Travel: Places To Eat in Calgary and Banff

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On our first visit to Canada, we weren’t quite sure what to expect. On top of extremely hospitable people, we were surprised at how low key the every-day seemed to be. Used to the rush of daily living in California, a visit to Calgary showed us that city life could be slow, too. The openness of the people we met was also a surprise, one that I was not accustomed to, but that I was also very in love with. Calgary, to me, was a bit sleepy though, and if I could have a do-over, I would have gone straight to Banff, because I can never have enough time in the wild. Banff was everything the pictures showed us, and even more. We were actually surprised to rate Banff as an equivalent to our beloved New Zealand. We will definitely be returning here again to explore more of the sights we haven’t seen (with the hopes of encountering bears and moose and the like).

♦◊◊◊
Not worth the time.

♦♦◊◊
Good, but ordinary.

♦♦♦◊
Great. Worth a visit.

♦♦♦♦
Exceptional. A must-do experience.

$
Frugal friendly

$$
Reasonable

$$$
Pricey

Alforno Bakery and Cafe

♦♦♦♦
222 7 ST SW
CALGARY, AB T2P 0E4, CANADA
$$

Always in search of bread, Alforno Bakery and Cafe has been on my radar since we first set eyes on visiting Calgary. It was a rainy morning on our first day, but we chose to walk a mile along the river anyway to the cafe shop. The bread was absolutely delicious! The baguette was amazing, not at all what I expected. The outside was crisp and light, not the typically heavy crust that you would expect. The inside though was extremely soft. My husband had a sandwich on toast and his bread was great too. I definitely would go back! They had so many sandwiches on the menu that I wanted to try, and loaves of bread on the shelves. Can we open one in SoCal?

Analog Coffee

♦♦♦
740 17 AVE SW
CALGARY, AB T2S 0B7, CANADA
$

As a Californian, a summer in Calgary was cold for me. Add to that a bit of moody drizzle, and it wasn’t long before our quest for fresh-out-of-the-oven bread became a quest for coffee. We swung by a large food court area where Analog coffee was housed, got two lattes, sat down, and watched the World Cup with fellow Canadians taking a lunch break from their work day. It WAS a Tuesday, after all! It’s always hard to judge coffee in a latte, so I am not even going to try. I liked the drink, worth coming back to try the actual coffee. But on this particular dreary day, I wanted the comforts of a mug full of milk.

Tuk Tuk Thai

♦♦
636 17 AVE SW
CALGARY, AB T2S 0B4, CANADA
$

Tuk Tuk Thai was rated as one of the best cheap eats in Calgary. It may be that we were extremely tired from walking ten miles in the city, but we found the food to be okay. It was good, but definitely not even close to being memorable. In fact, the pad thai was a bit bland, and the beef was doused in a vinaigrette. I do give them props for their lotus flower paper bowls, and extremely eco-conscious restaurant though!

Wild Flour Bakery

♦♦♦♦
211 BEAR ST #101
BANFF, AB, CANADA
$

Off course, we had to stop by the highest rated bakery in little old Banff. I loved it so much that we actually ate breakfast there TWICE! This was the very first stop we made since we had driven up to Banff in the morning. Once you walk into the place, you knew that this was a place for gathering with a group of friends over hot bowls of soup, warm sandwiches and coffee. That morning, we ordered coffee and two panini sandwiches, perfect for our hungry stomachs after an hour drive. Interested in the bread loaves sitting on the shelves, we took one home for our peanut butter lunches during the hikes. They always say that you know the bread is REAL when it only lasts 2-3 days. It bothers me to see bread on shelves lasting more than a week, and I shudder thinking about how much preservatives we put in our food. This definitely passed the test. Since we were only in Banff for three days, it hardened up right when we were finishing the loaf. Just the way our home made bread lasts! We returned on our final day here, interested in the warm porridge that we had seen the first morning we came, but we mistakenly ordered granola instead, which was actually a blessing in disguise because I remade this exact same granola and ate it every day during our first week back from our trip. It was so delicious! Next time though, I’m going to definitely get my hands on that steamy bowl of porridge. Between this and Al Forno, it is evident that this is not the typical commercialized bread that you would normally buy. This bakery focuses on making really nourishing bread. They use only organic flours, natural starters, and bake in a stone heart oven for that beautiful crust. They are a kindred spirit, and their passion for leavening is apparent in their product.

