So our anniversary was last week. It makes me think about our very awesome wedding. (For a run down of some of the awesomeness, check out the post on Offbeat bride.) It also gets me reminiscing about our honeymoon in Paris. God knows when we'll have the money to go back, but I'm so glad we at least got to go once in our lives.


At the same time, I've been trying to brainstorm what kinds of goodies I'll be able to make this month since I decided to join Nola Locavore's Eat Local Challenge. Thank god Louisiana grows sugar, because otherwise I think I'd be SOL. I'm having a hard enough time trying to go without wheat flour, baking soda or baking powder--don't even get me started on the no chocolate.

YES, that's right. I'm a foodie baker and I willingly and happily joined the challenge because I figured it would be interesting and educational---pah! Sometimes I jump in feet first and kind of forget about the little details, because I've made it through a week and it has been freaking hard. BUT it has been really educational. The crumby husband on the other hand....again is filing this away as one of the many reasons he thinks I'm insane. If you want more deets on what I'm cooking or what I'm up to in general, check out my personal blog, Magic Stixx.

Anyway, this is hopefully just the first in a month's worth of delicious locavore sweets. With my mind on Paris and locavore foods, I took Martha Stewart's recipe and modified it with pecans for a New Orleans twist. I used a french buttercream filling so I could use the leftover egg yolks, but I had a bit left over...use it as you see fit. Under non-locavore circumstances, I think a chocolate ganache filling would pair nicely with these. 

Pecan Macarons
makes about two dozen, depending on size

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
4 ounces pecans
3 large egg whites
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Instructions

1. Place the powdered sugar and pecans in a food processor and pulse until you get a fine meal, set aside. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.
2. Put egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed until foamy, then beat in salt. Beat in granulated sugar, a teaspoon at a time, until medium-soft peaks form.
3. Using a rubber spatula, fold half the pecan mixture into the egg whites until just incorporated. Fold in remaining mixture until just incorporated. Firmly tap bottom of bowl on counter to eliminate air pockets.
4. Transfer mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip (such as Ateco #806). Pipe mixture into small circles on the prepared baking sheets. Try to make them all the same size. Let them set for 30-60 minutes. This will allow the crisp shell to form on the outside.
5. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until they are slightly firm and can be gently lifted off parchment, about 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on sheets for five minutes. Transfer macarons on the parchment to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Caramel French Buttercream
Ingredients
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon whole milk or heavy cream
3 egg yolks
6 oz (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature

Instructions

1. Put the egg yolks in the bowl of a stand mixer and place over a pot of hot water. Whisk the yolks until they are warm to the touch but be careful not to cook them. Remove and put in the mixer. Beat on high until the yolks double in volume and are pale yellow.
2. Put the sugar and water in a heavy pan and cook over medium heat, stirring the sides down only until all the sugar is dissolved and the syrup starts to turn a caramel brown. Remove from heat and add milk.
3. With the mixer on high, carefully and slowly drizzle the syrup into the yolks. Beating on high until the bowl feels cooler to the touch or about room temperature. Beat in the room temperature butter one tablespoon at a time. Refrigerate the buttercream for about 30 minutes and whip it in the mixer before using it.

Macaron assembly:

• If you're anything like me and your macarons aren't magically all the same size, match them up in a pair that are about the same size...eat any lonely extras as you see fit (for quality control testing, of course!)
• Place the buttercream in a piping bag and pipe onto a macaron or just smooth a bit on and sandwich it together with its mate. Refrigerate until firm (about 20 minutes) before serving.

Some Crumby notes about making macarons:
Your mixture should be pretty fluid--it should actually not stay in the piping bag very easily with such a large tip. I hold it close to the edge of the bowl while filling. Pipe close to the pan and move quickly from one macaron to the next. Once piped, the mixture should flow to form a smooth surface. If it's stiff and still holds some of its shape, you overwhipped the eggwhites. In which case, you can use a wet finger to smooth out the surface and leave them out an extra hour before baking.

~Happy Baking!~