Strawberry Macarons

February 27: National Strawberry Day

The pride of Poteet is the annual Strawberry Festival. The tiny town has a Texas-sized celebration of the luscious red fruit. We have a “berry” good time sampling the shortcakes, breads, pies, cheesecakes, ice cream, shaved ice, jams/jellies/preserves and many other strawberry delicacies. But we have not seen strawberry macarons anywhere on the menu yet! In the meantime, we can make them at home with a farm-fresh filling from pureed strawberries organically grown in Texas. And even though the Poteet Strawberry Festival and strawberry season are still a few months away, we can still enjoy strawberry macarons on National Strawberry Day and throughout the year.

Recipe

(Adapted from I Love Macarons by Hisako Ogita)

For the stawberry macarons

• 1 cup almond flour/meal
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3 egg whites (aged overnight at room temperature)
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup water
• ½ teaspoon strawberry flavoring/extract
• pink food coloring (we used Wilton brand)

Directions

Sift the almond flour/meal with the powdered sugar. Make a simple syrup to stabilize the egg whites by boiling the sugar and water together until it reaches a temperature of 245 degrees F on a candy thermometer (or until it reaches a soft ball stage).

Whip the egg whites until peaks form. Pour the simple syrup into the egg whites and whip again until stiff and glossy. Stir in the almond flour/meal-sugar mix until the consistency “flows like magma.” Stir in the strawberry flavoring.

Tint the macaronage with pink food coloring. Make the desired shade slightly darker as the macarons will bake a lighter color. Fill a pastry bag with a large round tip. Pipe one-inch discs on a parchment paper on top of an insulated baking sheet. Let the discs air dry to develop a thin skin for at least 30 minutes. Bake in a preheated oven at 300 degrees F for about 15 minutes. Watch the “feet” develop, but be careful not to brown or burn the macarons.

Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Peel off the macarons from the parchment paper. Sort by size and match pairs. Make the filling.

For the strawberry buttercream filling

(Adapted from Sprinkles)

• ¼ cup whole strawberries
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, slightly softened
• pinch of salt
• 1 ¾ cup powdered sugar, sifted
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla

Directions

In a blender, puree the strawberries. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter with a pinch of salt. Gradually blend in the powdered sugar until well combined and fluffy. Mix in 1 ½ tablespoons of strawberry puree (reserve the rest for another recipe). Stir in the vanilla. Fill a piping bag with a large round tip. Pipe in the filling and sandwich the macarons together. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let the filling set. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Notes

• Click on our Mac Attack page to see more macarons.

Texas Chili

February 25: National Chili Day

Leatherface may have put massacred meat in his chainsaw-style chili, but there is one ingredient that we cook without in Texas—beans! Traditional Texas chili does not contain legumes, unlike other chili con carne recipes we have cooked before. The Tex-Mex spicy stew is so popular that there are several cook-offs and contests throughout the state as well as all over the country. For chills, we eat chili when we watch horror movies like “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” For chilly days, we eat chili when we want warmth during winter temperatures. Beans or no beans bones about it, eat chili on National Chili Day!

Recipe

(Adapted from Lone Star Brewing Company)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 pounds chuck beef
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 (8 ounces) can tomato sauce
• 2 cups hot water
• 5 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground oregano
• Salt, pepper and paprika to taste
• ½ teaspoon red pepper (optional)
• 1 tablespoon of flour thinned with water to make a paste

Directions

Cut the beef into bite-sized pieces. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet. Brown the beef. Mix in the onions, tomato sauce, hot water, chilip, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper and paprika. Cover and cook over low heat for an hour or until the beef is tender. Pour in the flour-water mixture to thicken the sauce. Serve hot.

Notes

• This basic Texas chili recipe can be adapted to include more or less chili powder, sliced green bell or jalapeño peppers and garlic.
• Use leftover chili, melted shredded cheese and corn chips to make Frito Pie (also known as chili pie) on National Corn Chips Day on January 29.

Baked Tortilla Chips

February 24: National Tortilla Chips Day

Tex-Mex and Mexican restaurants typically serve tortilla chips and salsa before the main meal. Although we are addicted to the crispy, crunchy corn chips that they serve us, we know that baking them at home is healthier than the fried, golden goodness of those restaurant-style tortilla chips. So we asked our Tejano amigos for advice on making baked tortilla chips and they told us how surprisingly simple they are to prepare. They taste terrific, too, with less grease—and guilt! Try them as an alternative appetizer for snack time and for National Tortilla Chips Day.

Recipe

(Inspired by Gregorio and Silvia P.)

• 1 package of fresh corn tortillas (we used the yellow instead of white corn tortillas)
• cooking spray
• salt

Directions

Using a sharp knife, cut quarters from a stack of tortillas. Line a baking sheet with foil for easy clean up. Place tortillas on the baking sheet.

Generously mist over them with cooking spray. Lightly sprinkle with salt. Turn the chips over and spray over them again. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, being careful not to brown or burn the edges. The chips will curl somewhat during baking. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to a crisp.

Notes

• Serve the baked tortilla chips with salsa (see our blog recipe post in May for National Salsa Month) or guacamole (see our blog recipe post on November 14 for National Guacamole Day).
• Use baked tortilla chips to make nachos (see our blog post on November 6 for National Nachos Day).