Strawberry Lemon Buttercream Macarons

makes 2 dozen macarons
macaron recipe adapated from David Lebovitz
prep time: 35 min / cook time: 10-12 min

MACARON INGREDIENTS
1 c powdered sugar
1/2 c almond powder/meal
2 tbsp strawberry powder
2 large egg whites, room temperature
5 tbsp granulated sugar
red food coloring, 5 drops

LEMON BUTTERCREAM FILLING
1/3 c butter, softened

1 c confectioners' sugar

3 tbsp lemon curd

yellow food coloring, 3 drops

MACARON INSTRUCTIONS
• Preheat oven to 350˚F.
• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Have a pastry bag with a plain tip (about 1/2 inch) ready.
* I used Ateco Plain Tip #806.
• In a blender or food processor, grind together the powdered sugar, almond powder/meal and strawberry powder so there are no lumps.
• Add red food coloring to the sugar and mix until combined.
* The red in the macaron will not be as bright as the sugar, so if you want a brighter red you will need to add more food coloring.
• In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape.
• While whipping, beat in the dyed granulated sugar until very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes.
• Carefully fold the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula.
• When the mixture is just smooth and there are no streaks of egg whites, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag.
* Standing the bag in a tall glass helps if you're alone.
• Pipe the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheets in 1 inch circles (about 1 tablespoon each of batter), evenly spaced 1 inch apart.
* I piped out my macarons into 1 1/2 inch circles.
• Rap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the counter top to flatten the macarons.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes.
• Let cool completely then remove from baking sheet.

FILLING INSTRUCTIONS

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until creamy.

• Slowly add confectioners' sugar; beat to combine, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.

• Add lemon curd and continue beating on medium-low speed until smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes.

• Add yellow food coloring, beat until combined.

ASSEMBLY
• Pair up macarons that are the same size.
• Spread lemon buttercream on one side of the macaron and then sandwich them together.
* You can pipe out the filling if you prefer.

** ADDIECAKES' NOTES **

• To help keep your macarons a consistent size, you can create a template on the computer and slip it under the parchment paper or draw out circles on the underside of the parchment in pencil.
• This recipe did not use aged egg whites like most macaron recipes.
• I stacked two baking sheets when baking the macarons.
• If the macarons stick to the parchment paper after they have cooled, put a little bit of water between the baking sheet and parchment paper to help them come off more easily.
• Let macarons come to room temperature before serving. This doesn't take long, about 5 minutes.

Macarons can be stored up to 5 days in an airtight container.

ADDIECAKES' DIFFICULTY RATING

ADDIECAKES' TASTE RATING

Hello Vancouver!

When I recently visited Vancouver for a dragon boat race, I had two goals. The first was to race hard and bring home a medal with my team, which we did, thanks to all of my teammates' hard work. I feel especially indebted to Henry, known here as Sharkie Fin Soup, who steered us to an amazing gold medal victory in our division. From the back of the boat he guided us with skill, unflappable precision and an impressive amount of heart. I’m proud to call him my teammate, and even prouder to call him my friend.

My second goal was to try the much-hyped Japadog, which is basically a hot dog cart (a standing restaurant location was recently added) in the popular Robson Street shopping area.

Numerous friends, relatives, and even Anthony Bourdain, Ice Cube and Steven Segal are fans of these unique hot dogs with Japanese flavors. During the recent winter Olympics, waits for this popular snack were in upwards of two hours.

Luckily it was only a short wait for me and two teammates (who will be known as Ms. Chew Your Food and Lima Bean). Since it was our first and only visit (squeezed in en route to the airport heading home) we decided to split three different hot dogs (over 12 to choose from) so we could sample the variety. First up was the Terimayo ($4.75) – an all beef hot dog with sauteed onions and nori slivers, and drizzled with a delicious savory/sweet teriyaki-mayo sauce.

Next up was the Okonomi dog ($6.25), which had the flavors of the popular Japanese “pancake” okonomiyaki – which boasted Kurobota pork, sautéed cabbage, onions, bonito flakes and worchestershire-like okonomiyaki sauce. And lastly, my favorite of the three – the Oroshi dog ($4.75). Which was a mild, but perfectly seasoned bratwurst with grated daikon radish, sliced green onions and a splash of special soy sauce. The flavorful bratwurst, coupled with the freshness of the daikon and chewiness of the bread was a winning combination. One that I'm still dreaming about weeks after.

It's not often that I can check off two of my goals in the very same weekend, and this was one where I was truly grateful for all the little things. Each and every stroke on the water, bite of delicious food, moment laughing with my teammates - they all added up to one big unforgettable weekend. Thank you, Vancouver!

*Special Mention: I was also lucky enough to visit the Richmond Night Market, which is open only during the Summer (see the last three rows of pictures above). Open till midnight, this open-air flea market has shopping, live entertainment and above all - some of the best street food I've ever tasted. Asian steak tacos, pork belly buns, hurricane fries, rice cake burgers, takoyaki (octopus balls), spicy squid, bubble drinks - even Canadian treat poutin - it was all here! Highly recommended if you visit Vancouver in the summertime!

SAMIWICH'S TASTE RATING

Coconut Rum Banana Bread

makes 1 loaf
recipe adapted from Baking Bites
prep time: 15 min / cook time: 1 hr

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 c sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 c mashed bananas (2 med-large)
* I used 1 1/2 c mashed bananas (3 med-large)
1/2 c coconut milk
1/4 c butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp rum
1 1/4 c shredded coconut, divided

INSTRUCTIONS
• Preheat oven to 350˚F.
• Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
• In a large bowl, whisk together sugar and eggs until well combined.
• Whisk in mashed banana, coconut milk, butter, rum and vanilla extract to sugar and egg mixture.
• Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and stir until just combined, making sure no streaks of flour remain.
• Stir in 1 cup shredded coconut and pour batter out into prepared loaf pan.
• Sprinkle 1/4 cup shredded coconut on top of the batter.
• Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with only a few moist crumbs attached.
• Turn loaf out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

** ADDIECAKES' NOTE **
• I am not a big banana bread fan, so if you make this you can judge for yourself. I did find the bread to be a little on the dry side.

ADDIECAKES' DIFFICULTY RATING

ADDIECAKES' TASTE RATING