Banff Ave. Brewing Co.

♦♦
110 BANFF AVE
BANFF, AB T1L 1A9, CANADA
$$

After a day of hiking, we thought we wanted to eat bar food on our first night in Banff. Turns out, a day of hiking followed by bar food only makes you groggier and sloth-like. The food was very typical, with my fish and chips and fries taking similar to one I would order at a diner back home. The view though was great, since the balcony of the bar looks down on the main street. Lots of people watching opportunities, followed by an early night in.

Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse

♦♦♦♦
TO GET HERE, YOU MUST HIKE THE PLAIN OF SIX GLACIERS
$$

This was by far, my favorite eating experience on our trip. Getting to this teahouse means hiking up the Plain of 6 Glaciers Trail. After trekking through flat land, icy mountain slopes, and gravelly dirt paths for four miles, reaching this teahouse two thirds of the way up was just extreme paradise. To this day, they carry all their supplies up and down the mountain via donkey or in backpacks. It was summer, but still cool enough to drink tea, so I cannot imagine how heavenly this must feel after a trek in early spring or late fall. They housed a lot of tea options from Banff Tea Co. and Mike and I loved ours so much that we visited Banff Tea Co. in downtown Banff and got some tea to take home for our house and as a gift for my sister’s upcoming birthday. Mike got some homemade tea biscuits (more bread!) that was extremely delicious! Meanwhile, I was resisting the urge to get a slab of chocolate cake, until the picnic table next door ordered one of their own and I caved. It came cool, moist, and with a generous dollop of chocolate icing on top. Absolutely no regrets. This to me was almost as cool as the hike itself. I think just being out in nature and stripped from things we take for granted make reaching places such as this a great opportunity for finding gratitude in something as simple as a slab of chocolate cake.

Nourish Bistro

♦♦♦♦
110-211 BEAR ST
BANFF AB T1L 1B4
$$

This was by far the BEST restaurant we ate at. We learned our lesson after the first night of bar food. This place was SO good that we actually ate here two dinners in a row. It is a vegatarian oasis, serving a number of different cuisines. They support local farms and you can absolutely tell in their fresh farm to table food! Elegant, GMO free, Organic, Gluten Free, Raw, Local, Seasonal, Compassionate, + Green. They even take their sustainability to the bar, serving organic cocktails as well as house juices, elixirs, smoothies and locally crafted teas. If that was not enough, the food itself was extremely creative! I mean, the loaded nachos had everything from strawberries and mandarins to beans, quinoa and lentils. The roasted cauliflower is also pictured above. Not pictured but worth mentioning are the King Kong Noodles and the Mac and Squeeze. I think when we go back to Banff, this would be the first place we visit.

Other places worth visiting:

Watercress Express – 1322 A 17 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2T 0C3, Canada
Cows Banff – 138 Banff Ave Unit #111, Banff, AB T1L 1C3, Canada
Mountain Chocolates – 202 Banff Ave, Banff, AB T1L 1A1, Canada
Banff Tea Co. – 208 Caribou St, Banff, AB, Canada

Bostock Recipe from Tartine

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Bostock is such a funny word. I was perusing the Tartine book when I first came upon this recipe. I’ve heard of french toast, but not of it’s equivalent, which is this quirkily named french pastry. As usual, I was first attracted to the photo in the book, but upon quickly skimming the ingredients, I was intrigued, and at the same time, in love with the idea. The recipe suggested taking day-old brioche bread slices and soaking them with an orange syrup. Once soaked, a layer of jam was spread on top, followed by an even thicker layer of almond cream, which I later learned was referred to as frangipane. On top of that was a sprinkling of sliced almonds. The bread slices are placed in an oven and allowed to bake until the almond topping has caramelized and the almond slices have toasted.

So when we brought home a loaf of Japanese milk bread from Craftsman and Wolves last week, I had an idea, which stems from the realization that along with the Tartine Country Loaf we had also bought, we had WAY too much bread to finish off all by ourselves. I decided to take the Japanese milk bread and substitute it for the brioche! Bread is not to be wasted in our house.

Japanese milk bread, courtesy of Craftsman and Wolves.

