau. tengah tido mimpi pun nampak gula dengan almond. ;P

untuk kelas pertama;
guna resepi Beth's Foolproof Macaron, full recipe kena klik 'Show More' dekat 'About' okey.

hasil eksperimen adalah seperti berikut:

rupa ada tapi tak perfect, sebab batter agak kering, dry ingredients punya sukatan sangat banyak okeh. 2 cawan icing sugar kau...pastu telur putih 2 biji, ahkak pulak main ambik je telur tak check saiz large ke free range punya. rasakan la sampai lenguh nak mengacau sebab berat. kesimpulannya, secara teori mungkin tak jadi sebab pakai telur saiz medium, plus suhu oven yang tinggi. tapi nak try pakai telur besar with the same recipe dah tak boleh sebab icing sugar dah nak habis. so kita teruskan uji kaji dengan resepi ke-2 okey.

sangat tak cantik, naik menggelembung and over baked.

kelas kedua dengan acik youtube and resepi baru:
kali ni guna resepi lain, as noted below from yumsugar.com. kali ni guna egg whites from large eggs, tak sempat nak aged ka putih telur tu pun, habis cuci mixing bowl from the first batch terus start resepi ni, again suka sebab pakai sukatan cawan. dasarrrr...hahaha...

hasilnyaa....

the moment where saya terjoget2

sekarang cuaca sangat sejuk, walaupun sejuk kering tapi kalau nak bukak tingkap untuk salai cik macs ni mau beku dengan tuan dia sekali. so beginilah ye panaskan oven kejap, tutup thenletak di jemuran cam ni.

esok bangun pagi terus mula projek lagi, 3rd batch guna resepi yang sama (^_^)

this time buat a hint of yellow for lemon curd macaron. err...nak cakap guna coloring apa untuk dapat kaler kuning cair tu pun sogan, pendek kata kalau org french tau ni mau amukan, offended terus bahaha..dah itu je yang den ado dik non..belasahhh...

still sukses! yeayy...suka suka..

ada a few steps yang penting to get perfect tau, the meringue and proses kacau batter to get the right consistency (macaronage - you just have to know when to stop beating), then the drying process and finally suhu oven aka the baking.

for the first two key points above, I found another video that can be helpful =)

check it out okeh, how stiff to beat the egg whites and the perfect consistency for the batter. dah la suara comel. bukti kalau takde gadget or flashy mixer bukan alasan untuk tidak membaking sebab adik suara comel ni pakai hand whisk old skool je ;)

once you got the hang of it, given trusted recipes and reliable oven, insya Allah jadi.

and mannn, it is addictive to bake this thing! ketagihan makin menebal the moment macaron menjadi dengan comelnya, terjoget-joget sengsorang tak sedar jiran ada kat luar, which happen memang kenal sebab anak dia satu sekolah dengan mya. cis..nasib baik ko jiran jauh sikit.

ah lantak, macaron dah jadi! yippiee!!

but harus diingat, with macaron beginners luck is almost impossible. it took me about 6 to 7 attempts (first time buat kt msia failed miserably, buat kelam kabut and nak cepat) to get it right. pastu bila buat tak jadi bukan nak buat notes ke apa kan. merasa la kau membazir ground almond dengan icing sugar. nasib baik la ground almond tu tak mahal kat sini, kalau kt msia tu tercekik gak la nak bayau...
bila tak jadi lagi la sakit hati kan.

kadang tu batter consistency dah okey, tapi suhu oven lak buat hal. ikut jenis oven masing-masing la kan, with mine guna suhu 140C around 14-16 minutes baking will be perfect.

kesimpulannya, kena rajin buat research and tengok vidoe kat youtube.
although you might end up feeling more confuse lepas dah baca banyak2 resepi. confusing confusing...

 

but when you get right, its worth it kan? Lemon Curd and Raspberry Macaron =)

sumber inspirasi mama untuk bermacaron, tapi dia cakap lepas ni mama have to go to the baking shop, to learn some more. haiya this cinonet customer ah....

NOTA PENTING:
1. use LARGE EGGS with this recipe okey dahlings, it work for me and trust me you dont want to end up with dry mixture, I've been there. not good.

2. For first timer, use powdered food coloring if you want to add color. Letak sekali masa ayak together icing sugar dengan almond meal ye.


