Pistachio Macarons With Kirsch

Happy Monday everyone!

After a visit to my father's yesterday, I found myself toting home a bundle of 'borrowed' movies. Now normally I'm suspicious of the movies my father presses upon me, as he tends to delight in disturbing my sister and I with strange foreign films.

How old was I when I saw Baxter for the first time... eleven maybe? I'm still freaked out by bull terriers.

Anyway, this time he gave me a film called Julie & Julia telling me that it was about a food blogger, like me. Okay so this film had pretty much flown under my radar. Everyone is now wondering if I live under a rock, right? '

Well yes, I do.

Watching TV or a movie is a pretty rare occurrence around here. It just isn't part of my little family's normal leisure routine. I know, I know, the Humbles are strange.

So I see this movie and now I feel so unbelievably... normal. Very satisfying, actually. I've not read Julie Powell's blog and as I understand it, we don't have a lot in common but the experience of starting a food blog resonated. Good too see I'm not the only one dealing with the insanity of food-blogger-dom. Baking and blogging isn't always pretty. You have those days where you're splattered with batter, overwhelmed by dishes, your child is coloring on the sofa with a bic pen and your annoyed husband comes home to find out that the only thing ready for dinner is cake. Again.

It does happen.

So, more macarons today. Yes, I know I'm obsessed.

This is the second of Friday's Macaronathon, pairing the flavors of pistachio with cherry brandy.



The macaron recipe is the same as friday's Blueberry Macarons minus blueberries and adding sprinkling of pistachios.

After piping the shells, sprinkle half the shells with chopped pistachios and bake. Once cool, assemble with kirsch butter cream.

Have you had cherry brandy paired with pistachio yet? It's lovely, trust me.

Kirsch Butter Cream
460 grams (4 cups) confectioners sugar, sifted
226 grams (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoons milk or cream
1 tablespoon Kirsch
pink food coloring (optional)

Using your stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or a hand mixer), cream the butter until smooth. Gradually add the sifted sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add the cream and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the kirsch, adding a little more or a little less depending on your own taste.

Add a little more cream or confectioners sugar to reach the desired consistency.

Fill a piping bag with an Ateco #11 tip, or even a sandwich baggy with the corner cut off (yes, this is one of the rare occasions I use them like this) and pipe a swirl onto the cookies. Sandwich with a second cookie.

Enjoy!


Oh and for the record, in the 'Ms Humble & Julia' movie, the lobster survives.

We named him Tiberius.