At first, this recipe may sound like something entirely too sweet. Brioche bread on its own has that aspect in it. But I ask that you try it anyway, because you may be as surprised as I to find the nuttiness in this recipe. We had placed a very small layer of jam, but loaded the thing with our frangipane. Once caramelized, the almond really plays a huge role in balancing out the fruitier aspects of this dish. Mike and I have now become huge fans! Plus, this feeds a huge group of people way easier than french toast. It’s easy to prepare everything ahead of time, and assembly is quick. Pop the tray in the oven as the guests arrive, and let the heat do its thing while you entertain. Serve piping hot, with cold brewed coffees, and it’s a perfect Sunday brunch.

This recipe made 8 slices. Believe it or not, Mike and I were not able to finish them all. So we placed them in the fridge and have been sticking a slice into the toaster oven every morning for the past few days, for an easy breakfast before work. They have been reheating very well! Whether you are a brunch host, a busy mom, an entrepreneur, or just a lazy cook who wants to eat great tasting food, this is a must try.

Below is a very similar recipe to the one in the Tartine book, with only a few minor changes.

A slice of bostock, oozing with caramel goodness.

Ingredients:

Orange Syrup

1/4 cup water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
Grated zest of 1 tangerine
2 tbs Triple Sec (or any other orange liquer)

Almond Cream

1 3/4 cups sliced almonds
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 tbs Grand Marnier

Bostock

8 slices of Japanese milk bread, about 1/2 inch thick
Boysenberry jam
Optional: Confectioner’s sugar

The Process:

Orange Syrup:

In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar, juice, and zest and bring to a simmer, while constantly stirring.
When the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat.
Stir in the Triple Sec and allow to cool to room temperature.

Almond Cream

Combine 1 cup of the sliced almonds, the sugar, and the salt in a food processor and process until finely ground. Reserve 3/4 cup of the sliced almonds for the topping.
Add the eggs and butter to the food processor and continue to process until a paste forms.
Transfer to a bowl and stir in Grand Marnier.
Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour, or up to three days.

Bostock

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Arrange the brioche toasts on a baking sheet. Using a pastry brush, thoroughly soak the toasts with the syrup until they are very moist.
Spread with a thin layer of jam.
Follow with a thicker layer of almond cream. Think double the later of the jam, or more, because there can never be too much almonds.
Top with the remained 3/4 cup of sliced almonds.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until deep golden brown. The cream should have caramelized and the almond slices should have toasted.
Optional: Dust with confectioner’s sugar before serving. We skipped this last step, relishing the toasted almonds, as is.

For more awesome recipes such as this, all related to homemade bread, I highly recommend Tartine’s book, to start.

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Recent Reads: A Baker’s Year by Tara Jensen

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Sometimes in your life, you come across a kindred spirit. Usually, it’s at a time when you least expect it, and in the most unusual of characters. Fictional, for example, or in people who you have never met. Despite these peculiarities, you just know that they are of the same spirit and mind as you, even if they are miles away. Tara Jensen is one of these kindred spirits. When I picked up her book and sat it across my lap in a hidden, dusty corner of Barnes and Nobles, I was not expecting to meet anyone kindred that day. But after the first few words, I just knew. Her book, A Baker’s Year, “chronicles twelve months of baking and living the simple life at the Smoke Signals Bakery”, smattered with a few recipes and baking techniques, which is what roped me in in the first place, but it was her story that made me stay. Better yet, she was able to summarize a collection of very deep-rooted feelings that even I was not able to bring to the surface until her words dug them from their graves, feelings which all too entirely shape the view that I have of the world today, as well as drive the actions that I choose to take in my daily living. I think everyone could benefit from her words, even if they are not interested in baking bread for their communities. Below is an excerpt from the book that struck a chord with me so many times over the course of two pages (!!). Below is the story of Camille.

“Camille came to Madison County in 1972 with her husband, Dave. Dave’s father had grown up here, moving to Detroit at the age of nineteen for a better life. He couldn’t believe Camille and Dave wanted to return to what he remembered as a desolate region with nothing to offer. They were warned not to come, but their minds were set on it. Enraged by the Vietnam War, they wanted to be as self-sufficient as possible and learn directly from those who could still teach the way of the land. Less income meant minor tax payments, resulting in fewer dollars toward war machine. They took on cows, chickens, rabbits, sheep and a garden. “A farm is a big name for what we had,” she says.

