El Nido, Palawan's Big and Small Lagoons and some Almond Macarons too!

The place is magical. And leaves me speechless. I have seen the other side of Palawan more than a decade ago. I thought back then that other side was already heaven on earth. I was wrong. The side that we visited a week ago was Nirvana. Not even photos can capture the beauty of the place. But taking photos is next to best thing to capture the memories. Taking photo gathers a recollection of the place, of every nook and cranny, and of the water that warms your exhausted body or your cold heart...

There are many things to do in El Nido, many places for your eyes to feast on and (there is your heart) full of memories that you can keep - the sea water lapping through the shore and against the cottage stilts and the roaring waves lulling you to sleep, or a cacophony of sound that you hear in the island upon waking up and the grand limestones along the thick vegetation of greens leaves a sweet smile on your lips.

Even writing this blog makes me heave a sigh of great contentment and gratitude for having enjoyed paradise for four (4) days that is El Nido Palawan.

We hired a private boat to see the islands of El Nido, Palawan. My sole intention for doing that was for us to be able to take our sweet time soaking in the vista around us and not having people to wait for us. Our first stop was the Big Lagoon. And as soon as we entered the Big Lagoon, we emphatically understood - why this place is the world's best island and why people who visit the place are held captivated.

The stillness of the place enthrals you. You commune with nature. The quietness is palpable as well as infectious. We didnt talk a lot, we were just quietly admiring nature. The beauty of the place is quite disarming. There is seemingly an unspoken agreement among the visitors on the other boats - not to ruin the stillness of the place. The place makes you happy; our happiness is quite obvious and you see other people mirror your emotion by and when they wave back at you from each passing boat. At least that's howI felt. 

Our second stop was the Small Lagoon. It is as impressive as the Big Lagoon. It seems detached - a haughty, petite and beautiful lady beckoning you to admire her yet she remains untouchable. I didn't have an underwater camera and I regretted the opportunity that I have lost.

Having said that,  with no technology to help me capture her beauty, I am forced to make an ode, as feeble as I am, of her beguiling and charming nature. An estuary leads to a small crevice to the small lagoon. And the small lagoon can only be reached by a kayak or if you swam through it. My husband and I paddled though the crevice to reach the small lagoon.

The water was so still - a duel of blue and green. The marine life was rich. You can practically see schools of fish as you peek through the water. The stillness seems revered punctuated only  by the singing of the birds and the trickling down of water through the cavities of the rocks. According to the Locals of El Nido, Palawan, the small lagoon used to be a cave with the roof stone that collapsed, thousands or a million years ago.

The experience to witness the lagoons seems surreal. The place looks surreal. El Nido Palawan is beautiful beyond measure. Its a place to find yourself again battered by the daily grind of life. I invite you to see the place for yourself, my truth is gold.

Nonewithstanding the rain hovering over us on most days we were there, and the grey sky threatening us of the great deluge anytime soon, the lagoons made a great impact on us, and no matter how long it will take, we shall return to the paradise on earth called El Nido Palawan.

Almond French Macaron by Laduree

Recipe for the macaron shells:

2 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp (275g) ground almonds

2 cups + 1 tbsp (250g) confectioners sugar

6 egg whites + half and egg white

1 cup + 1 tbsp (210g) granulated sugar

1. combine the ground almonds and confectioners sugar in a food processor and pulse to obtain a fine powder. then strain through a sieve to remove any lumps.

2. in a clean dry bowl, whisk 6 egg whites to a foam. once they are frothy, add a third of the granulated sugar and whip until sugar is dissolved then add another third of the granulated sugar and whip for another minute, finally add the remaining granulated sugar and whip for 1 more minute.

using a rubber spatula, delicately fold in the sifted mixture of ground almonds and confectioners sugar into the whipped egg whites. in a separate bowl whip the remaining egg white until just frothy, then add to the mixture folding it in gently to loosen the batter.

 3. transfer mixture to a piping bag fitted with a plain tip. on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, pipe small macaron rounds 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 in diameter. lightly tap the sheet so the macarons spread fully.

preheat oven to 300f/ 150c or gas mark 2 allow the macarons to sit uncovered for 10 minutes and then place them in the oven,bake for approximately 15 minutes until they form a slight crust.

