Dear Friends,

I can’t believe we’ve run through a month so quickly. The IBIE/RBA show was very successful. Next year it will be held in Chicago and from then on it will return and remain in Las Vegas. From the large manufactures to the small independents, you could find everything and anything you wanted or needed. The competitions were another draw that made the trip even more worthwhile. The Lesaf cup for artesian breads, the Pillsbury cake decorating competition, and the Chocolate Masters competition were all held on the show floor. The RBA had a lineup of great demonstrations. One in particular was Michel Suas. He has written a technical teaching book (which I use here at school) called “Advanced Bread and Pastry, A Professional Approach”. He used the Parisian Macaron as his demo. The text is not one packed full of recipes. It is based more on the understanding of ingredients. I am including his recipe for the Parisian Macaron since it has become very popular as of late. The macarons roots are from the 17th century. The firm exterior of the cookie should have a soft spongy interior and usually has a cream or ganache sandwiched between two cookies. Their pastel colors lend to an eye appealing display in your pastry case. The recipe calls for almond flour. This is very expensive so I make mine since it can be done in advance and stored. Some of the measurement amounts will seem a little strange but it’s because we are changing from metric to imperial measure.

Happy Baking!

Parisian Macarons

Ingredient********Baker’s % ********Imperial measure
********************************** Lbs. ozs.
Egg whites ******* 100 ************ 2 2.625
Granulated sugar * 36.50 ************ 12.625
Egg white powder * 9.40 ************ 3.25
Almond flour ***** 117.60 ************ 2 8.625
Powdered sugar *** 199 ************ 4 4.875
Color, as desired*
Total ************ 462.50 ************ 10 0

1.) Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar together.
2.) Whip the egg whites, sugar, and egg white powder to stiff peaks.
3.) Fold the almond sugar mixture into the meringue, color as desired,
and pipe 1 ½ inch circles onto silpat-lined perforated sheet pans.
4.) Let a skin form ( time will vary according to climate) and bake at
310 degrees in a convection oven with the vent open for 9 to
11 minutes.