What was big was their ambition. It had to be. It was up against a lot. War was a symptom of an entire broken social system fueled by overconsumption. Refusal of business as usual was crucial to Camille. “I know we have to live,” she pointed out, “but we don’t need to do it at this level – we don’t need to destroy.”

Camille had already experienced the horrors of war. In 1944, her childhood home in Normandy was bombed, and although everyone was safe, the devastation left only a corner of the original house. Her family first took refuge in a nearby graveyard, surviving only on milk. There her father decided they would take the two-day walk to his parent’s farm, where he was certain food could be found. In the summer, they returned home to rebuild.

Normal weekly rituals ensued, one of which was a trip into town for bread. One afternoon, her sister returned with more than a sack of loaves; she also bore toys she’d found scattered on the roadside. Thin metal rods, like long pens, with a coil wrapped around the middle. They played with them for days, knocking them on rocks like drumsticks. But they weren’t toys. They were cast-aside detonators, and while her mother was busy with the wash, one exploded in Camille’s hand, causing the loss of her right arm at the age of two.

A decade into their life of resistance, Dave was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The long list of daily chores became difficult to maneuver. The cow jumped the fence. The sheep ran away. The dog chased the chickens into the woods. They allowed their responsibilities to dwindle, eventually eating the cow. “It was part of the economy,” Camille explained, a firmness still in her tone. Despite changes in physical comfort and energy, they were as true to their original intentions as they possibly could be.

After Dave passed, Camille carried on the design of their home and land, every nook and cranny meticulously thought out and crafted. Stairwells fashioned after the golden spiral, massive mosaic projects, wood scraps and windows everywhere: ideals for a gentle society radiate from the walls. “I never had a course in building,” she said, “just an interest. I could look at an old building, I would see that it was still standing, and I would think, That is good.” Although Dave is gone, his presence remains, amidst a host of new and radical projects.

Never short on determination, Camille hired a carpenter to frame a door into a dirt wall so that she might dig herself a basement. Rigging up a bucket, a shovel, and a wheelbarrow, she chipped at the top of the wall, directing the dirt downward into the bucket. When the bucket was full, she’d take it to the wheelbarrow and empty it. When the wheelbarrow was full, she’d haul it outside and dump it in the gully. She kept at the work for days and months until rumors began to surface.

Her apprentice who frequented the local bar came to report back on the widespread speculation about what exactly Camille was up to. “You’ll never believe what they’re saying about you, Camille. They say you are digging out your basement single-handedly with a spoon!”

She chuckled. “Well then, let them think just that.”

I spoke with Camille recently. We wondered if it was even possible for future generations to go back to the land. There is increasingly less land to go back to, and the old-times who knew the plants and the ballads are passing each year. Besides, living the rural life isn’t for everyone. It seems that each spring, a new crop of young homesteaders arrive bursting with ideas, and only some of them make it to the next year for one reason of another. Many leave when they have children, and divorce is common under the stress of poverty. I like living here because it is so unchanged, and yet sometimes I forget there is a world past the blown-out streetlight. This landscape is a jungle that does not bend to human will easily. Some like the challenge. Some don’t.

Yet what we lack in finery we make up for in freedom. We have a choice. We can choose the detonator or the spoon. What will you leave behind? What will your legacy be? Free, gentle, and diverse is the culture I want for myself, my community, and my bread. Be an instrument for peace. Choose the spoon.”

To learn more about the nuances of simple living, or to learn about baking bread, please do go on and read A Baker’s Year. Our society can benefit from her words in more ways than one.

Zero Waste Tumeric Red Lentil Fritters Tomato Bowl with Tahini Dill Sauce

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Rumor has it that my co-worker’s wife makes the best lentil soup, and vegan friends have sworn that lentils make for an amazing alternative to meat, whether in burgers or in meat-less meatloaves. So when Mike came across a recipe for Lentil Fritters and voiced a willingness to try a vegetarian alternative to meatballs, I decided to give it a go. This recipe in particular included tumeric, a spice that previous to this post, I have not tried for myself, despite seeing it on every shelf at Mother’s Market and Whole Foods in every edible form imaginable. The benefits of tumeric still escapes me, so anybody able to shed light on this is entirely welcome to! Either way, while curiosity killed the cat, in this case, it got two humans to try a vegan meal in a normally very-non-vegan house.

