VANILLA CAKE with olive oil and maple syrup and low fat to boot!

WHAT’S A GIRL TO DO?

A gourmet who thinks of calories is like a tart who looks at her watch.

~James Beard

I have always been hungry. My mother tells of the time when she worriedly rushed me to the pediatrician’s office. Brand new baby, I was still at the tender age of liquid diet yet, as she exclaimed to the doctor “she sucks down bottle after bottle of milk and she cries for more! It isn’t normal! She just won’t stop eating!” He checked me and discovered that I was both normal and healthy and, with a kindly, reassuring smile on his face, merely said to her “Well, she must be hungry. It’s a little early but go ahead and add cereal to her bottles.” Apparently that did the trick. And it was downhill from there.

I have always loved to eat. Breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner and more snacks, PopTarts or cereal, popcorn and cookies, shrimp cocktail or sandwiches of any and all imaginable combinations of ingredients, salads, vegetables, fruit, even school cafeteria lunches, airplane meals and pretty much anything that was placed in front of me, anything that I could grab. From the moment that I was old enough to serve myself, I had my head in the refrigerator looking for something to eat. I was a passionate, avid reader yet I was rarely to be found with a book in my hand if there wasn’t something to eat in the other. I really don’t think that I was hungry all the time, but rather I just wanted to, had to, was compelled to eat. All the time. How I ever got through all of those mornings and afternoons of school without eating is still a mystery to me.


And I am still an eater. Three square meals a day, my husband’s credo, has done much to tame me and has indeed helped me keep my body from ballooning into the Hindenburg (and spontaneously self-combusting). Three meals may be fine (and quite enough) for some but not for this lady. No, I am one of those who needs five meals during the day, peppered with snacks, although I must admit that as I must share three meals with my husband the other two meals take the form of a hearty snack, sometimes sweet, sometimes savory and often alone. I always have a small bag of emergency chocolates in my handbag and the first thing I pack for any car trip, whether an hour or a week, is the picnic basket full of snacks. But I will admit that I have cut down considerably. One is familiar with that old myth of the skinny Frenchwoman? Well, I understand. Her spouse, the Frenchman, adamantly sticks to his traditional breakfast, lunch, dinner and she, daintily smiling, carefully attentive and the perfect gentle mealtime companion, must join him for those long, layered meals. But contrary to popular myth, this épouse – wife of a Frenchman – does not limit her meals to salad nor does she elegantly pick at her tiny portion, pushing it around her plate to give the appearance of eating, all the while counting the calories laid out in front of her. I love eating and although I try and be careful, eat well, healthy and in moderation, I never disdain a good steak tartare with a side of frites, anything in sauce or, well, seconds. But yes, I will admit, that eating alongside my husband has made me a tad less hungry between those meals and somewhat able to control myself the rest of the day.

But his – and following in his footsteps, his sons’ - response to the offer of dessert or a snack is “No, thanks, I’m not hungry.” Hungry? Hungry? Since when does hungry have anything to do with it? A slice of cake, a dish of ice cream, a plate of cookies or something small and creamy is the sweet punctuation at the end of a meal, a soothing, comforting pause in the middle of the afternoon, a reinforcement, a boost of energy halfway between breakfast and lunch. And if it isn’t formally served on a tiny plate with fork or spoon, then I wander into the kitchen each time I pass through the house, swing by the cake plate, the cookie tin and nibble. A sliver here, a mouthful there, it makes me happy and helps me through the day.

Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity.

~Voltaire

Now, I don’t have to remind you that summer is here and vacation is on its way. The suitcases are open on the bedroom floor, the airplane tickets are stacked in a neat little pile underneath the passports, Marty is signed up for camp and that swimsuit of mine is staring at me, mocking me, laughing, shaking an imaginary finger! Oh, I had planned on being a bit more careful this last month before our Florida holiday in that lazy beachside town. But how to keep the hand out of the candy drawer? Or keep from baking?


Well, I have one recipe that may help. 0% fat fromage frais (quark) plays a large part in my desserts. I make my fabulous, creamy, tangy lemon tart with this fat free substitute for cream, and any cake that calls for sour cream or Greek yogurt usually finds itself filling up on the fat free version. I have made a delicious fat-free fruity faux Tiramisu and we’ve enjoyed a fat-free quark mousse. But when we crave cake or when we need something dense and good for breakfast, I turn to this recipe. Made without either, butter, eggs or milk, it gets its goodness and warmth from olive oil and maple syrup. It is extremely easy to put together and just as easy to eat: dense and moist, flavorful enough to eat on its own with a cup of coffee for breakfast or a quick snack, simple enough to be the perfect foil for fresh fruit or fruit coulis (if watching our weight and getting ready for swimsuit season) or ice cream, pudding, or any kind of rich, creamy sauce you like.