4. remove from oven and with a small glass carefully pour a tiny amount of water in between the baking sheet and the parchment paper (lift the paper ever so slightly corner by corner).

the moisture and steam that result from the water on the hot baking sheet will allow the macarons to peel of easily once they are cool.

do not pour too much water or the macarons could become soggy.

allow them to cool completely.

Photo taken through my iphone

Photo taken through my iphone

Fillings:

150g butter

320g almond paste

120g unsweetened almond pulp (or heavy cream)

80ml whipping cream

Directions:

1. cut the butter into small pieces. put in a heat proof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water and soften until creamy, without allowing it to melt.

in a large bowl, thin the almond paste by mixing it with the almond pulp, add the chilled cream and softened butter and beat on high speed with an electric whisk.

spoon the cream into a piping bag fitted with a plain tip and pipe on to one of the shells and sandwich another on top.

keep macarons in an airtight container in the fridge for 12 hours before tasting. this is because during this time a reaction takes place among the ingredience further enhancing the flavour and texture.

Lemon Macarons

Today, I opened my blogsite after a long time. My heart did a flutter but my fingers froze...musing, do I have to? Mulling over, can I still do it? I don't think I can still write. I'm rusty. Real life has taken over. My writing skills wasn't made out of genetics I think. Unlike some people I know. I wasn't borne with great writing skills. Mine was nurtured over time and out of a requirement from studying - tons of reports and analyses, a thesis or two; Borne of writing emails, investigation reports and transcripts at work. And from reading - encircling those proses, phrases and words, remembering them and savouring their meaning. 

Reading has always been one of the things I love to do. I still do. Words and Proses especially those beautifully crafted almost always move me. I usually cant wait to finish reading beautiful words. I remember them. And like honey touching my lips, words are sweet. I love "flowery" words. To me, they have colours and beauty. They are alive. I used to memorise all the adjectives in Thesaurus too. 

While my writing skills isn't natural, my cooking and baking skills are. And I would like to think so, if you may. My legendary Mommy passed on to us, her kids, her natural skill in the kitchen. 

Since my words and phrases are filled with ineptness, let these photos do the talking. Let them move you as words do me. You can have the cake and eat it too.... Life is too short.

Lemon Macarons – Pierre Herme “Macaron”

300g ground almonds

300g icing sugar

110g egg whites “liquefied”

1/2g yellow gold food colouring (or 1 / 4 tsp. Coffee)

10g lemon yellow food coloring 

300g Granulated Sugar

75g of mineral water

110g egg whites “liquefied”

225g fresh whole eggs  

240g granulated sugar

8g Lemon zest

160g fresh lemon juice

350g unsalted butter

100g ground almonds

1. The day before, prepare the lemon cream. Rinse and dry the lemons. Zest the lemons so you have 4g of zest. Rub the zest into the sugar with your hands. Mix lemon juice, sugar/lemon and eggs in a bowl. Put it in a bain-marie. Whisk until the mixture is at 83/84C (this took forever and I’m not sure I got all the way!)

2. Leave to cool to 60C before adding the butter in pieces. Whip until the cream is smooth using an immersion blender, mixing for about 10 min. Pour the cream into a baking dish. Press plastic wrap onto the surface of the cream and keep it in refrigerator overnight.

3. On the next day, sift the icing sugar with the almond powder. I tend to put this almond/sugar mix in a food processor for a good few pulses because the store bought ground almonds are apparently not as fine as a professional kitchens use and this can effect the way the wet is absorbed by the dry goods. Mix the colourings in the first amount of “liquefied” egg whites. Add this to the icing sugar/almond mix but don’t mix together.

photo taken with my Iphone

4. Boil the water and sugar to 118C. Once the syrup is at 115C, simultaneously, begin to whisk the second amount of “liquefied” white eggs. Pour the 118C sugar syrup onto the whites down the side of the mixer bowl avoiding the whisk. Continue to whisk and let cool to 50C before adding them to the sugar-almond mix.