Happily, I was able to get all ingredients in zero-waste fashion from the bulk aisle of our local Whole Foods. Initially, there was no inkling amongst the both of us that lentil was a grain. For some reason, I always imagined a leafy green. But we finally found it after a quick Google search, and carted away red lentils, chia seeds, and unhulled sesame seeds in self-brought containers. Determined not to buy pre-packaged tahini sauce, I decided to be generous in the sesame seed purchase, so that I could make tahini from scratch at home. And in my efforts to continue with the zero waste, we used some day old bread to create the bread crumbs that we needed to add some texture to the fritters. Biased-ly enough, any recipe that allows me to curb landfill waste is a great one! So I hope you enjoy the nutty, seedy, earthy fritters atop a refreshing bed of salad as much as we did.

Ingredients:

Seedy Lentil Fritters

1 tsp oil
1/2 cup onion
5 cloves of garlic chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
1/3 tsp ground cardamom
1/3 tsp or more cayenne
1/2 cup red lentils, washed and drained
1.5 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 cup packed chopped spinach
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Tahini Dill Sauce

3/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
3 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp dried dill
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne

Bowl

Lettuce
Chopped tomatoes & cucumbers

The Process:

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook until translucent, stirring occasionally.
Add all the spices and drained lentils. mix and cook for only a minute.
Add salt and water and cook for 11 minutes partially covered. Uncover, fold in spinach and parlsey and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the lentils are cooked and all the liquid is absorbed. The mixture will be soft. Taste and adjust salt and heat.
Add chia seeds and sesame seeds and mix in. Chill the lentil mixture for half an hour (in our case, we just placed it right in the fridge!)
Meanwhile, make croutons from day old bread using our Basic Crouton Recipe. Once croutons come out of the oven, crush them using either mortar and pestle, or a rolling pin.
Preheat the oven to 425 deg F / 220ºc. Mix in 1/4 cup breadcrumbs in the lentil mixture. The mixture will be soft but should get easily shaped into soft balls without too much sticking or squishing.
Once the lentil mixtures have been shaped into fritters, place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Use a pastry brush to rub olive oil over the surfaces, for an extra crisp texture. Bake for 20 minutes.
Blend everything under tahini sauce in a food processor, starting with toasted sesame seeds and olive oil. Add the rest of the ingredients after the tahini sauce has reached the desired consistency. Taste and adjust, adding salt and lemon as needed. For a garlicky dressing mix in 1/4 tsp garlic powder.
Assemble the bowl with greens, juicy tomatoes or cucumbers, and as many Lentil fritters as you like. Drizzle dressing generously.

This makes way more fritters than necessary for a party of two. Good news is that they refrigerate quite well. Reheating in a toaster oven makes them good as new, so batch cooking these babies can really come in handy on a busy day. I would also venture to predict that future self will be substituting these for beef patties, on the regular.

Cherry Compote

With our recent bread baking habit, we have the privilege of having left-over starter around every single day. In case you are not familiar with baking bread using a live starter, a starter is pretty much a yeast culture in a mason jar that we feed on a daily basis on a set schedule so that the yeast continues to grow. We refer to our starter as our baby. And since feeding requires only a portion of the existing starter to continue growing, the rest is discarded in the trash. Or as is the case in our household, refashioned into a number of different baked goods, sourdough pancakes being one of them.

While the post regarding our entire bread baking experience will be saved for another day, this post is all about what we drizzle over that delicious pancake recipe. Cherry Compote! When I think of cherries, I think of warm summer days, with handfuls of this red, juicy fruit in a bowl, twined together by common, wispy limbs. I think of juice dribbling down chins, and fingers, and for some, shirts while we sit in basic tees and sneakers on the sidewalk or in the grass, picnic style. I envision a collection of pits, delicately eaten around, or more enjoyably, chewed and spit back out. I don’t associate the word cherry with the winter time, but winter time seems to be when I crave it the most.

This compote recipe is perfect for winter. Warm cherries should be as coveted as their cold summer counterpart, and the combination with something as earthy and aromatic as thyme really makes this recipe a simple yet special one. Even though we drizzle this mostly over our sourdough pancakes, it would also be a great addition to scoops of vanilla ice cream, a slice of cheesecake, or as a topping for a Thanksgiving pie. It’s officially Spring, but the weather is still cool enough that this recipe remains relevant, for another few months more.

