Macadamia Nut Brittle

I'm off to Berlin via London today! One of the foods I will miss the most is macadamia nuts. Native to Australia, I feel they might not be all that easy to get a hold of overseas and will probably be well beyond my budget. So my final post in Aus is macadamia brittle. I plan on taking some on the plane with me; a little taste of home! 

Macadamia Brittle

(Feel free to double the recipe, I only had a few macs left)

220g macadamias, lightly roasted

100g caster sugar

2 tblsp water. 

Place the sugar and water in a heavy based saucepan over a medium-high heat. The sugar will dissolve and the mixture will begin to bubble. Gently tip and turn the pot to mix as patches of golden brown begin to appear. When the mixture turns a golden brown, add the nuts turn down the heat to low and gently stir with an oiled spoon to combine. Pour out onto an piled marble slab or tray lined with baking paper. Leave to cool for ten minutes and then break up into chunks. The cooking process should take about ten minutes, the caramel will be very hot, so be careful!

Recipe based on Jamie's hazelnut brittle in 'The Naked Chef'. 

Macarons, Marshmallows and Meringues - An Excess of Egg Whites

I leave for Berlin very soon for an indefinite period of time. This prompted a review of the contents of the freezer(s) and pantry. Due largely to a lemon tart (which calls for a whopping 8 yolks) phase a while back I had a considerable amount of frozen egg whites . As well, the pantry was peppered with jars of hardened pure icing sugar (all it took was a quick pulse in the food processor to return it to powder), caster sugar and a large container of cooking chocolate. I saw an opportunity. There were a number of recipes i wanted to try out before I embarked on my journey, where I feel baking opportunities will be minimal, using just such ingredients. As well, I want to see as much of my friends as possible before relocating to a foreign city  where I know no-one and cannot speak the language (Ah!) 

The result was an afternoon tea on a warm and sunny Easter monday with a table ladened with my first attempt at macarons and marshmallows as well as friands, mini-pavlovas, almonds tarts, rolled buttercream balls and a few savoury bites. I had a lot of help from David Lebovitz's post on left over egg whites, as well as the brilliant Bourke St Bakery cookbook. I highly recommend having a go at the marshmallows, it was like making clouds. And macarons are not at all hard! I tried two techniques: David's and these pistachio ones from Tartelette. Both tasted good but the Tartelette recipe created a smoother, more professional looking result. 

I managed to use up 2.5 blocks of butter from the fridge as well as puff pastry circles from months ago, frangipane/creme patisserie mix, buttercream and lebanese bread from the freezer. It was so satisfying. A lot was gobbled up and most of my friends left with a paper bag of samples for later. I urge you to think twice before throwing things out. So much freezes successfully and can hang out for months before you find the energy/inspiration to use it. 

Pistachio macarons with white chocolate filling.  

Buttercream balls topped with a roasted peanut. 

Marshmallows: just like little sugary clouds!

My fav: mini-meringues topped with lightly sweetened whipped cream and strawbs.