It’s even perfect for those husbands (ahem) on low cholesterol diets.


This recipe is featured on the website Maple Syrup World! Visit this site for information on maple syrup as well as great recipes!

VANILLA CAKE with olive oil and maple syrup
From Peter Berley’s The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp fine sea salt
1 cup pure maple syrup
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil or melted unsalted butter
2 tsps cider vinegar
1 Tbs vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly oil a 9-inch (22/23-cm) cake pan and dust with flour.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk or stir together the two flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a separate bowl or large glass measuring cup, whisk together the maple syrup, water, oil, vinegar and vanilla.

Now it is simply a question of pouring the wet ingredients into the dry and blending well either with a whisk or a wooden spoon although I prefer using a whisk. The best method for doing this so you don’t end up with stuff splattered all over your countertop and so you end up with smooth, lump-free batter is to make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour about a quarter or a third of the liquid ingredients into the well. With small, brisk circular movements whisk with just enough of the dry until you have a thick, smooth, lump-free batter, almost a paste, in the center. Add some more of the liquid, pull in a bit more of the dry, and briskly whisk again until, aha! your batter is smooth. Continue until all the dry ingredients have been incorporated into your (now) lump-free batter, add any remaining liquid ingredients and give it a go.


Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25 – 30 minutes until the cake is set in the center and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. If the cake is undercooked it tends to be more pasty than moist.

Allow the cake to cool for about 10 minutes in the pan before turning it out of the pan and letting it cool on a cooling rack.

Read more »

STRAWBERRY-ORANGE QUARK TIRAMISU (FAT FREE!)

COUNTDOWN TO SUMMER : SECONDS


And the countdown goes on. I looked out the window yesterday morning and wondered what had happened. Just the day before Spring was tapping at the pane, beckoning me with long, slender fingers of sunshine to come out and play. A promise of warmth and gentle winds and a hint of summer to come. How I yearned to walk outside and feel the midday sun wash over me, be enveloped in the mild breeze and be carried along, mind empty of all winter woes and just bask in the cheerful expectation of the coming springtime, but those hopes were soon dashed to the ground. The following morning, just one day later, we woke to drab skies and the threat of rain and a grumpy dog roaming from room to room looking for that bright spot of sunshine on the carpet. And on top of it all, I had missed my chance to enjoy our one beautiful day: there I was, lying sick in bed, covers pulled up to my chin, groaning for no one to hear. And feeling very sorry for myself. As I cracked open one eye and looked out the window onto that dreary day, a chill in the air, I wondered if Ms. Spring was crying for me as I lay in bed sick, not able to go out and play.

Oh, to be this elegant when sick....

The weather teases, coaxes me into believing that one more winter is done and over, slate-colored skies will turn blue, steel gray, heavy clouds will stomp off leaving fluffy, cotton clouds, airy and light, in their place. Yet here it is playing games, hide and seek, making promises like a coquette, promises she doesn’t mean to keep, flashing her brilliant smile, baring one delicate shoulder, whispering your name, then disappearing as you reach out for her, leaving nothing in your grasp except for the echo of her mocking laugh. Ah, that is April for you, in like a lion, out like a lamb yet in between the two nothing but deception, hope and waiting.

But here it is, another day come and gone and as I stretch and yawn and realize that Mr. Bug has also come and gone leaving me feeling just a little bit brighter, a little closer to normal, I see the sun is back, shining through the shutters and inviting me to downshift one more time into springtime mode.

Springtime should be like this every day...

I detest being sick. I have absolutely no desire whatsoever to eat, and that, my friends, is truly tragic! And when sick I barely make it from one end of the apartment to the other much less outside to shop, so poor JP ended up eating boiled potatoes for dinner. He found them hiding somewhere in their little brown paper bag, boiled them up and ate them with a bit of old bread and a spot of cheese. Poor man. But I was saving all of my own pity for myself so I had little to spare. No, I can’t say that, can I? I felt horrid! Forcing my poor man who works so hard all day long to eat boiled potatoes for dinner? So the following morning I forced myself out of bed, drank a hot cup of coffee and some toast and jam and swore that I would get over this bug. Pronto!