Ingredients:

1 pound of cherries
2 tablespoons of fresh thyme leaves
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup honey
Pinch of Salt

Procedure:

The first part is the fun part. Remove the cherry pits from the cherries! I usually just use a pairing knife, although a cherry pitter would probably be quicker. But you know, minimalist household. The less tools the merrier in our book.
Slice the cherries into halves or quarters, depending on the size you want.
Add the cherries, water, and thyme in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. Make sure to stir frequently, and continue to cook until they start to break down (approximately 3 minutes).
Stir in the honey and salt and remove from the heat. The compote is all done! Set aside until you are ready for use and rewarm as necessary. Sprinkle in some blueberries, and top with powdered sugar, more honey, or melted butter.

Coconut Flour Cookies with Chocolate Chips

After a day of perusing the bulk bins at our local grocery store, I decided to stock up on a mason jar of coconut flour. Prompted by mystical fairy dust, mingled with curiosity as to the gluten-free-craze sweeping the nation (and my friends), I decided to experiment with my new-found ingredient. I perused the web for a recipe that uses this ingredient, and found that chocolate chip cookies would be entirely useful, given that I also picked up a handful of chocolate chips from the bulk aisle. Additionally, I was able to find a combination of ingredients that were already at hand in our pantry, thus eliminating the need to purchase more goods. Hurrah for resourcefulness, with a little thank you to our roomie, who offered up a jar of her coconut oil for my experiments.

I first made this recipe about a week ago and found it to be quite satisfying. Having been the first time using coconut flour, I was pretty surprised at the cake-like consistency. What you get is a cookie-formed dessert, that tastes like chocolate chip cake. A combination of two wonderful worlds. Chewy cookie lovers unite! Gluten-free converts rejoice! Moms just trying to find a healthy(er) option for their kids, weep with joy.

(Coconut Flour) Chocolate Chip Cookie Cakes

Ingredients:

1/3 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup coconut oil , melted
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 whole eggs
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

The Process:

Preheat your oven to 350F.
Combine all ingredients except the chocolate chips in a bowl or a stand-mixer and then mix until you achieve a thicker, cookie dough consistency. Don’t worry if it looks runny at first, it’ll thicken up in a jiffy.
After the correct consistency has been achieved, add in the chocolate chips, and stir to distribute them evenly.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop a tablespoon of the cookie dough onto the baking sheet. It is important to note that you must use your hands to flatten the cookies. Keep in mind these cookies will NOT spread on their own, so you’ll want to shape them how you’d like them to turn out.
Bake at 350F for 13-15 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Allow to cool on the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Serve with a glass of cold milk, or with a bowl of home-made vanilla ice cream.

French Macarons

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I decided to share my recipe for making French Macarons. I actually learned how to make macarons last Valentine’s Day, almost exactly one year ago. I took a class and went through the motions, without realizing how difficult it really is to make beautiful macarons! It seems easy when they’ve got everything pre-measured and walk you through it step by step, but there is a sort of intuition that is required to make them successfully. Like bread baking, it isn’t about numbers and timing, but rather, knowing how the texture is supposed to feel and how the consistency is supposed to look. Either way, it took me about 40 failed attempts before I could consistently produce good batches of macarons. With each attempt, I scribbled down notes on oven temperature, timing, texture, consistency, amounts of each ingredient weighed out to the tenth of a decimal in grams. It was a real process. It required multiple taste tests and trials, some of which ended in tears. Each batch takes approximately 3 hours to make, from beginning to end. Little did I know I was going to repeat the process again with bread making, which takes more than 12 hours from beginning to end. But maybe I am purposefully attracted to such processes – for the scientific approach, as well as for the greater reward.

It isn’t easy to do and it may take just as many trials as I to get this right. Don’t give up, because at the end, you can make 40 at a time, instead of spending $2 a piece (or more). Life hack: I made macarons as a side hustle after I graduated dental school. I still do take orders for parties, but mostly from family and friends. Try it as a Valentine’s Day activity with your loved one, or make a batch as a surprise gift!

French Macarons

The Ingredients:

***Each ingredient has to be measured precisely with a weighing scale. I cannot stress enough the exactness required with this recipe.

