Orange Macadamia Macarons with Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache

I am a sucker for all things miniature as well as all things pastry, so to me, french macarons are perfection. I created these on a whim this afternoon (me bored at home always equals a new dessert creation) when I discovered egg whites in the fridge leftover from pastry cream. For correctly made french macarons (not to be confused with coconut "macaroons") you have to use aged egg whites, so today was the perfect day to experiment. I did not have the almonds the formula called for, so I substituted toasted macadamia nuts; not a bad placement in my opinion. I added orange zest to the batter and piped them small enough to be a one-bite confection. I then sandwiched them with a bittersweet ganache made with Callebaut 61% Grenade chocolate (The stuff I save for special recipes). The results were too delicious!

Theraputic Baking....

After a week long trip to Kansas City, MO and way too much time spent waiting in airports (Richmond, Chicago, Denver, Kansas City), some baking therapy was in order.

Kansas City is such a wonderful food city. I fell in love with Cosentino's Market in the Power and Light District. The artisan chocolate display is amazing, and I feasted on ripe organic raspberries and pluots for breakfast. I also found Savvy, a locally owned coffee and wine bar just down the street from Cosentino's. The coffee is brewed to order, and the staff is extremely friendly.

I have been brainstorming about the upcoming Fourth of July weekend, and the new holiday items I will be offering at the Market on Saturday. Today's baking was a test-drive of Strawberry Shortcake Cookies. Strawberry shortcake is such a classic summer dessert, and I wanted to capture those flavors and textures in a cookie. Here's the finished product: a light, moist scone-like cookie with a hint of vanilla and butter, studded with fresh strawberries. Delicious! For more information on Strawberry Shortcake Cookies and any of my other products, visit lanascustomdesserts.com.