Le Macaron

Photo by Our Labor of Love

Macaroons or les macarons are most often associated with the French, while they are actually said to have originated in Italy and made their way to France with Catherine de Medici and her team of pastry chefs in the 16th century. Today, if you walk the streets of Paris, the windows of les pâtisseries are filled with playful macaroons of all colors, thanks to Catherine. Making a macaroon is not necessarily difficult, it just requires patient preparation and some creativity.

Photo by Rinne Allen

Shae's Macarons

Basic Ingredients:
Almond Flour (sometimes tough to find, if you are in town, come by Five & Ten and we can order some for you!)
Sugar
Egg Whites
2 Piping bags (fitted with a #4 plain tip
2 sheet pans lined 2 sheets of parchment paper

Almond Macarons
125 grams Almond Flour
225 grams Powdered Sugar
100 grams Egg Whites (room temp)
1 pinch Cream of tartar
25 grams Sugar


* All in grams because macarons are delicate and you do need to be exact when making them.
1. Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar together
2. In a Kitchen Aid whisk the whites starting on low
3. When they begin to froth add the tartar and up the speed to medium
4. When there is no "liquid" left and the whites begin to get shape, add the sugar slowly
5. Increase the speed to medium high and whisk to medium glossy peaks
6. Add food coloring to desired color
7. Scoop mixture into a large bowl and fold in the powedered sugar and almond flour in five small batches
8. Scrape this mixture into a piping bag (fitted with a #4 plain tip) and pipe onto sheet pans lined with parchment. Pipe 1 inch circles with the tip about 1/2 inch above the surface.
9. Allow pans to rest for 30 minutes so that a skin develops
10. Preheat oven to 300 F
11. Bake at 300 F for 5 minutes

Color Variations:
Chocolate: add 5 grams of cocoa powder with the almond flour

Mathca (Green): add 1.5 tsps Matcha powder (really good with white chocolate ganache, see below)

Raspberry (Pink): add 2 tsps ground raspberry powder (use dehydrated raspberries and grind them in a spice machine).

While the macarons are resting, make filling.

Basic Chocolate Ganache:
4 ounces Semisweet Chocolate
4 ounces Heavy Cream

White Chocolate Ganache:
4 ounces White Chocolate
2 ounces Heavy Cream

Milk Chocolate Ganache:
4 ounces Milk Chocolate
2 ounces Heavy Cream

Bring heavy cream to a boil and pour over chopped chocolate. Allow to sit for a minute and then whisk until smooth. Allow to set up and then whisk more to thicken.

Spoon ganache into piping bag. Place small amount on the flat end of the cooled macaron and then sandwich another on top.

Photo by Rinne Allen

For more macaron inspiration, check out this book, I Love Macaron by Hisako Ogita, recently published by Chronicle Books. Cool pictures and layout, fun combinations. Shae found some of the techniques to not work as well as hers, but a helpful book nonetheless.

Click here to buy I Love Macaron at Amazon.

Shae Cooks Desserts

I work amongst many talented people and Five & Ten's Pastry Chef Shae Rehmel is certainly one of them. Shae and I go way back, she started working for me at age 19, jumping full force into our bakery. It was clear from the beginning that she had a real knack for the art and science of pastries. Now, after graduating top of her class from New England Culinary Institute and spending several years working in great restaurants all over the country, she has returned to her hometown of Athens, GA and we are fortunate enough to have her in the kitchen at 5 & 10. Shae is never afraid to experiment or try new things but at the same time she has a real sense of place, of what our little town is, who the people are and what comes from the land.

More info on Shae in her own words..

" I love simple rustic foods. I love making breads, crisps tarts and pies. I really enjoy the feel of dough. I also love making Ice Creams. It’s such a comfort food item and there are endless flavor possibilities. "

Shae's Apple Crisp:

8” Pyrex dish
4-6 each tart apples (local if you have them, otherwise granny smith)
½ cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons lemon
2 tsp fresh ginger (grated)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 pinch salt


1. Preheat oven to 350˚F
2. Peel apples and cut into ¾”cubes (when the crisp bakes they’ll still have some bite to them).
2. Toss in a bowl with all the other ingredients, cover bowl with plastic and set aside
3. Make Streusel (recipe below)
4. Press a thin layer of streusel onto the bottom of the pan
5. Mix the apples together again and fill the dish
6. Pack streusel on top to create a nice crust
7. Bake on a sheet pan in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour until top is brown and some juices are bubbling up

Streusel:
2 cups All purpose flour
½ cup Brown sugar (packed)
¾ cup Granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ sticks Butter (cubed and cold)
¾ cup oats

1. Mix first four dry ingredients together
2. Cut butter in (either by had or with paddle in mixer)
3. When this has just started to come together and form clumps stop mixing
4. Toss the oats in and break up any large clumps

Photo by Rinne Allen

While Shae can certainly churn out a rocking apple crisp, it is her macaroons that are stealing the show right now. NPR claims Macaroons to be the new Cupcakes (click here to listen). Check in tomorrow for pictures from Shae's Macaroon Class and a recipe or two.