7 oz powdered sugar
4 oz almond flour
4.25 oz egg whites at room temperature.
Pinch of salt
Pinch of cream of tartar
3.5 oz granulated sugar
1 tsp Grand Marnier (or alternative alcohol flavoring you’d like to use …. Baileys, Banana Cream Rum… )
Food coloring (I use liquid food coloring, amount of drops depending on the color I want to achieve)
Any dry powder flavoring you want to add to give the macarons flavor. I usually make it without additional flavoring, but some ideas would be cocoa powder, teas, and coffee. ***If adding additional dry powder flavorings, please mix with almond flour when you pulse through the processor on step #3.

The Process:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. (Every oven is different. Mine in particular is usually cooler than it says on the display. Originally, when I started this recipe, I was told to do 280 degrees F. However, the macarons kept coming out undercooked, so I finally found the temperature that works for me. Also, as a side note, the trays have to be in the center of my oven. The heat from my oven comes from the top, so if the trays are too close to the top, they will burn and end up being crunchier than I would like. Lastly, the difference between conventional ovens versus convectional ovens do matter too. My oven operates with the heat coming from the top, and a fan in the back of the oven distributing air. It may take a few tries, but find what temperature works for your oven. Don’t be afraid to change these numbers to suit your particular situation.)
Prepare parchment paper to line the baking sheets/trays. You can buy a template, or you can make one yourself. I draw 1 inch circles spaced 1/2 an inch apart on a piece of parchment paper to use as a template. (Do not be greedy by trying to make larger macarons when you start. The larger the macarons, the more difficult it is to maintain their shape, therefore, the more likely that you will end up with flat, non-fluffy macarons. Try this size first, and when you feel confident enough, then go bigger and bigger.) This template paper lies underneath the parchment paper where I lay my macarons on. Parchment paper is thin enough to see through. It is not sufficient to replace parchment paper with wax paper, learned the hard way. ***Important note – the parchment paper must lay flat on the tray and not roll up at all. This may require cutting a piece of paper to exactly fit your tray. The macarons are very light and airy, so when they are pipetted onto the parchment paper, they will be influenced by the paper’s shape if it rolls up on the ends or what have you.
Pulse powdered sugar and almond flour in food processor 3 times at 10 seconds each. After pulsing, sift the mixture through a metal strainer into a large bowl.
In a stand mixer with whisk attachment, whisk whites, cream of tartar and salt on medium speed until frothy and foamy. Return the speed to 2. Gradually add the granulated sugar to the egg mixture. By gradual, I mean REALLY gradual. I would let the sugar sprinkle in at a constant rate. After adding all the sugar, keep at setting 2 for two minutes. Increase to setting 4, mixing for two minutes, and then setting 6 and mix for two minutes. Go all the way to setting 10, after which, stop the mixer and lift the head. There should be stiff white peaks when you lift the whisk attachment from the mixture. If that is the case, add the alcohol and food coloring, and whisk for 20 seconds more at speed 8. When I first started, this particular step gave me some trouble. It took me a while to discover the 2 minute intervals as the timing that worked for me. Just be aware not to rush the process. Time the 2 minutes with a timer or stop watch. And don’t overdo it either, lest the mixture completely deflates.
Sift almond sugar mixture (1/3rd at a time) into the egg sugar mixture. Fold the almond sugar mixture into the egg sugar mixture gently. The folding technique is quite difficult to explain. I use a soft rubber spatula, and I scrape the sides of the bowl twice, then scoop under. I continue to do this until the almond sugar mixture is completely folded in (until you can’t see it anymore). I repeat for the rest of the 1/3rd portions. Total, you may only want to fold 40 times. The best way to check if the consistency is right is to do the ribbon test. Take the spatula, scoop the mixture, and see if you can drip the mixture enough to do a figure 8 shape, without having a break in the dripping. If not, then it isn’t runny enough. You want to fold just enough to be able to do this, otherwise, fold too much and your macarons will be too runny and won’t hold their shape.
Transfer batter to a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch round tip, and pipe onto baking sheets, making sure to stay within the confines of your one inch circles. You want the pipette tip to be about 1/2 inch from the tray. The closer the better. You want to start pipetting in the center of the circle, holding it still and letting the macaron expand around the pipette. Do not move the pipette around. To stop pipetting, pull the pipette straight up. Avoid trapping air bubbles as much as you can.
Rap the bottom of the baking sheet on the counter to release any air bubbles. By rap, I actually mean, drop onto the counter from 6 inches above, causing a loud BANG! You will see the bubbles rise to the surface as they are released. Bubbles can ruin your macarons when they rise. I bang them on the counters about 3-4 times, just to be sure that I’ve rid the sweets of all trapped air. Just make sure you drop it evenly, to avoid toppling all your hard work onto the ground.
Let dry at room temperature for 15-25 minutes. You will know that they are ready to bake when you can touch the surface of the macaron lightly with a finger and it doesn’t stick.
Bake in the oven at 300 degrees F for 8 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake at 250 degrees F for another 8 minutes. Remove from oven and place parchment paper on a baking rack to cool. Macarons must cool completely prior to removal from parchment paper. If the macarons are not cool or are undercooked, they will stick to the parchment paper. If that is the case, then you know that you will need extra time to cook the macarons. Maybe you can try lowering the temperature to 200 degrees F after the 16 minutes, and allow to cook for a few minutes more. Just make sure you don’t burn the tops.
Once cool, you can use a dough scraper to separate the macarons from the tray. If they are cooked correctly, they may even lift from the parchment paper on their own, without any prying.

