I first heard about the Dessert Truck while watching Throwdown, with Bobby Flay. You know the show where Bobby Flay takes on the best of the best. The Dessert Truck is a small pastry cafe in the East Village in Manhattan. They also have a truck that is usually parked by Astor Place. In this episode Bobby Flay challenged them to a bread pudding thowdown. Dessert Truck won hands down.
Whenever I find myself around Astor Place I am always on the lookout for the truck but have never come across it. Lucky for me Groupon had a deal for a macaroon baking class hosted by Dessert Truck! I loved the idea of taking a macaroon class because it's a bit tricky. I figured I could learn the most. Dessert Truck cafe is small and cute, located on Clinton Street right next door to the Clinton Street Baking Co. The workshop consisted of one long table and four groups. Each group was given a work station which had all of the ingredients pre-measured. Everything was done the old fashioned way; and boy did my arms get quite the workout. The first step to making macaroons is to mix the aged egg whites with sugar, beating it with each addition of sugar. Turns out you have to used egg whites that have been sitting out for a few days for better texture of the macaroon. Next you place the mixture on a double broiler and beat it some more. The instructor said that this is the Swiss way of making meringue. When the mixture is done we added the dry ingredients. The dry ingredients almond flour and confectioners sugar were put through the food processor for better texture. The cookie part of the macaroon does not have much taste. It's all about the texture. Crisp on the outside but soft on the inside. We folded the dry and wet ingredients and added some food color. For whatever reason our mixture was too dry :( We had to add some more egg whites at this point. Finally, we pipped the mixture on to a silicon baking mat. It looked so early when the instructor did it, but it's not as easy as it looks! Since you have to let the macaroons sit for about an hour we were given ready made ones to fill. I felt like I was on a cooking show. Everything was remeasured and cleaned up for me. I was able to put aside our messy version and pull out the perfect version all ready baked off. We had several fillings to choose from such as salted caramel, banana, and raspberry. One thing that was disappointing was that we did not learn how to make the filing or get any filling recipes. Overall it was a fun experience. French Macaroons are something I would never have attempted without taking this class, as it is quite involved. This would be a great Christmas project. It does take a long time but makes for a special gift. If you are too lazy or have no time, you can always pop in to the cafe or find the truck. The desserts are high quality and worth all the fat and calories. The desserts are made to order. If you order the doughnuts they fry them fresh for you. Yum! Next time I have to try their famous bread pudding :) I'm posting the recipe below in case you want to try these yourself. If you do try them, be sure to let me know how they came out.White Macaroons/Macarons Blancs Yield: approx. 30 two-inch diam. macaroon halves 125 g blanched almond flour 125 g confectioner's sugar 50 g egg whites ------ 50 g egg whites 110 g granulated sugar 1. Preparing the dry ingredients: In a food processor, blend the almond flour and confectioner's sugar until well-mixed and no lumps remain, about 20 seconds. 2. Making the meringue: In a large mixing bowl over a simmering water bath, constantly whisk together approximately 1/3 of 110g of granulated sugar with the egg whites. Continue to gradually add the sugar as the whites increase in volume. Whisk until hot to the touch. Take it off the heat and continue whisking until the meringue becomes stiff. 3. Finishing the macaroon mixture: With a rubber spatula, mix in the 1remainder of the 50 g of egg whites into the almond flour mix. Now fold the meringue into the almond flour mix until all of it is incorporated into the meringue. Be sure to regularly run the spatula along the very bottom of the bowl. The final mix should be homogenous and have a thick viscosity: imagine the mixture is like cooling lava, gradually inching over a cold surface and flattening ever so slightly as it comes to rest. If the mixture is too stiff, fold in 1 tbsp of egg white at a time until you reach the proper consistency. 4. Piping the macaroons: Transfer the macaroon mixture into a piping bag fitted with a straight tip, size #805. On a full-sized non-stick sheet pan (18” x 13”) or one lined with a Silpat, pipe silver dollar-sized discs. Keep the piping tip about 1 1/4” away from the surface of the sheet pan to ensure rounded tops to the macaroon discs. Set the sheet pan aside and allow the surface of the macaroons to dry, anywhere from a half-hour to 2 hours, depending on humidity. 5. Baking the macaroons: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the macaroons for approximately 7 minutes, turning the pan halfway through. The macaroons are finished when the tops are firm and dry, and the “foamy” base is dry as well. Let cool. 6. Assembly : Gently run an offset spatula underneath each macaroon to release it from the sheet pan or Silpat. Pair macaroons by size, lining them up next to each other, with one of the pair sitting with the interior (what was the bottom) facing up. Pipe your desired filling onto that macaroon and sandwich it with the other half of the macaroon pair. You're done! Store them for a day in a cool and dry place or save it for weeks by freezing them. Play around with fillings! So many things taste and look great including butter creams, marmalades, ganaches and even ice cream!