Scarbolo Wine Dinner: Monday March 8th

Dinner with Valter Scarbolo.
Monday March 8th. Five and Ten. 7:30. $80 per person.

Valter Scarbolo is one of our favorite people. His wines are as nice as he is.

We've done a few dinners with him before at the National, but this is the first time we'll be hosting him at Five and Ten. We thought we'd use the occasion to showcase a few of his higher-end offerings, particularly the My Time white and the Refosco red, both of which are fine examples of what noble things Friuli can produce.

Come meet Valter and see how good-hearted people make good-hearted wine.

1
Fried Green Tomatoes with lobster and green goddess dressing
Pinot Grigio, Scarbolo, Friuli, 2008

2
Seared Dayboat Scallop with tiny grit cake, ham hock broth and collards
Pinot Grigio, Scarbolo, Ramato XL, Friuli, 2007

3
Roasted Sheepshead Porgy with skordalia, spring succotash and tiny croutons
My Time (Chardonnay, Sauvignon, & Friulano), Scarbolo, Friuli, 2006

4
Grilled Quail Breasts with leek risotto, parmesan and quail jus
Refosco, Scarbolo, Friuli, 2005

5
Braised Beef Shortrib with hominy stew and roasted shallots
Campo del Viotto Merlot, Scarbolo, Friuli, 2006

6
Limoncello Baba with honey ice cream and candied almonds



--Steven Grubbs, Wine Director at Five & Ten

The National: OPEN for BRUNCH

The National is now open for brunch on Sunday. Come one, come all!
Here is the first look at the new menu.


Drinks
Agua Fresca
Morning spritzer
OJ & Grapefruit juice
Lemonade, Cherry-limeade
Counter Culture coffee
Rishi teas
fresh Moroccan mint tea


Small Plates
Housemade almond-sticky bun

Today’s scone with honey-butter

Goat cheese with lavender-honey and toast

Muesli with milk, skim milk, soy milk or Greek yogurt

Butter lettuce salad: hearts of palm, marinated onion, peanuts, green goddess dressing

Empanada: Benton’s country ham, fontina, scallion & salsa verde (make it an entree: two empanadas, green salad, creme fraiche)

Big Plates
The National: two fried or scrambled local eggs, bacon or lamb sausage, polenta or roasted potatoes, toast

Brioche French toast: Ruskin Powell’s cane syrup, whipped cream, orange marmalade

Frittata: potato, caramelized spring Vidalias, thyme, smoked San Simon cheese, sweet pepper dressing, green salad

Iron-skillet eggs: fixins topped with two broiled local eggs
• saucey red beans: peppers and onions, crema, tomatillo salsa fresca, side of fried corn tortillas
• smoked trout-potato hash: dill crème fraiche, asparagus salad, toast Shrimp Roll: GA shrimp, lemon-mayo, butter lettuce, fries

Cheeseburger: our special grind of C.A.B. chuck and brisket, brioche bun, white cheddar, shaved red onion, butter lettuce, “special sauce”, fries

Chicken sandwich: just like the cheeseburger but with a marinated Springer Mountain chicken thigh

Veggie National: saucey red beans with peppers and onions, green salad, asparagus, roasted tomato, olive oil toast

Sides
Berkshire bacon
Lamb merguez sausage
Red Mule polenta
Roasted red potatoes
Seasonal fruit
Luna whole wheat toast
Luna raisin toast

Dessert
chocolate pot de creme with cocoa nibs
Georgia baklava with pecans and honey syrup
... or another round of almond-sticky buns

Georgia Organics Farmers Feast

I would like to give a big shout out to all of the Chefs who participated in the Georgia Organics Farmers Feast last Saturday Night. It was an event of gargantuan proportion. 890 guests, 250 jars of pickled items, 100 cakes, 28 different local dishes, 27 chefs and 1 Italian. The array of dishes at the Farmers Feast goes to show you that even in the wintertime there is an abundance of fresh, local and sustainable food just around the corner.

Thanks to the many talented chefs who made this event possible.

