Orange Curd French Macarons

its finally warming up in frigid nyc. ahhhhh it was so nice today! so nice. i can finally release my shoulders from the confines of those darned out of fashion sweaters and jackets i sport all winter and get back into my native tank-top, flip-flops and cute dress. my neck will see sunlight again. my toes with get some fresh air and wiggle when they want to. i can grad object with my hands, not scratchy wool gloves. yes i love the heat - bring on the heat!

this little heat wave we are having makes people crazy with activity and drives that unyielding urge to show skin (see picture below). in lieu of all of this i am going fruity with my macarons. dark chocolate is just a wee heavy for 86 degree weather, no?. but so is red wine and believe me i don't let the heat stop me from polishing off a bottle with dinner. who me? well, to be completely truthful there is also the fact that there were two oranges sitting in my frig waiting to be put out of their misery. i recently discovered that my daily orange indulgence is beginning to reek havoc on my sensitive

mouth. so no more afternoon orange at my desk for this working gal. they will have to be put to use as delicious pastry items. and so these treats were born. fear not; i also made the old stand-by chocolate on chocolate macarons that have been tested and proven a high success.

its just that they are old news to me so i'm opting to write about the much more interesting orange concoction. right.

so we'll see how these fair tomorrow night when josh the great taste tester makes his trek back home for a quick

two day stay. i think they rock, but i also think cold seaweed salads rock.

**warning: if it is humid outside - do not try to do this - you will not be successful. its just a meringue thing, trust me **

FRENCH MACARON

1c powdered sugar

1/2c almond powder / meal

2 large egg whites (aged at room temp for as long as you can, up to 24hr)

5 tbs sugar

*preheat oven to 375F, line pan with parchment

*combine the powdered sugar and almond powder in a food processor. pulsing get get a consistent texture throughout

*in a separate bowl beat the whites until they begin to hold soft peaks.

*add in the 5tbs of sugar and continue to beat until you have stiff, shiny peaks

*fold in the powdered sugar and almonds

*pipe out into 1 1/2" rounds onto prepared pan, let the batter sit for 15 minutes the put in oven and cook for 15-18 minutes.

ORANGE "CURD" FILLING

juice of 1 1/2 navel oranges

zest of 1/2 of one orange

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1.5 oz butter

1 1/8oz sugar

1/4 oz cornstarch

*in a saucepan combine the juice, zest, butter & half of the sugar. bring to a boil

* whisk together the egg, yolk, remaining sugar and cornstarch

*continue to whisk and slowly pour in the boiling juice (you are tempering the eggs so be careful)

*pour the entire mixture back into the pan and bring to a simmer for a few minutes whisking continuously to thick and smooth.

*cover and chill for a few hours