Gary

About the thickness, was it 1/4 inch more or less? What's the difference between ganache and buttercream? Is it the chocolate/cream ratio?

I've used Trader Joe's Almond Meal the last few batches. It's pre-ground so I hoped it would save me a step in the process... although I've found that I still need to sift it to get out the big chunks. I've also wondered about the freshness issue. Maybe I'll just suck it up and go back to grinding almonds (with powdered sugar) in the food processor. I assume the almonds are fresh. How do you tell? Is there an almond season? Does the blanching process somehow keep them fresher longer? Am I obsessing over this detail too much?

Melange, How do Marcona blanched almonds differ from the "regular" blanched almonds I see at my regular grocery store? I've got a Whole Foods in the area but hesitate to blow a lot of cash on an ingredient that doesn't make a difference in the end product. Patricia, How thick were the fillings of the great macarons? The cherry one sounds like preserves. The chocolate is buttercream. How about the pistachio? Was it buttercream as well? Thanks, Gary

In my quest for macaron perfection I'd like to clarify a few of the finer points... seeing as I've only seen photos from the famous places like Laudree and Fauchon. - How large are they? I made my about 2" in diameter. Should they be 3"? - How thick is the ganache layer? Mine is quite thin... about 1/8". Should it be thicker? - How do you get the pastel colors in the non-chocolate version? Food color? I've got leftover chocolate ganache so I'll be making chocolate macarons next. After that I was thinking about strawberry or pistachio. Any tips on the proper fillings (with recipes)? Thanks, Gary

I'm now munching on a Michel Cluizel Amer 85% that I just picked up at Zingerman's in Ann Arbor. The best part was the "free" chocolate tasting offered by the lovely lady at their chocolate display area. She let me taste several types before I picked the one I liked best. I love Zingerman's.

I tried macaroons again tonight. Much better than the failures last week. Still having a problem with "wrinkly" tops. Not the perfect domes I'm shooting for. What changed since last time? Two things: - Egg whites whipped stiffer. - Almond meal sifted and any big pieces were thrown out. Here are some photos of tonight's baking adventure. Any suggestions on how to get rid of the wrinkles? Thanks! Grainy bits of almond meal... ready for the trashcan Stiffly beat-up egg whites... ready for folding Wrinkly topped macaroon... still tasty but not quite perfect.

My recommendation is the pumkin ravioli with gorgonzola cream sauce. Nice size serving. Not too overwhelming. Meals always start with a nice antipasta tray of olives, lupini beans, mortadela, salami, bread and a tomato/eggplant sauce (for the bread). I can't restrain myself and alway seem to eat too much of these treats. Hopefully your host's idea of Italian food in "Northville" isn't the chain restaurants (Bravo! or Papa Vino). They don't have small-town Northville charm like Little Italy. Am I to understand that Emily's is out as a candidate for dinner?

They serve this pureed sweet potato side dish... cream & vanilla & magic. Yum yum. It's usually paired with a meat (duck??). I've had the sea bass and it is terrific too. Salads/Appetizers: $5 - $9 (plus an optional $16 fois gras option) Entrees: $20 - $38 (top price for some kobe beef dish) Desserts: $7 Wine: ??? Rick Halberg is a "slow food movement" sort of guys... at least that's what he said in his cooking class I attended. You will not have a bad meal at Emily's. Also, you won't have to deal with overbearing waitstaff and a temperamental chef. Rick is laid back and his restaurant is better because of it. No compromises on the food. Just a great experience w/o attitude. Refreshing ain't it?!? I have a menu at my house. I'll try to post some items/prices tomorrow. Happy eating! Gary ps. When are you coming to town?

I'm a Northville native and can provide a few ideas: Northville: Emily's - Hands down the best in town. Rick Halberg's menu and presentation are terrific. Little Italy - OK Italian food. Fun atmosphere in an old Victorian house. Plymouth: Cafe Bon Homme - Nice french restaurant. Haven't been there in a few years. Good location in the center of the downtown. If you want an out-of-the-box culinary idea, try the restaurant at Schoolcraft College. It's called American Harvest. Supervised by several CMC instructors and run by students in their culinary arts program. Supposed to be very good. Dinner only. Dress warm. It's gonna be cold here for a while! Gary.