Macaron Berry Jam Filling

*** You can use anything to fill your beautiful macarons with. For me, I am impartial to boysenberry jam, but substitute marmalade or strawberry jam and you’ll be just as happy. Or you can opt for chocolate ganache, in which case, scroll ahead to the chocolate alternative.

The Ingredients:

4 oz unsalted butter (softened at room temperature)
9 oz powdered sugar
3-4 oz jam or marmalade

The Process

In stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth and fluffy (at Speed 2).
Gradually add sifted powdered sugar.
Add berry jam.
Beat until just blended.
Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hr to allow it to stiffen up. I prefer this method because I like to spread them onto the macaron with a knife. If you would prefer to pipette, you can pipette onto a macaron right away. Note, if it is too runny, you can always add a bit more powdered sugar.

Chocolate Ganache

The Ingredients:

1/2 cup heavy cream
12 oz white or dark chocolate, finely chopped
3/4 oz unsalted butter (softened)

The Process:

In a small saucepan, heat cream over medium heat to a simmer. Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl and pour hot cream over it. Let stand one minute.
Slowly stir chocolate mixture with a rubber spatula to combine.
Add butter and stir mixture until smooth.
Let cool, stirring every ten minutes. Once ganache cools, pipe onto a macaron, and use a second macaron to gently spread the filling.

***One final tip! The trick with the filling is to put a very thin layer, so as to avoid detracting from the yumminess of a macaron. Macarons are light in flavor, and adding too much jam or chocolate can turn the macaron into a fruit-flavored or chocolate-flavored crabby patty. I add the thinnest layer I can muster with a bread-knife on the back of one macaron, and skip adding filling to the second side. This is just my personal preference, so go ahead and play around with it, and tell me what you end up liking best!

Zuppa Toscana

While Mike and I continue to wait for winter to hit, we are doing away with some make-believe in this 85 degreee California heat. There isn’t much to complain about regarding these summery temperatures, except for the fact that the sourdough country loaves that I’ve been making have been with nary a partner-in-crime. And now, with Mike getting interested in the bread baking as well, with the plan to begin fermenting his own starter tomorrow, bread consumption must increase, preferably with the help of some accompaniment such as soup.

In light of that, we made Zuppa Toscana to pair with the bread batches that resulted from my two days off. Mike is not fond of soup as a meal, unless they are of a hearty variety. I, on the other hand, can eat soup for days, as long as it comes hand-in-hand with some gluttonous friend. Luckily, this soup fills one up quite nicely, leaving bellies satisfied and hearts full.

The Ingredients:

1.5-2 pds. bulk hot Italian sausage
1.25 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 large onion, diced
1 tbs . garlic, minced
5 (130z) can chicken broth
4 Russett potatoes, thinly sliced
1 cup heavy cream
1 bunch fresh spinach, tough stems removed

The Process:

Remove the skin from the Italian sausage,and cook with red pepper flakes in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crumbly, and no longer pink. I like to cook a bit longer until browned, usually about 10-15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Cook the onions and garlic until onions are soft, usually on low heat so the garlic does not burn.
Pour chicken broth into Dutch oven with onion mixture. Bring to a boil over high heat.
Add the potatoes, and boil until fork tender, about twenty minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the heavy cream and the cooked sausage. Heat through. Mix spinach into the soup just before serving.
Most importantly, serve with fresh, warm bread.