Monday, March 21, 2011

Local Knowledge


For those with local knowledge, from where was this shot taken?

Monday, March 14, 2011

Bi-Coastal Living

Loved this window display at the Ala Moana Nordstrom. 
Would you see such a display in Manhattan or London, or only in Hawaii?

One of the things I appreciate about my job, is that it allows me to live bi-coastally.  Six months on the mainland, and six months in Hawaii. Not too shabby.  I can certainly get used to this lifestyle--a little work...and alot of rest and play in Hawaii's sunshine and ocean waters!  It is nice to be back on the island. 

Monday, March 7, 2011

Agents of Secret Stuff



Ryan Higa, a Hawaii (Big Island) native, is a young and funny and talented film director, actor and script writer.  Majoring in film studies he created short clips for his classes, and posted them online.  He is known for having one of the largest (if not "the" largest) online subscribership.  This piece is my favorite to date.  It's funny, clever, well edited/directed/written/filmed...and has all of the elements one would want in a film.  (Plus you can hear a hint of his pidgin every now and then.)

It's a storyline about ASSASSINS...

A.S.S. > Agents of Secret Stuff
        fighting
S.I.N.S > Society Involving Not So Good Stuff

Hilarious!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Laduree, Paris - Macaroon History & Recipe




Because I love all things French (and simply because I've been hunting down the best macaroon in Hawaii and the mainland) I thought I'd dedicate one post to my favorite macaroon place of all time: Laduree in Paris, France.  (See their enchanting website here.)




The macaroon cookie was said to have been first created by two French sisters in 1792.  A ganache filling was added 108 years later and this concoction has remained a French staple ever since.  It's presence and trend in the U.S. is a little surprising to me as Americans don't typically have tastebuds for the small, for the textured, for the flavorful. (Juicy hamburgers, bursting hot dogs, and greasy fries are what seem to tantalize the American tongue.) 

Laduree is the most famous and popular macaroon establishment in France, if not the world. Ernest Louis Laduree opened his first bakery in 1862 for the delight of his wife who dreamed for a place outside the home for women to gather for afternoon tea.  With this entrepreneurial vision in mind, Laduree became France's first tea parlour, catering mostly to the city's bourgeois class. Laduree now has chains set in different European countries, and the growing macaroon trend in the U.S. may just put Laduree on the map of American minds.

After introducing macaroons to my dad, the adventurous chef, he toyed with the idea of baking his own macaroons.  This would be quite a task as these delicate cookies are even too challenging for me to try. Yet for the bold and curious, here is a macaroon recipe from Laduree:


Macaroon Cookie:

2 cups confectioner’s sugar (480g)
1 cup plus 3-1/2 tablespoons ground almonds (280g)
7 egg whites
A few drops of flavoured food coloring, such as red raspberry

1. Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C). Line two baking trays with parchment paper.
2. If using whole almonds, pulse in a food processor until very finely ground, 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Add the confectioner’s sugar and process to a fine powder. Sift to remove any lumps.
4. Beat the egg whites in bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed, adding the food coloring as you go until you reach the desired shade. Then increase speed to high and continue to beat until the whites just hold stiff, glossy peaks.
5. Quickly and carefully add the almond-sugar powder. (Meringue will deflate.)
6. With a wooden spoon, mix from the center of the bowl outwards, turning the bowl as you go. You want to achieve a smooth, lightly colored mixture.
7. Spoon batter into a piping bag with a 1/4-inch round tip. If you don’t have a piping bag, use a plastic freezer bag, pressing out excess air. Snip off one corner to create a 1/4-inch opening. Pipe inch-wide macaroons onto the baking trays, about 1-1/2 inches apart. You should have peaked mounds of batter, about the size of a chocolate kiss.
8. Cook for eight to nine minutes, leaving the door of the oven slightly ajar.
9. Remove the macaroons from the oven. Pour a little water between the baking tray and the parchment paper; this makes the macaroons easier to lift off when they have cooled. Cool completely on racks, about 30 minutes.
10. Carefully peel macaroons from parchment; they are fragile. Sandwich a thin layer of fillings between two macaroons—ganache, marmalade, jam or whipped cream. The two bottoms face the filling.
11. If you can, leave the finished macaroons in the refrigerator for 24 hours. This allows the flavors and texture to develop and intensify.
12. Whipped cream macaroons must be stored in the refrigerator; others can be kept in airtight tins at room temperature for up to three days after production.


Chocolate Raspberry Ganache
3 ounces quality bittersweet chocolate (buy a 70% cacao chocolate bar), finely chopped
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1/16 teaspoon quality raspberry extract

1. Melt chocolate with cream in the top of a double boiler, stirring until smooth. If you don’t have a double boiler, use a metal bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water. The bottom of the bowl should not touch the water.
2. When the chocolate is melted into the cream, remove bowl from heat. Add the butter and raspberry extract, stirring until butter is melted.
3. Let stand at room temperature until cooled completely and slightly thickened.

Best Macaroons in Hawaii



French macaroons are overtaking the cupcake craze in trend-setting cities like New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles...and this classic french treat is starting to hit Honolulu as well.

The first time I had a macaroon was at the 19th century establishment, Laduree, in Paris, France. With appreciation for this classic french treat, I drove around Oahu just a few weeks ago hunting for the island's best macaroon. I was surprised to find that even Kaimuki's two french cafes, Cafe Laufer and JJ's Bakery, did not carry french macaroons. After visits to various patisseries, I've concluded that he island's best places for macaroons is located...(drum roll please)...at the Ala Moana shopping center!

The Honolulu Coffee Company (See 2015 Update at the end of this section)
(Located on the third level next to Godiva toward Sears) has the best quality macaroons (see photo above).  Each cookie half is baked to perfection--light and delicately flaky outside, yet moist and chewy on the inside.  The dough is shaped is a perfect circle with even edging. The ganache is smooth and creamy, the flavors well infused, and the assembly of the cookie evenly pressured and well painted/dusted.  (All characteristics of a quality macaroon).  My favorite is the caramel with hawaiian sea salt macaroon which I highly recommend.  Haupia (coconut) and Lilikoi (passion fruit) are locally inspired treats. NOTE:  January 2015 Update: Honolulu Coffee Company no longer uses the local baker mentioned in this paragraph.  They now make the macaroons in house which are dry and unflavorful, with stiff fillings.

The second best place for macaroons located just steps away from the Honolulu Coffee Company, is the Pacific Place Tea Garden (on the third floor overlooking Center Stage, in push cart kiosk near Louis Vuitton/Neiman Marcus).  The Apricot-Lavender was surprisingly delightful and memorable, and the pistachio was bursting with flavor.  The assembly was a tad sloppy--unevenly shaped and sized cookies, messy ganache fillings, and broken edges.  The photo (below) shows the lack of french perfection of these macaroons.  The Pacific Place Tea Garden has hit/miss macaroons (some flavors better than others) but are priced $0.10 cheaper than the Honolulu Cookie Company.  Because these two places are only yards away from each other, I simply mix and match my favorite flavors from each place and enjoy them all the same.

I'll be back in Honolulu in just a couple of days, and look forward to checking out one more macaroon place: La Tour Cafe (888 N Nimitz Hwy).  {Thanks for the tip, Auntie!} My tummy can't wait.