At my second cooking lesson, I made Creme Brulee and Coconut Macaroons. The creme brulee was super easy. The process for the macaroons was easy too but a poor coconut brand made it tricky. Also the dough was really dry so we had to add much more egg than called for.
I go to a school where students can chose to study in French. So, since the first grade, I have been learning in French. I have even been to France. I think all of this learning business has made me LOVE French food and all things French. I mean I seriously LOVE French food, especially Creme Brulee. Really people, come on, how many three year olds order Creme Brulee and do not have a single clue what it is. Ever since that first Creme Brulee, I have been in LOVE with them! My obsession took a new turn when I went to France. I made it my business to sample Creme Brulee at every restaurant that we went to. I sampled Creme Brulee across the whole countryside of France, from Paris to Strasbourg and back. I sampled it at big restaurants, small restaurants... for lunch, and for dinner. Every day it was continuously Creme Brulee. And if that wasn't enough to make you think "Wow, she is crazy!", I was only in the second grade! Because of my love for this delicious dessert, I thought that it was time to learn how to cook it. Most recipes are a little more complicated, but this one can be made in about 15 minutes...and it's really good! Caramelizing the top adds the "WOW" factor. Below is a link to a video of Ina making it. You can view it at http://www.foodnetwork.com/barefoot-contessas-creme-brulee/video/index.html
The surprise bonus: Coconut Macaroons! One of the added bonuses of taking cooking lessons is that I get to learn new tips and tricks. I have a question for you. What do you do with the extra yolks/whites after you make something? If you are like me you probably just throw them away. Thanks to my cooking teacher, Macy, I now have two new things. One, a go to cookie recipe, and two, what to do when a recipe calls for egg yolks and not egg whites (now, I just have to find a recipe that uses egg yolks). These treats were really a hit with my family, as I started with twenty four, and by the end of the day was down to seven. They are very easy and I could be making them for a party in my future. If you make these cookies right, they will not spread like chocolate chip or sugar cookies would. They will stay in a ball and have little cracks in them. I have one advisory for you, don't use Trader Joe's brand of coconut; their coconut was too dry. Regular supermarket brand kind, would be better.
The Creme Brulee recipe was from Barefoot in Paris by Ina Garten. She has loads of cookbooks and I all of the recipes I trust and love. The macaroons were from Cook's Illustrated which is a cooking magazine. You can also look it up online but you have to be a subscriber to view it. Both of the recipes are to follow.
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the egg, egg yolks, and 1/2 cup of the sugar together on low speed until just combined. Meanwhile, scald the cream in a small saucepan until it's very hot to the touch but not boiled. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the cream to the eggs. Add the vanilla and Grand Marnier and pour into 6 to 8-ounce ramekins until almost full.
3. Place the ramekins in a baking pan and carefully pour boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the custards are set when gently shaken. Remove the custards from the water bath, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until firm.
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| The ramekins in the water |
4. To serve, spread 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly on the top of each ramekin and heat with a kitchen blowtorch until the sugar caramelizes evenly. Allow to sit at room temperature for a minute until the caramelized sugar hardens. ** Make sure to caramelize the Creme Brulee right before serving **
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| The almost finished Creme Brulee |
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| The actually finished Creme Brulee |
Coconut Macaroons
Makes about 2 dozen 2-inch cookies.
INGREDIENTS:
- 14 ounces flaked, sweetened coconut
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup large egg whites , plus 1 tablespoon, from about 3 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Directions:
- 1. Set racks in upper-middle and lower-middle levels of oven and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- 2. Turn coconut into food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade; process 1 minute. Add sugar, process 15 seconds longer. Add egg whites and extract; process 1 full minute until the paste resembles slushy snow. Scrape sides and corners of work bowl with spatula; process until stiff but cohesive, malleable paste (similar in consistency to marzipan or pasta dough) forms, about 5 seconds longer. If mixture is crumbly or dry, turn machine back on and add water by drops through feeder tube until proper consistency is reached.
3. Allowing scant 2 tablespoons of paste for each macaroon, form a dozen cookies upon each paper-lined sheet, spacing the cookies 1 1/2 inches apart. You can drop the paste from a spoon or for a neater look, roll it into 1-inch balls between your palms . (Rinse and dry your hands if they become too sticky.) To make fancy macaroons, pipe the paste using a large pastry bag fitted with a 3/4-inch open star tip.
This was my somewhat crumbly mixture 
To make sure that they were all the same sizes we weighed them - 4. Bake macaroons, switching cookie sheet positions midway through baking, until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. If over baked, macaroons will dry out rather quickly when stored. Leave macaroons on papers until completely cooled or else they may tear. (Can be stored in an airtight container for at least 4 days or frozen up to 1 month.)
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| The finished macaroon |
Deeeeelish!!! Both the macaroons AND the Creme brûlée !
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