Just raising my hand here and saying "hi... I'm from Detroit". Well... Northville actually. And having Emily's just down the street from me is a constant source of frustration... that I can't afford to eat there more often. A trip to Zingermans is scheduled for Feb. 1st. Hope to talk with other eG locals soon. Gary.

I just have to chime in here as a newbie. Michael served me his famous egg-cup chocolate dessert (custard?) a few years ago at Tribute. We were seated at the "kitchen table". Michael kept raving about how the salt "made" the dessert. My friends were rolling their eyes, partly because their bellies were full. I, on the other hand, was going all-out that night and ate and ate and ate. The egg-cup dessert was great. The petit-fours tray was consumed by yours truly. I've never had a gastronomic adventure like that. Thanks to eG, I get to relive the memory again and share it with a like-minded community. Sure glad to have found eG. What happened to Michael on Iron Chef? I don't have cable/satellite TV.

Thanks Wendy. I'm a bit overwhelmed by the star power on this board. Seems like everyone is a professional Pastry Chef. Reading the thread about opening the Criollo pastry shop killed any speck of interest I had in doing the same. I'll stick to being an amateur baker and leave the rough stuff to the pros. I've just scratched the surface of eG. Much more surfing to do. Gary. ps. How did they come up with the eGullet name? Seems odd.

What puzzles me is that pastry shops like Pierre Herme can't possibly leave out egg whites all night yet they get perfectly domed macarons every time. I like the macaron because it seems quick and easy. Just a few ingredients, perfectly mixed and baked. The annoyance factor of planning 24 hours in advance puts a damper on things. Someone posted about earlier about the Trader Joe's almond meal. They say it might be rancid (how can you tell?) and that it is too coarse (how do you define this?). The two bags I bought didn't smell funny. I didn't resift the almond meal because it appeared fine enough. Is there some advantage to sifting the almond meal?

Well then. I'll try the super-duper egg white beating next time. Thanks for the input. I'll let you know how they come out. BTW... I just finished eating my latest batch of chocolate mousse (CDBPH style). Yum yum. Got my 3 year old son hooked too. Another chocoholic in the making!

Patrick, I tried the "leave it for 30 minutes" technique with no measurable difference. The first sheet went in with a 10 minute rest and the next two sheets went in at 20 minute intervals thereafter. All three sheets of macaroons looked the same. The difference between the two batches of cookies is that I did the Robert Linxe baking technique (20 min @ 350F) and the Pierre Herme method (10 min, start at 425, turn down to 350, wedge a wooden spoon in the door). The Linxe method made them crispy. The Herme method made them chewy. Neither made them rise and get feet. The obvious difference between this past weekend (failure) and last year (success) was the almond meal -vs- ground blanched almonds. Perhaps my egg beating technique is questionable. I'm thinking that I overbeat or underbeat the whites. Not sure which one but I'll try it again. Maybe I need more volume of whites. It's about time for me to use that new copper mixing bowl I got for Christmas. First I have to strip the varnish off the interior before I use it. What a pain!! Gary

Hi there! I'm new to the forum. I found it today via a link in Chocolate&Zucchini. I've made a few things in the CDBPH cookbook. Chocolate lemon caramel, macaroons, and chocolate mousse. I've made the macaroons last year and they turned out great. I ground some blanched almonds in the food processor along with the sugar and cocoa... sifting out the mixture in a sieve. Trader Joe's sells "almond meal" which I believe is just ground up almonds. I bought a couple bags because it would save me the grinding step in the process. The cookies turned out terrible... and I made them twice last weekend. The first batch turned out flat and crispy. The second batch was flat and chewy. I can't seem to get the cookies to rise. There is no "footlet" on the bottom. In short, they are depressing and not worth the effort. Can I use ground almond meal? They did have brown flecks which I assume is the skin of the nut. Did I overbeat the egg whites? They were at room temperature, the bowl was clean/dry, and I whipped them by hand. Did I drop the cookie sheet too hard on the counter and pop too much air out of the batter? PH says to do this in the instructions... so I did. I'd appreciate any suggestions to get my macaroons back on track. Thanks! Gary