Elvis Macarons - Banana, Peanut Butter & Jelly

I doubt Elvis Presley ever tasted a French Macaron,
but if he had I bet he would've loved this

Banana Macaron filled with Peanut Butter and Jelly.

As Rockabilly legend has it, Elvis loved Peanut Butter Sandwiches with banana. So, this is a tribute to his flavor combo. Today (January 8th) is Elvis's birthday. Of course, being from the South, I grew up hearing a lot about the "King", his music and his movies. However, I can never forget his birthday because it's the same as my daughter's birth date.She has heard "Oh, you have the same birthday as Elvis Presley" since she was very young. Since her birthday was so close to the holidays, I always tried to give her birthday a theme, so it would stand out separate from the seasonal celebrations and be it's own personal event. One year, we made it all about Elvis love. We put up a large poster of Elvis on the garage door and the girls played "Pin the paper kiss on Elvis" while blindfolded. It was our version of "Pin the tail on the donkey". We also had a guitar shaped pinata filled with favorite candies, and little plastic take-home bags with postcards of Elvis and 1950's themed toys. I even made a cake in the shape of an old record, we rented Jail House Rock, and they all danced to his music. My daughter is a beautiful grown woman today (her birthday) and in a couple months she will be giving birth to her very own baby girl. Can you tell I'm so excited?In honor of the memories of Elvis and childhood flavors that always taste good together, I hope you'll enjoy making these Banana Macarons filled with Peanut Butter and Jelly.The recipe for the macarons is based on the original recipe I've used from Sweet Tartelette since I learned to make macarons in a class with her in Los Angeles. I've tweaked it just a bit to include Dried Organic Banana Chips. Even though the flavors of Peanut Butter and Jelly may bring back childhood fun, the elegance of Macarons are very adult. Happy Birthday to Elvis, but especially my sweet first born baby girl.

How-To pictures can be found by clicking HERE or HERE-

RECIPE: Banana Macarons with Peanut Butter & Jelly
(Macaron ingredients are adapted from "Tartlette" and the ingredients are in weights as that's the most accurate measure here, but you can also use a conversion chart online : here is one)

200 grams Powdered Sugar
110 grams ground almonds
18 grams Ground Dried Banana Chips
90 grams Egg Whites
25 grams Sugar
1/4 cup Peanut Butter
1/4 cup Jelly or Jam

1) In a large bowl, sieve the ground almonds, ground banana chips and powdered sugar.
2) In a mixing bowl, whip the egg whites until foamy and slightly stiff, then add in sugar and continue to whip until stiff.
3) Fold the dry ingredients into the whipped whites, incorporating completely until the consistency is like lava.
4) Fill a large pastry bag with the macaron lava and pipe small even rounds onto a silpat or parchment covered baking sheet.
5) Allow them to set out to dry the tops for 30-45 minutes.
6) Cook in a preheated oven 300F for about 18 minutes.
7) Allow to cool, then spread one underside of a macaron with peanut butter and another macaron with jelly. Sandwich together.

Cheers & Cherries

It feels completely appropriate that my first virginal attempt at blogging would be about CHERRIES.
If you made me pick (word-play intended) my favorite fruit it would be the mahogany red, lush, velvet skinned, hard-bodied BING. Ba da bing! Forgetting, yet mentioning, the over-used trick of tying the cherry stem in your mouth as a sign of...what? Amazing tongue strength? I'm not sure. I find the juicy, full fleshed fruit of the cherry much more sensual and full of the possibilities of leaving one tongue-tied than the stem holds.

At a recent trip to the Hermosa Beach Farmer's Market I practically ran over to the table with the Bing Cherries. The season for these beauties is short and I felt like I had been waiting so long and patiently for their arrival. It's hard to believe that the United States, and especially California, is responsible for 90% of the commercial cherry crops grown. In our capital, Washington D.C., Japan is responsible for the hundreds of blossoming trees that surround the government buildings. The Sakura trees were a gift of friendship from the people of Japan in 1912. There are so many varieties of cherries that have been developed since the first cultivation around 300BC, and the BING was actually the baby of Seth Luelling of Oregon in 1875. Thanks, Seth, you rock!

You would be hard pressed to find a healthier way to "get your taste on" than with cherries, since they are low fat, sodium free, high in fiber, potassium, vitamin C, folic acid and Antioxidants. Whhatt? I'm not kidding, popping cherries (word-play NOT intended) is not only delish', but good for you.

Now, what to do with the red orbs besides eating them raw and spitting out the pits? There are pies, tarts, cobblers, jams and granola (all of which are amazing), but I chose to turn them into these little lovelies that resemble the Pate De Fruit of France and the Fruit Paste of Italy.
The recipe takes a little watching for perfection, but so worth the time and love. The sugar content helps to preserve the fruit, so these lasts and lasts; although if your friends or family have anything to do with it - they'll be gone in a red cherry flash. Let me know if you try this, find it interesting, or have any questions. Cheers!

CHERRY PATE DE FRUIT
(line an 8x8 inch cake pan with parchment, silpat, or lightly oiled)

300 g. (2 cups) Bing cherries, washed and pitted.
300 g. sugar (1 1/2 cups) + 1 Tbls.
1 Tbl. apple pectin
1/4 tsp. lemon juice
2 Tbl. corn syrup

Mix the apple pectin with the 1 Tbls. of sugar and set aside.
In a heavy saucepan, heat the cherries and the sugar on Med. for about 10 minutes, to break the cherries down a little.
Take cherry/sugar mixture off the heat and cool for a few minutes before carefully pouring mixture into a blender or food processor. Pulse cherries until a puree is reached.
Pour puree back into the same saucepan and heat on high to just before boiling. Add the apple pectin/sugar mixture, stirring constantly. Bring mixture to a boil and add the Corn Syrup and the lemon juice, stirring constantly until mixture reaches 222F, and is thick.

Immediately, pour mixture into the prepared 8x8 pan. Let cool for 2-3 hours until firm.

Turn out onto a cutting board and cut into 1 inch squares (or use other shapes).
Drop a few at a time into a bowl of sugar and toss to coat. Shake off excess sugar and keep in a tightly sealed container in a dry, cool place. Do not put in refrigerator as the moisture will make the candy sticky. Enjoy!