Macarons citrouille-chocolat noir : Pumpkin-Dark Chocolate Macarons

Bonjour à tous! Welcome to another exciting edition of Just Eat! It has been one of the most BEAUTIFUL Fall weekends in a while!  I hope you all are ready for some delicious French macarons and a journey to a local annual event here in Nashville!

For the past couple of months, there has been an event on my calendar that has excited me very much! “Celebrate Nashville!” is an international festival celebrating all the diverse cultures that make up our little home of Nashville. One might not think of diversity when it comes to Nashville, but there is tons! From dancing to music to artwork to handmade goods, they had everything to represent their cultures! French, Indian, African, South American, and many more were represented!

 How do I experience other cultures? By eating, of course! About 1/3 of the booths were food vendors! From Haitian to Indian, they had it all! I enjoyed trying all kinds of delicious desserts from South America, as well as some yummy breads from a local bakery!

In the middle of the park that held the festival, Nashville has a LIFE-SIZE replica of The Parthenon! This monument is gorgeous! Why is it there? Nashville is known as the “Athens of the South.” To celebrate the 100th anniversary, this structure was erected. The outside is great, but the main attraction is the huge statue of Athena inside. It’s literally awe-inspiring. If you are ever in Nashville, you must go!

Brandon and I had such a great time! We bought lots of great baked goods and got in touch with Nashville’s French Alliance, which meets every Saturday to converse in French and make connections! I plan on attending one very soon!

As most of you have seen, last week, we were in pumpkin paradise with our jack ‘o lanterns. After carving, all I could think about was pumpkin flavors. While in France, finding pumpkin-flavored desserts was basically impossible, at least outside of Paris. I knew I wanted to make a pastry with pumpkin flavors, but how? Then it hit me…

Macarons citrouille-chocolat noir (Pumpkin-Dark Chocolate Macarons)

This is an adaption of base macaroni recipe that I brought back from France! It’s super easy, though it can take a bit of time to make. Don’t be intimidated, I promise you can make them, too! I converted to cups for all you non-metric cooks out there, but don’t take it as 100% correct. If you haven’t bought a scale already, I recommend doing so! Alright, onto these devilishly good macarons!

Ingredients:

• 190 grams Almond Flour
• 310 grams Powdered Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Pumpkin Spice
• 150 grams Egg Whites
• 95 grams of Sugar
• Orange Food Coloring
• Dark Chocolate Ganache w/ 1 tablespoon of Pumpkin Spice

Directions:

1. Measure out powdered sugar, almond flour, and pumpkin spice, then place them in a clean bowl.

2. Sift the three ingredients.

3. Stir well in a clean bowl.

4. With an electric mixer, meat egg whites on high.

5. Once egg whites start to begin to hold their shape, add sugar in 3 installments, beating well after each.

6. Beat until stiff peaks form.

7. Add about a teaspoon of orange coloring.

8. Mix on high.

9. Beat until fully mixed and stiff peaks form back.

10. In 3 installments, add egg white mixture to dry ingredients.

11. Fold the egg whites into the dry ingredients.

12. Fold until just combined.

13. Using a pastry scraper, press against the batter and slide the scraper back and north to remove air bubbles. Do this about 3 or 4 times.

14. Move batter to a piping back with a medium round tip.

15. Pipe batter onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

16. Tap sheet on counter to settle batter.

17. Let macarons sit at room temperature for about 45 minutes-1 hour.One should be able to touch macaroons and leave no indention.

18. Bake at 350 for 9-10 minutes. Do not open oven until you are sure they are done.

19. Once macarons are cool and the ganache is ready, match up macarons to another one of similar size, and then make small indention in the underside of each with a finger.

20. Add ganache.

21. Place top on, and they are read to eat! Best the next day as the ganache sets up and moistens the almond cookies!

These Pumpkin-Dark Chocolate Macarons are so very cute and flavorful! Such a great Autumn treat! Halloween party idea, anyone?

Light, yet rich ganache with the crisp spice macarons makes for a great dessert anytime of the day. I would be lying if I said I didn’t have some for breakfast, haha!

Alright, that does it for this edition of Just Eat! I shall be gone next weekend, I will be in Atlanta, GA for a few days. Don’t fret, though! I shall still have another great entry for you all! À bientôt!