Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

2/3 c (3 1/2 ounces) whole
Blanched almonds
3/4 c Sugar
3 tb (1-2) egg whites
1/2 ts Almond extract
Chocolate Ganache, made and
Chilled at least 5 to 6
Hours in advance,
Recipe follows
Sarah Bernhardt Chocolate
Glaze, recipe follows
Gold leaves or 2 tablespoons
Minced unsalted shelled
Pistachios
Special Equipment:
Pastry bag fitted with a
Plain #9 tip (5/8-inch)

To Make Macaroons: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a food
processor fitted with a steel blade, grind almonds and sugar until
fine. Add egg whites and almond extract and process to a paste.

Transfer mixture to the pastry bag. Pipe 1 1/2-inch high, leaving
about 1-inch between macaroons on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
Let stand for 30 minutes. Meanwhile preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Bake macaroons until they begin to color, about 20 minutes. Cool on
baking sheet on a wire rack. When cool, carefully peel each cookie
from the parchment paper. Macaroons may be completed up to 3 days in
advance. Wrap well and refrigerate.

To Assemble and Finish Pastries: Wash and dry pastry bag and tip, then
re-assemble. Beat chilled Chocolate Ganache until the color lightens
and mixture becomes stiff enough to hold its shape. Do not overbeat
or ganache will have a granular texture. Transfer ganache to pastry
bag. Pipe a 2-inch high kiss-shaped mound on top of each Macaroon.
Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 1 hour.

Meanwhile, prepare Sarah Bernhardt Chocolate Glaze. Strain glaze
through a fine strainer. Allow to cool until a small dab on your
upper lip feels barely cool, about 88 degrees. Transfer glaze to a
narrow container tall enough to dip the pastries. Hold the cookie
part of each pastry carefully and dip each one, upside down, into the
glaze, reaching deep enough just to cover ganache. Set pastry upright
and top with a pinch of pistachio, if desired. Refrigerate pastries
immediately; keep chilled until ready to serve. If you are decorating
with gold leaf, omit pistachios. Before applying gold leaf, chill
pastries until glaze is set.

Apply gold leaf by touching the thin gold sheets with a tiny artist's
brush; the gold will come off in tiny pieces and stick to the brush.
Touch the brush to the pastry to transfer the gold to the pastry.
Pastries may be completed up to 2 days in advance of serving.
Refrigerate in a covered container.

Yield: 20-24 pastries

*edible, real gold and silver leaf is available from Indian Grocery
stores where it is called Vark. It is also available from art supply
stores. It must be a least 23 carats to be considered edible.

CHEF DU JOUR ALICE MEDRICH SHOW #DJ9153

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