5. With a rubber spatula, fold it into the icing sugar almond powder whilst turning the bowl through a quarter turn on each fold. When the dough just begins to shine, it is ready. The batter will resemble a cake mixture being a bit runny. Online this stage is often described as looking like magma, which I take to mean the batter should form a ribbon that keeps its shape for around 10 seconds.

6. Pour it into a pastry bag fitted with a No. 11 plain tip. Pipe the mixture into circles about 3.5cm in diameter, spacing them every 2cm on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Tap the baking sheets on a work surface covered with a kitchen towel to let any air bubbles rise out. Let the shells crust for at least 30 min – they should go from shiny to a slightly duller look that wont stick to your finger if you lightly touch one. This rest is to help to develop the proper “feet”.

7. Preheat oven to 180C. Put the baking sheets into the oven. Bake for 12 minutes quickly opening the oven door twice during baking first at 8 minutes the at 10. Out the oven, slide the parchment and shells on the work surface. For me this has always been too high a temperature I cook at around 160C and for a little less time but it all depends on your oven but you don’t want them to brown so bear this in mind.

8. Mix the lemon cream with almond powder. Pour it into a pastry bag fitted with a plain no.11 tip and pipe generous amounts onto half the shells and top with a second shell. Store in the refrigerator overnight to obtain the perfect texture.

Photo taken with my Iphone

Pierre Herme's Salted Caramel Macarons

This is the second part of Pierre Herme's famous macarons that I have been blabbing about; And while in my previous macaron blogs, I succinctly announced that I prefer baking over eating them as they are extremely sweet for my taste, and that they will never see the light of day in my kitchen, I am actually eating my own words right now, with pun intended; These particularly macarons taste like Paris! And when I say Paris, it is synonymous to all things beautiful and nice. Who would have thought that the day will finally come that I can actually say, I dont know which one I prefer more, baking or eating them. They really changed my worldview overnight. I love them now and they are definitely a keeper. Don't get me wrong, I can bake macarons on end, but what's probably stopping me at the moment is the love handle that is slowly showing its ugly head. Hehehe...

I opted for the salted caramel flavour hoping to pull back to earth the romantic notion over salted caramel flavoured macarons - they frequent in novels and magazines I have had the chance to read in the past.  Truth be told, salted caramel deserves that special place often associated with romance. And if these novels and magazines were to describe the taste as seemingly being in heaven, then I say, "I couldn't agree more".  

Also,  since my brother in-law, Andrew invited us for an intimate family gathering for his birthday over the weekend, I might as well bring in special treats for him and our family. And as Andrew loves anything French, nothing can be more fitting than these macarons for his birthday celebration. 'Bon appétit'

*Adapted by http://theboywhobakes.co.uk/2009/08/pierre-hermes-salted-caramel-macarons/

Macaron Recipe

300g Icing Sugar

300g Ground Almonds

110g Liquified Egg Whites (separated and left on the counter for at least 48hrs)

15g Coffee Extract

15g “Egg Yolk” Food Colouring

300g Sugar

75g Water

110g Liquified Egg Whites

Salted Caramel Cream

200g Sugar

330g Whipping Cream

30g  Salted Butter + 140g Softened Salted Butter

Make the Macarons:

1. Sift the Ground Almonds and Icing sugar together (supermarket bought ground almonds are not fine enough so I always grind the mixture, called tant pour tant, further in a food processor and then sift this)

2. Mix the first portion of egg whites with the food colouring and coffe extract, add this to the almond/sugar mixture but dont mix.

3. Put the water and sugar in a saucepan and heat until it reaches 118C. Take off the heat and let cool till 115C. At the same time add the second batch of egg whites to the mixer and beat to soft peaks. Keep the mixer running and when the syrup cools to 115C slowly pour it down the side of the mixer and keep mixing until the meringue cools to 50C.

4. Fold in the egg whites in 3 additions and mix gently until it flows like magma (this wording is not from the book but is commonly listed as advice but has always been confusing to me as I dont really know what magma flows like) This time I used the description that the mixture should fall from your spatula in smooth ribbon and should disappear into the batter in about 10 seconds).