And now it’s done and off I run to market! I love the coming of spring with the occasional sighting of a berry here or an asparagus there, the local fruits and vegetables waving their little arms, calling my name. As the oranges and grapefruit dwindle to the last few golden orbs, as the passion fruit elbow their way in front of the pears, as the local apples give way to their tiny red friends, it’s starting to feel a lot like summer! And that, my friends, is enough to cheer anyone up!


The first local gariguette strawberries from just outside Nantes have finally shown their lovely red faces this week. Nestled in their tiny cartons, they puff out their little strawberry chests and gloat: perfect, plump berries with their thatch of green crowning something so luscious, France’s most famous, beloved strawberries, bright and sugary sweet, juicy and tender, the perfect berry to eat one after the next, fingers staining a gorgeous ruby red, or dusted with sugar that cracks in between your teeth as you scoop up a few slices of the dusted berries and bite down. Or smothered under barely sweetened Chantilly, adding a froth of feminine luxuriousness to something already so sexy as that perfect red jewel-like fruit.


Already at the height of her sweetness, the gariguette calls me over to the market stall and mesmerizes me with her fragrance and perfect little body. I have visions of wrapping her in cream, thick and luscious, pairing her with the last of the season’s oranges, tart and tangy, a kiss of warmth, winter’s brilliant, golden depth against summer’s light sweetness. Add to that a soft bite of ladyfinger, delicate yet dense, drenched in a rich caramel with a kick of orange and a splash of red fruit syrup, snuggling deep in the snowy white cream redolent of vanilla and nutty Amaretto. Mmmmmm. Luxurious, voluptuous, what more could you ask for in a dessert? How about low fat? Ok, you’ve got it! Slide a spoonful between your lips, into your mouth, onto your tongue, taste buds titillated they glide through flavor after flavor, the richness of the cream, the sweet, juicy berries, the glow of the orange, the earthiness of the Amaretto and it is hard to believe that this dessert is low fat. Believe it! So cool and refreshing, you can indulge all summer long! Indulge and enjoy!

Oh happy days! I won my first writing contest! Thank you Matilda and Kendra of Women’s Memoirs, for choosing my piece Remembering Childhood as the winner (tied for first place with Joellyn Simpson Avery) for March’s Food Memoir Contest. I am thrilled and honored! Matilda and Kendra have created a special place for women to gather and share their memories and concentrate on their writing, learning and improving.

STRAWBERRY-ORANGE FAT-FREE QUARK “TIRAMISU”
Makes 4 individual Tiramisu *

*for more, simply increase everything! Easily done!

I played this completely by ear, basing it on a traditional Tiramisu (here and here). Ladyfingers soaked in orange caramel syrup with a couple of tablespoons of a red fruit syrup to taste which can be replaced with a simple blend of freshly squeezed orange juice, a tablespoon or two of Amaretto and any red fruit drink or juice, preferably sugar-free, to taste. Layer it with whatever summery fruit you like, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries or even the last of the season’s ripe, sweet pears or oranges.


About 12 ladyfingers (recipe follows) **
1 pint ripe, sweet, juicy strawberries
1 cup of syrup made with freshly-squeezed orange juice and sugar *** + a red fruit syrup or juice or strawberry purée
2 cups (500 ml) 0% fat fromage frais, quark or even Greek yogurt
About 3 Tbs powdered/confectioner’s sugar to taste
½ vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped out (you will use the seeds not the pod)
2 – 3 Tbs Amaretto or to taste

Make the ladyfingers if not using store bought. Make the orange syrup and allow to cool to room temperature. This can be done well ahead of time. Before using, take about ½ cup or so of the orange syrup and add any red fruit syrup, nectar or juice to taste. If you like, get some extra ripe strawberries and purée them and stir them into the orange syrup to taste. (I used Le Nantillais Fruits Rouges, a non-alcoholic, sweetened fruit preparation used as a base for cocktails). And don't forget that you can always replace the fat-free fromage frais with mascarpone and make a traditional cream Tiramisu.

Le Nantillais

Blend the fromage frais with powdered sugar, the seeds from the vanilla bean and Amaretto to taste. Whisk until well blended and creamy.


Put about a tablespoon of the fromage frais mixture in the bottom of 4 desserts bowls.


Take a ladyfinger and plunge into the orange syrup allowing it to soak up liquid so it is soaked through but not mushy or falling apart, just a few seconds. Place one in each bowl and press gently into the layer of cream. Slice 4 more ladyfingers and plunge into the syrup a piece at a time and snuggle them either side of the whole ladyfingers already in the bowls to fill in the dish to make a complete layer of soaked fingers.