Chef Cathy Conway, Avalon Catering, Atlanta, GA

Chef Peter Dale, The National, Athens, GA

Chef Michael Deihl, East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, GA

Chef Shaun Doty, Shaun's, Atlanta, GA

Chef Ron Eyester, Rosebud, Atlanta, GA

Chef Ford Fry, JCT Kitchen & Bar, Atlanta, GA

Chef Alex Gallis, Cypress on the Hill, Chapel Hill, NC

Chef Patrick Gebrayel, Dunwoody Country Club, Dunwoody, GA

Chef Kevin Gillespie, Woodfire Grill, Atlanta, GA

Chef Linton Hopkins, Restaurant Eugene, Atlanta, GA

Chef Bruce Logue, La Pietra Cucina, Atlanta, GA

Chef Kevin Maxey, Craft, Atlanta, GA

Chef Chris McCook, Athens Country Club, Athens, GA

Chef Louis Osteen, Lake Rabun Hotel, Lakemont, GA

Chef Matt Palmerlee, Farm 255, Athens GA

Chef Anne Quatrano, Bacchanalia, Floataway Cafe, Abattoir, Atlanta, GA

Chef Butch Raphael, Whole Foods, Atlanta, GA

Chef Chuck Ramsey, Five & Ten, Athens, GA

Chef Andrea Reusing, Lantern, Chapel Hill, NC

Chef Todd Richards, One Flew South, Atlanta, GA

Chef Dave Roberts, Community Q, Atlanta, GA

Chef Edward Russell, Farm 255, Athens GA

Chef Michael Shetterley, Center Stage Catering, Athens, GA

Chef Marc Sommers, Parsley Catering, Atlanta, GA

Chef Joe Truex, Repast, Atlanta, GA

Chef Drew Van Leuvan, One Midtown Kitchen, Atlanta, GA

Chef Mark Williams, Corporate Executive Chef, Brown-Forman, Louisville, KY

Chef Janice Witcher, Epting Events, Athens, GA

Cook for a Cause

My dance partner Natalie Cox and I will be hosting a series of cooking classes benefitting Project Safe. As you might already know we are competing in Athens Dancing with the Stars, a fundraiser for Project Safe. If you aren't familiar with Project Safe please check out their website.

To kick off our series, I will be teaching the first class at my home, 628 Boulevard, from 6:00 - 8:00 pm on Thursday February 11th. Come on over and learn how to make my Frogmore stew and a tasty carrot, beet and feta salad with a cumin vinaigrette. With Valentine's Day around the corner, give the gift of gourmet food and culinary knowledge. Not only is this going to be a delicious good time, it will benefit a great organization.

The second of the four classes will be taught Chef/Partner of The National, Peter Dale. Peter's menu will be Latin-themed, with Ecuadorian-style shrimp ceviche, fried green plantains and crispy braised pork with aji sauce. Shake things up and join Peter at my house on Thursday February 18th at 6:00 pm.

Five & Ten’s very talented pastry chef, Shae Rehmel, will take on the next class. She will teach her students how to make three different types of French macaroons, a buttercream filling and a ganache filling. Shae is really rocking the macaroons right now and she might even let you spray luster duster your creations. This class will be held at Angela Meltzer's house 117 Westview Drive (Five Points) on Sunday February 28th at 2:00 pm.

Last but certainly not least, Angela Meltzer, local CPA best known for cooking and crunching numbers, will be conducting a class at her house, Sunday March 7th at 2:00 pm. Angela will be teaching a class titled " A Chinese Banquet in Your Own Kitchen," featuring soups, appetizers, main course and dessert. Learn how to impress your guests with a satisfying and unique spread.

There is no minimum cost for these events, Natalie and I ask for a donation to Project Safe, which will be collected at the end of each class. Space is limited so please reserve your spot by emailing nataliegcox@gmail.com

MARK your calendars and RESERVE your spots.

Thursday, February 11th, 6:00 pm at Hugh's house, 628 Boulevard.

Thursday, February 18th, 6:00 pm at Hugh's House

Sunday, February 28th, 2:00 pm at Angela Meltzer's house, 117 Westview Drive, Athens (Five Points)

Sunday, March 7th, 2:00 pm at Angela Meltzer's house, 117 Westview Drive, Athens (Five Points)

Cheers,
Hugh

Vote Team # 7

Culinary Artistry

Culinary Artistry by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page is a great cookbook for everyone but a revolutionary one for professional chefs.

This is a book that teaches the foundational knowledge of flavor pairings every cook should learn, how to develop your own ideas with the resources you have and understanding the creative components of cooking. For example, if you have venison loin, Dornenburg and Page explain that it often served in the fall with apples, cherries, red currants, juniper berries, or mushrooms and that it would be smart to grill, braise, roast or sauté it. I can't even fathom how long it took them to think the whole book through; it's so thorough. So when I walk through the fridges early tomorrow morning and say, "Geez, what should I do with all that swiss chard and that case of local eggs?" Culinary Artistry is the inspirational guide that can show me the way! After almost 15 years of having my dog-eared copy I still use it to spark my creativity.

This is another core book in any cooks kitchen.