5. Add the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a plain tip and pipe into rounds about 3.5cm in diameter on a parchment/silpat lined baking sheet. Let the pipped shells sit out for 30 minutes to enable them to develop a skin before baking.

6. Preheat the oven to 180C before baking for 12 minutes opening the oven door quickly twice.  (not too sure why this is but I did it anyway). Once taken out of the oven slide the parchment/silpat onto a wire rack to cool.

Make the Caramel:

1. Add about 50g of sugar to a saucepan, let this melt then add another 50g sugar and let this melt. Continue three times until all 200g of sugar has been incorporated and melted (can anyone tell me why its done in this way I have never heard of making caramel this way).

2. Let the syrup caramelise until it has turned a very dark amber. Remove from the heat and add the 30g butter. Add the cream which will spatter and bubble and may seize up and harden but will melt in the next stage.

3. Put the pan back on the heat and cook until it reaches 108C on a candy thermometer. Pour into a dish and cover with plastic wrap to avoid it developing a skin. Let this cool, I left it about 10 minutes which was not enough as it melted the butter in the next stage so let it cool until it wouldn’t melt butter.

4. Beat the remaining butter for 8 to 10 minutes and then incorporate the caramel in 2 additions. Add this to a piping bag fitted with a plain tip and pipe into half of the shells and then sandwich another shell on top. Store the Macarons in the refrigerator for 24hrs and then remove 2hrs before serving.

Pierre Herme's Mint Chocolate Macarons

I have been dreaming of macarons of late. It could have been evoked by the vivid and powerful imagery of Pierre Herme's lustful, sexy and decadent macarons.  Going to Paris now just to purchase Herme's macarons would probably cost us an arm and a leg. The need to satisfy the palate is palpable. And I was quite determined to quench THE need. With conscious effort and sheer determination, I researched through the power of internet in order to find the best macarons in town. I have been meaning to buy the cookbook of Piere Herme online but I was delaying it a bit as I have just purchased the cookbooks of Peter Reinhart, whose creations - I have tried and tested -  are a subject of another blog entry in a day or two. And as luck would have it, I found some recipes of the famous macarons of the equally famous Pierre Herme.   I gave them a try and oh my, I was transported to the city of light even for a few seconds as I bite into the sweet, gentle, delicious meringue sandwich and the decadent, smooth dark chocolate with a hint of peppermint white chocolate in between...Je suis en amour!

* Lifted from the pages of http://theboywhobakes.co.uk/

Ingredients:
300g Ground Almonds
300g Icing Sugar
110g Egg Whites, aged
5g (or depending how you like your macaron's colouring be) Green Food Colouring
300g Granulated Sugar
75g Water
110 Egg Whites, aged

1. Mix the ground almonds and icing sugar together. Sieve into a large bowl. Mix the colouring into the first portion of egg whites and pour this onto the sugar/almond mixture but don’t mix in.

2. Pour the water and sugar into a saucepan and swirl together. Add the second portion of egg whites to a mixer fitted with the whisk. Cook the syrup to 118C. Once the mixture reaches 115C start the mixer on high. Once the syrup reaches 118C take straight of the heat and pour in a thin stream down the side of the mixer bowl continuing to whisk on high.

3. Continue to whisk the meringue on high until the side of the bowl is no longer hot. You still want it a little warm, around 50C. Add all of the meringue to the bowl with the almond sugar mixture.

4. Using a large spatula fold the mixture together until it starts to shine and forms a ribbon that stays visible for about 30 seconds.

5. Add the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a plain tip and pipe into alternating lines onto parchment lined baking sheets. Set aside for about 30 minutes or until the macarons have formed a skin that doesn’t stick to your finger.

6. Whilst the macarons are drying preheat your oven to 140C. Once ready bake the macarons for around 13 mintues. Remove the baking trays and immediately slide off the macarons and the parchment onto the work surface and let cool completely before removing the shells.