BASIC FRENCH MACARON
Source: www.yumsugar.com

INGREDIENTS

2/3 cup almond meal or ground almonds
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 large egg whites at room temperature and preferably aged up to 3 days (i dont aged mine, egg whites are easier to be separated when its still cold, then just leave the whites to room temperature)
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (yang ni saya tak letak)

1/4 teaspoon serbuk pewarna merah (yang ni tambah sendiri, ayak sekali dengan icing sugar dan ground almond tu)

DIRECTIONS

The basic meringue-style French macaron is merely the springboard for your wildest color and flavor combinations. Try adding a teaspoon of Dutch-process cocoa and red gel food coloring for a red velvet macaron, or a 1/4 teaspoon rose extract and pink gel food coloring for rose. Always add the dry flavorings to the almond meal/powdered sugar mixture and the extracts/gel color to the meringue.

1. Preheat the oven to 280º and position two racks in the lower section of the oven. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. If you have time, draw 1-inch circles on the back of each sheet, spacing the circles at least 1/2-inch apart. (I just start to preheat the oven lepas dah siap pipe semua shells and sementara tunggu shell kering, kalau nak cepat letak dalam oven suam dengan pintu oven terbuka atau salai bawah kipas, kat sini kipas nan ado)
2. If your almond meal is very coarse, grind it with the powdered sugar in a food processor until fine. Sift the almond meal-powdered sugar mixture twice through a mesh sieve.
3. Place egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand mixer) and begin to beat on medium-high. When the eggs are frothy, gradually add granulated sugar one tablespoon at a time until fully incorporated. Continue to beat the egg white mixture until glossy and stiff peaks form when you lift the beaters. (kalau terbalikkan mangkuk meringue tak jatuh and puncak meringue tu elok terpacak tak bengkok, get it? haha kalau tak faham refer video okey ;P )
4. Gently stir in the vanilla extract. Be careful to not overbeat the meringue (e.g., the meringue takes on a clumpy texture).
5. Add half of the sifted almond mixture and gently fold it into the meringue using a flexible silicone spatula. Lift from the bottom, up around the sides, and toward the middle, being careful to not overagitate the meringue and lose too much air. Once the almond mixture is predominantly incorporated, add the second half and repeat the folding motion.
6. When the almond mixture is just incorporated, you will need to transform the batter into the appropriate texture. Using the flat of the spatula, "punch" down into the center of the batter, then scrape more batter from the sides to the center, and punch again. You will need to repeat this 10-15 times (or more, depending on your arm strength and the beginning texture of your batter) until the batter slowly and continuously drips back into the bowl when you scoop it up with the spatula. Think of the consistency of molten lava. (refer to the youtube video for the right consistency okey, this process is called 'macaronage', undermixed - cracked macaron; overmixed - no feet and spreading macaron). For the best results, punch the batter a few times, check the consistency, then punch a few more times, etc. Do not make the batter too runny or the macarons won't rise as they should, and you could end up with oil stains on the surface.
7. Pour batter into a pastry bag fitted with a 0.4-inch tip. In a pinch, you can also use a gallon size Ziploc bag: just snip a teeny bit from one of the bottom corners. Twist and clip the top of the bag to avoid overflow. On your prepared baking sheets, pipe out 1-inch rounds in the circles you drew (remember to draw the circles on the back side of your parchment to avoid ink or pencil stains on your macarons!).
8. Holding the baking sheet in both hands, rap each baking sheet firmly on the counter two or three times. This smooths out the tops and helps form the "pied" or frilly foot on the bottoms of the macarons. Allow the piped macarons to dry, uncovered, for at least 15 minutes. The macarons should form a very thin, smooth crust where, if you tap it lightly with your finger, the batter will not stick to your finger. If after 15 minutes, the batter is still sticky, let it dry longer. This may take up to an hour on humid days.
9. Place both baking sheets in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes. After the first 2 minutes, open the oven to allow any excess humidity to escape. Halfway through, swap oven racks and rotate the sheets for even baking. (yang ni saya tak buat, just bake one tray each even though my oven is fan assisted, 140C for up to 10 minutes, kalau still underdone tapak macaron melekat baru lah tukar position tray, rotate depan ke belakang then tambah lagi masa baking for another five minutes. Nak senang pakai silicone baking mat like Silpat)
10. The macarons are done when they are baked all the way through and the shells are just hard. Take care to not underbake (insides will still be mushy) or overbake (tops will begin to brown). Remove them from the oven, and cool on baking sheet placed on a wire rack.
11. When fully cooled, assemble the macarons with your choice of filling. The assembled macarons can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Makes about 4 dozen macaron halves (about 2 dozen complete macarons).