Passion Fruit Chocolate Macarons - Step by Step Recipe

I am about to head out to the Food Bloggers of Canada Conference , so before I am off I thought I would share a new macarons recipe that I have been working on. The first time I made these, I used a very dark chocolate which ended up being too bitter and made it hard for the passion fruit flavour to come through. This time, I used Valrhona Manjari 64%  chocolate recommended by Jacqueline Jacek that I had picked up while at the Jacek Chocolate 104st opening back in August. I am much happier with this chocolate passion fruit ganache and the macarons taste way better this time round! 

Passion Fruit Macaron Shells

Directions: 

1. To know what equipment and materials you need to make macarons, visit my Macaron 101 post. Then, follow with my Macaron 102  post for learning how to make the macaron shells. 
2. The only difference is that you will need 2 drops of yellow gel food colouring and 1 drop of red gel food colouring for the passion fruit shell colour. 
3. After the shells have been baked and cooled, prepare to make the passion fruit chocolate ganache.

Passion Fruit Chocolate Ganache Filling

Ingredients:

• 200g Valrhona Manjari 64%
• 200g cream
• 1-2 tsp of freeze dried passion fruit powder

Directions:

1. Measure out all the ingredients. Roughly chop the chocolate pieces with a serrated knife.
   
2. Set up a double boiler and melt the chocolate. Meanwhile in a another pot bring the cream to a boil. Use a whisk to prevent the cream from sticking to the base of the pot. As the chocolate melts use a spatula to stir. The chocolate should all melt in about two or three minutes. Once the chocolate has melted completely remove the bowl from the double boiler and stir until smooth.
   
3. Pour the hot cream in thirds into the centre of the bowl and stir until the consistency of the ganache begins to thicken.
   
4. Whisk from the sides of the bowl in wide circles. It should gradually thicken.
   
   
5. Add in the freeze dried passion fruit powder to the chocolate ganache.
   
6. Pour the ganache into a gratin dish using a spatula. Cover the ganache with saran wrap so that the saran touches the surface. Allow the ganache to cool completely before placing it in the fridge and it is thickened.
7. Match macaron shells by size, then pipe a small mound of passion fruit ganache onto each half shell.
   
8. Top with the remaining shell and give a slight twist to secure the macaron together. Allow the macarons to rest in the fridge for two days or freeze them before you enjoy them. Trust me! They will taste way better!
   

Do you think you will try making these Passion Fruit Chocolate Ganache Macarons? If no, what other flavours do you have in mind?

Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival is Back for 2014!

It's that time of the year again! The Rocky Mountain Food and Wine Festival is back and I have a pair of tickets to give away to one winner for Saturday October 25 afternoon tasting (12-4pm) in Edmonton.

To be entered into the contest you need to do ALL of the following:
1) Live in Edmonton or vicinity.
2) Be able to attend the Saturday October 25, 2014 12-4pm session
3) Like my Beyond Umami Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/beyondumami )
4) Check my Beyond Umami Facebook page for more info. (https://www.facebook.com/beyondumami/posts/478640338944379).

Contest closes Thursday Oct. 16, 2014 midnight MST, please check my Beyond Umami Facebook page on Friday Oct. 17 to see the results!

One randomly selected commenter will be chosen to win the tickets.

Please note, that the tickets are just for entry into the Festival and have no monetary value. Food & drink tickets need to be purchased separately. Must be over 18 to attend. 

Aubergine (Mock Apple) Crisp Recipe with Oats

Ever since we tried the brilliant "aubergine tart" at Teatro my husband, Danprime and I were inspired to do create something similar. The aubergine tart tasted like an apple pie but instead of being made of apples it was made with eggplant! After doing some research we found that this type of tart is referred to as a "mock apple pie". Typically, these recipes involve strange ingredients like zucchini or even soda crackers but there were none that used eggplant.

The key to making good mock apple pie is to not over cook the eggplant and to only use the firmest parts. Sprinkling salt over the slices will draw out the moisture and some of the bitterness associated with overcooked eggplants.

Aubergine (Mock Apple) Crisp Recipe with Quick Oats

Ingredients

• 2 Medium-Large Firm Eggplants 
• 3 Tbsp of Lemon Juice
• 3/4 Cup of Brown Sugar
• 2 tsp of ground Cinnamon
• 1 tsp of ground Cloves
• 1.5 tsp of Cream of Tartar
• 1/2 Cup of water
• 2 Cups of Quick Oats
• 1/2 Cup of Melted Butter
• 1/2 Cup of Brown Sugar

Equipment

• 1 Large Baking Pan

Directions

1. Peel the skin off the eggplants.
   
2. Cut each eggplant into 2 cm or 0.5 inch slices. Ensure that you have cut away the seed and "soft" flesh from the inside of each slice of eggplant in order to only use the very firm parts of eggplant. Sprinkle the slices with salt. 
   Wait 30-40 minutes for the eggplant slices to "sweat" water (this process helps to remove some of the bitterness found with eggplants).
   
3. Mix 3/4 cup of brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, cream of Tartar together in a separate bowl. Set aside. 
4. With a paper towel, wipe the moisture off the eggplant slices.
5. (Optional) Set aside half a cup of the firmest parts of the eggplant slices.
6. Cut the other eggplant pieces into "apple-like" chunks and slices. Then mix 3 tbps of lemon juice into the eggplant pieces.
   
7. Cook the lemon-covered slices in a large skillet for about 5-8 minutes.
8. Pour the skillet's contents into the large baking pan.
9. Pour half a cup of water into the baking pan along with the cooked eggplant pieces.
10. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the top of the eggplant slices.
11. (Optional) Add the firm pieces of eggplant that you set aside earlier into the baking pan with the cooked eggplants. These firm pieces will provide an extra "apple-like" crunch.
    
12. Mix the Quick Oats, Butter, and 1/2 cup of brown sugar in a separate bowl to make the topping. Then sprinkle the topping over the the eggplant slices.
    

Baking Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. 50 Minutes before serving place the tray into oven.
3. Bake for 40 minutes at 375F. 
4. Serve your Aubergine (mock apple) crisp while it is hot and fresh.
   

Notes:

1. Over-baking can cause eggplants to reveal their "true" nature and flavour.
2. Remove as much of the soft insides of the eggplant and seeds as that will remove a lot of the bitter flavour of eggplant.
3. The firm parts of the raw eggplant should "feel" like cutting apple slices.
4. It won't completely taste like apple crisp but some ice cream will help keep the illusion going.
5. Using melted butter along with the oats helps to create a more tender topping with a little crunch. An added benefit is that while the crisps bakes the beautiful oat topping for the crisp stays in place and crisps on top.

We served this dish recently to our friends without telling them that the dessert's main ingredient was actually a vegetable. Upon finding out, our friends were amazed and some even said "mind blown!". Needless say that this recipe is a hit! If you make this recipe or if you have made any other "mock" dishes let me know in the comments below.