The macaron is a French cookie with a fine texture that is made from almonds and egg whites. It requires precision, the weighing of materials, the use of thermometers and plenty of time. If you make sure to follow the directions properly, you will end up with a pretty good cookie that has two thin layers that are connected with a nice cream. Macarons come in a variety of flavors and colors: green, red, pink and yellow. Sometimes the filling blends with the flavor of the cookie, and at other times it is completely different. Like other fancy cookies, macarons can be covered with cocoa powder, nougat, sugar or powdered sugar, which improve their look tremendously. Most people know that it's pretty difficult to prepare macarons, and that you need to have a certain amount of baking talent for them to come out nicely. If you'd like to succeed in baking macarons, you need to be willing to engage in a little trial and error and even fail the first few times. In Tripoli, Libya, you'll come across a fancy cookie called abambar, which is also made from almonds and egg whites. The recipe for abambar cookies is usually passed down from generation to generation. Some people used finely ground almonds, others coarsely ground. Some leave on the almond's skin, while others remove it. The most important tip for making great abambar cookies is keeping your fingers wet so that you can form nice, round balls. And of course, like with macarons, when baking abambar you need to be careful not to overbake them. This week, I'm going to present you with recipes to prepare both of these wonderful cookies. Translated by Hannah Hochner. Colorful macarons Makes 45 pieces ■ 120 gr. ground almonds ■ 100 gr. powdered sugar ■ 3 egg whites ■ Food coloring: yellow, green and pink ■ 20 ml. water ■ 122 gr. sugar Using an electric mixer, mix the ground almonds with the powdered sugar, one egg white and whichever food coloring you've chosen. Mix until color is evenly distributed. Put aside. In a pot, melt 100 grams of sugar in the water. When the temperature reaches 108˚, you should start preparing the egg white with 22 grams of sugar in the mixer. When the syrup reaches 113˚, pour it into the bowl with the whipped egg whites while continuing to whip. The egg whites should be very stiff at this point. (Pour the syrup onto the side of the bowl and not on top of the mixture.) Continue mixing until egg whites are light and fluffy. Fold the egg whites into the almond mixture and mix just until combined. Transfer mixture to an icing bag with an attachment with a diameter of 8 to 10 cm. Squeeze out evenly sized circles onto a baking sheet. Wait 20 minutes until a crust forms on the meringue. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes at 140°. Remove from oven promptly and cool well. Choose which filling cream you will be using and squeeze small mounds of it on top of each macaron; then cover with another similar-sized macaron. Leave the macarons open to the air for a few hours so that they can absorb a bit of moisture. Then place them in an airtight container and store them in the fridge. Fillings Chocolate filling: ■ 150 gr. quality bittersweet chocolate ■ 150 ml. sweet cream ■ 1 tsp. vanilla extract Pour cream into a pot and bring to a boil. Pour on top of chocolate and wait two minutes. Add the vanilla and mix until smooth and shiny. Let cream reach room temperature before placing on macaron. White chocolate filling: ■ 80 ml. sweet cream ■ 200 gr. white chocolate ■ 20 ml. cherry or raspberry syrup Bring sweet cream to a boil. Turn off flame as soon as first bubbles appear. Stir and add syrup. Add the white chocolate and mix with a whisk until filling is smooth and shiny. Let come to room temperature before placing on macarons. Raspberry filling: This tart-flavored mixture should be prepared ahead of time. ■ 150 gr. bittersweet chocolate 70% ■ 150 ml. cream ■ 200 gr. raspberry spread ■ 10 gr. lemon juice ■ 130 gr. butter Melt the chocolate in the microwave or over a bain-marie. Heat the raspberry spread lightly. Bring cream to a boil. Remove from the flame. Pour some of the cream on the chocolate and mix well with a mixer or spatula. Pour more cream on the chocolate and mix again. Pour the rest of the cream on the chocolate and mix again. Do the same with the raspberry spread and the lemon juice until smooth. (Don't worry if the mixture is lumpy – that's normal.) When the mixture has cooled to less than 40° you can add the butter. Let the butter soften for a few minutes and then mix well. Make sure that the temperature of the filling does not fall below 35°. When completed, store in the fridge for an hour. Parve lemon filling: ■ 100 gr. butter ■ 150 gr. sugar ■ 70 ml. lemon juice ■ 4-5 gr. gelatin ■ 2 Tbsp. water ■ 2 large eggs In a pot, place butter, sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Remove from flame and let cool for a few minutes. While stirring quickly, add eggs. Place over a low flame and mix until thickens. In a separate bowl, melt gelatin in water. Add to cream. Strain and then keep in fridge for two hours or until it thickens. Abambar cookies Makes 20-22 cookies ■ 300 gr. + 2 heaping Tbsp. blanched almonds, finely ground ■ 200 gr. powdered sugar, sifted ■ 2 large egg whites ■ 3 tsp. powdered sugar ■ Pinch of salt or drop of lemon juice ■ 3-4 drops quality almond extract ■ 1 tsp. vanilla extract (optional) ■ 1 tsp. corn flour or wheat flour, sifted ■ 20-22 whole almonds for decoration In a bowl, mix almonds with powdered sugar until smooth. With an electric mixer, whip egg whites at high speed while adding powdered sugar, salt or lemon juice. Mix until stiff peaks form. Reduce speed and gradually add almond mixture, almond extract and corn flour. Mix well. Cool for 15-20 minutes or until mixture solidifies. Grease a baking tray and line with baking paper. With wet hands, form balls with diameter of 4-5 cm. Flatten them a little and then evenly place them on baking paper. If the batter has not had time to rest after being prepared, balls can be made smaller (2-3 cm.) since they will open up more during baking. Push a blanched almond into the center of each ball. Bake at 170 to 180° for 13 to 15 minutes or until cookies begin to crack and brown on the bottom (lift up one cookie to check). Be careful not to overbake. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.
(photo credit: PASCALE PERETZ RUBIN AND CHAGIT GOREN)