Whipped White Chocolate and Mint Ganache:

adapted from About.com

8 Ounces / 226g white chocolate

1/2 Cup / 120ml heavy cream

1 tsp peppermint extract

1. Place the chopped up chocolate into a medium bowl, set aside. Bring the cream just to a boil then pour over the chocolate. Stirring from the centre outwards mix until you have a smooth ganache. It will be much thinner than usual but thats how you want it.

2. Chill the ganache in the fridge until chilled then whisk until thickened and is in a pipeable consistency.

Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache:

Pierre Herme – Chocolate Desserts

8 ounces / 230g bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 cup / 250g heavy cream

4 tblsp / 60g unsalted butter, room temperature

1. Place the chocolate in a medium bowl, set aside. Bring the cram to a full boil in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Whilst the cream is coming to a boil beat the butter with a rubber spatula untilvery soft and creamy, set aside.

2. Once the cream reaches a boil take off the heat and gently stir into the chocolate using a spatula. Continue to stir, gently so as not to incorporate any air, until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Let the ganache cool for a minute or two.

3. Add half the butter and stir with a spatula until smooth, repeat with the rest of the butter. Once fully incorporated the ganache will be smooth and glossy. Let the ganache cool on the counter until thickened and pipeable.

THOSE French Macarons

I failed at my first attempt, because I over whipped my egg whites. So off my first batch of peach macarons into the rubbish bin. And so I wonder, is it really that difficult? What is it about these french macarons that make lovers love in Paris. What is it about french macarons that embody chichood - for lack of better term -  of the city of light. A lot had been said about macarons, even creating that of long standing rivalry between Laduree and Pierre Herme. I dont know who has the better world view because I haven't tried both. I created my own instead.

Mindful of the warning of no over whipping of egg whites this time, I started anew. Endeavouring on 2nd and 3rd attempts, I came out the better man with my flashy, shiny, gooey and frenchy macarons. And so I hung up my apron and put my mixer to rest for the night, because, I made them well and good.  And so - pardon my french, I whistled my way out of kitchen because I made these bloody good macarons. And so with modesty, I pat my back - I have done good my dear friends and sigh my ineffable relief.

*Snagged from http://www.bisousatoi.com with some tweaks along the way

Ingredients

Swiss Meringue (I know its French Macarons but use the swiss, its the easiest. Hehehe!)

80g egg white (at room temperature)

65g caster sugar

80g ground almond

140g icing sugar

1/2tsp lemon juice

colouring powder (of your choice), you can use concentrate or powder, but don't use the liquid type to avoid runny mixture 

Filling

Chocolate Ganache

100g dark chocolate 

50g whipping cream

Method

Swiss Meringue Macarons:

1. Line 2-3 baking trays with baking sheet  

2. Use a round cookie cutter, press it into some cocoa powder or flour.

3. Use the cookies cutter to make some round imprint on the silicon sheet and set aside.

4. Sift icing sugar and almond together and set aside.

5. Pour sugar and egg white into a heatproof pan and place it over a saucepan of simmering water.

6. Stir constantly until sugar has dissolved and the mixture is warm to the touch (about 50 to 55C).

7. Pour the egg white and lemon juice into the mixing bowl with the whisk attachment and beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks then add in the powder colouring.

8. Continue to beat until the egg white has cooled down and it look smooth and shiny. (medium peak but not dry) DO NOT OVER WHIP. 

9. Fold in the sifted mixture in 4 portions into the meringue. Do not over fold batter until it turn watery, batter should be slightly thicker than cake batter.

10.Spoon batter into a piping bag and pipe it within the round imprint which had made earlier on.

11.Let the macarons to rest for at least 30mins. I rested mine for an hour and they came out fine.

12.Preheat oven to 150C.

13.Bake a tray at a time for 20-25mins, depend on individual oven. 

14.Let macarons rest on the tray for at least 5 minutes before removing them from the baking sheet. Let cool on a wire rack. 

Chocolate Ganache:

1. Heat up the whipping cream.

2. Pour it into the dark chocolate and stir until it melted and smooth (I used toblerone since I have some bars left from my Double Chocolate Bundt Cake)

3. Leave it aside to set. (Slightly thicken for piping.)