Divide the rest of the fromage frais, reserving about 4 heaping tablespoons, between the 4 glasses, covering the ladyfingers with the cream. Trim the strawberries and slice placing a layer of sliced strawberries in each bowl on top of the layer of cream.


Add a tablespoon (divide the rest of the fromage frais) on top of the sliced berries then decorate the top with more sliced strawberries.

Cover the “Tiramisu” with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight so the flavors blend and the ladyfingers soften with the juice and cream.

Just before serving, drizzle a bit of the orange syrup over the berries on top then whiz up a final few ladyfingers in a food processor to make large crumbs and sprinkle over the top of each “Tiramisu”. Serve chilled.


** for the Ladyfingers (if you want to see how this looks step by step click here):

3 large eggs, separated
6 Tbs (75 g) sugar
¾ cup (95 g) cake flour, sifted
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
6 Tbs (50 g) confectioner’s/powdered sugar

Separate the eggs. Place the yolks in a large mixing bowl. Place the whites in a medium-sized metal or plastic bowl and add a pinch of salt. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 2 large baking or cookie sheets with parchment paper. I “glued” down the corners of the parchment with a dab of softened butter just so the parchment lay flat.

Beat the egg whites on low for 30 seconds then increase the beater speed to high and beat until the whites hold soft peaks. Continue beating while sprinkling on about a tablespoon or 2 of the sugar until the whites are stiff.

Beat the egg yolks with the remaining sugar and the vanilla until thick, pale and the batter forms a ribbon when the beaters are lifted up. Using a spatula, fold the whites into the yolk mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the flour also added in 3 times, until smooth and well blended. Do not overfold.


Fit a pastry bag with a plain tip (or just snip the end off; you could also use a Ziploc bag) and fill with the batter. Pipe the batter into 5" long and 3/4" wide strips (or larger or smaller as needed) leaving about 1" space in between the strips.


Sprinkle half the confectioner's sugar over the ladyfingers and wait for 5 minutes. The sugar will pearl or look wet and glisten.

Now sprinkle the remaining sugar evenly over the ladyfingers. This helps to give the ladyfingers their characteristic crispness.

Bake the ladyfingers for 10 minutes then turn the baking sheets around back to front and continue baking until the fingers are lightly golden, about 5 minutes more depending on your oven.


Remove the baking sheets from the oven and allow to cool slightly before removing them with a metal spatula onto cooling racks to cool completely.


** for the Orange Syrup:
½ cup (100 g) sugar
Scant 1 cup (200 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
Red fruit juice

Place the sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat and begin warming it. Once the sugar starts to foam and bubble around the edges, slowly add the orange juice. If the sugar starts to re-solidify, don’t worry, as the juice heats it will re-melt. Stir as needed. As soon as the mixture begins to boil and all of the sugar is melted, lower the heat and allow to simmer until it begins to thicken slightly and turns a deeper golden color. You want a syrup not a caramel.

Allow to cool completely before using. Just before using, add a splash of red fruit juice to taste. Or purée extra strawberries and mix into the syrup.

Read more »

LOW FAT QUARK* MOUSSE WITH SAUTÉED APPLES & MACAROON CRUMBLE

*fromage frais

SLIDE INTO SUMMER


The airplane tickets are sitting on our bedroom dresser in a tidy little pile along with our passports and a slim envelope holding a neat stack of American dollars. It seems as if I should already be packing but it is still a few months away before we lock up the apartment behind us and climb into the waiting taxi that will whisk us off to the airport and on our way to Florida. The bright sunlight piercing through the window belies the chilly day and tricks us into believing that warm summer days are already upon us, that Florida is waiting just around the corner.


Florida, the family fiefdom, land of sunshine and orange juice, beaches and flip-flops! I left Florida many moons ago, left the heat and humidity, the days with nothing to do but lie on the beach, bored and burning on sun-baked sand, or head for the mall, years of boredom and yearning to discover the world beyond, the great unknown, all of the excitement I was sure was waiting behind some closed door, adventure’s siren’s call luring me away. Yet now that I’m all grown up and living far, far away in a land of cold, gray winters and rainy springtimes, spending holidays traveling around this Europe that I now call home, I yearn for the old home state. Summer in Florida beckons, her arms open and waiting to pull me into her warm, warm embrace. Now, slipping on sandals and strolling around the mall, stopping to laugh at the puppies in the pet shop window and grabbing a sandwich at the deli, an icy cold coffee-chocolate-fattening thing at the coffee shop is like paradise, an escape from reality, from the rat race. Waking up to sunshine’s bright fingers reaching through the slats in the blinds, tickling me until I roll out of bed, the day stretching before me promising only laziness and good food.


Clem had been haranguing us for quite some time, “Why don’t we take vacations together anymore, as a family? Can’t we go to Florida this summer?” Visions of recent trips home, mornings watching TV and luxuriating in a long, slow breakfast, a bike ride before the temperature rises to sizzling, meeting mom for lunch at one of our favorite local diners and the possibility of an afternoon of shopping followed by a quick jump in brother’s pool until the sun starts to dip below boiling and the water turns ocean cool. Then evenings playing board games, laughing and yelling, good sports and poor, but all in great family fun. Even JP, Man with a Mission, one who always has to constantly be on the move, getting things done, organizing day trips and activities, a man who never rests even on holiday, JP exclaimed “this vacation is beach, pool, restaurants and supermarket. Nothing else.” Yay! The perfect Florida vacation. So off we go!

But there is one teeny-weeny little problem. Summer in Florida means shorts and swimsuits, bare legs and last year’s clothes. After a winter spent wrapped in fleece and snuggled up under blankets on the sofa in front of the TV, hiding under padded coats, scarves twined around our heads and legs tucked into stockings and socks and boots, after months of cake and cookies and comfort foods smothered in sauces and gravies and tucked under biscuits, we, suffice it to say, are in no shape to grab those summer clothes and head to the sun and the fun. Ooof! That extra padding around the midsection, the jeans mysteriously taken in by elves who apparently sneak into our apartment in the dead of the night and, scissors, needle and thread in hand, have been taking in our jeans, a nip here, a tuck there until slipping on a pair of pants around here is like trying to shove toothpaste back into the tube!

It's not just us gals!

But losing weight to fit into our summer clothes is only half the problem. When we go to Florida we eat. And eat. And eat. We are the junk food deprived, we are anxious to wrap our hands around the jars and cans of specialty foods and seasonings available strictly on that side of the ocean, we crave some of that Florida seafood, battered and fried golden and crispy and served up with a side of fries followed by a slice of cool, tart Key Lime Pie. And when I return there is also a nostalgic pull towards all the fun things I ate when I was a kid, the candy and cookies, the donuts and ice cream that I just cannot find here in France. And the restaurants! The diners and old Florida seafood restaurants on the river, the pizza joint and the sandwich places. So if we don’t show up slightly underweight, then trouble will be ours for the…eating.

Join me and in no time at all... you'll be ready for the beach!

And then the worst of the worst happened. JP got a good scolding from his doctor! Lose the extra weight, get the cholesterol down or else! So, hands on hips, brow furrowed, he waltzed into the kitchen and called an end to the baking madness! Finger pointing, the blame and the responsibility was pushed onto my shoulders, the burden so much heavier. But, yes, we can do it! We CAN do it! So over the next few months, I will be posting low fat or fat free, lower cholesterol recipes when I come up with something that passes the taste test and gets not one but two thumbs up! And here, my friends, is the first. So hang up the swimsuit where you can see it every single day on the way towards the kitchen, where it can inspire, and play along. E-mail me your favorite low cal recipes if you like, but I invite you to share in the pleasure of satisfying yourselves with these delectable treats. One foot in the kitchen and the other foot in the warm Florida sand….


FAT-FREE QUARK MOUSSE WITH SAUTÉED APPLES AND MACAROON CRUMBLE

For the Mousse:

2 large egg whites
Dash of salt
1 ¼ cups (300 ml) O% fat fromage frais, fat-free quark or light cream (fat-free Greek yogurt will also work well but will just give you a slightly tangier mousse)
½ cup (125 ml) low-fat milk
Scant 1 tsp (2 g) agar-agar (seaweed gelatin substitute)
3 Tbs sugar, divided, + ½ tsp vanilla OR 2 Tbs sugar, divided + 1 Tbs vanilla sugar
1 small very sweet cooking apple per person
1 Tbs or more maple syrup, to taste
1 Tbs (15 g) butter or margarine
5 – 10 nut macaroons, homemade or store bought (recipe follows) *


* I use my Passover macaroons which makes this a great dessert for Passover. Feel free to use your favorite nut or sugar cookies to make the crumbs.

Place the egg whites and a dash of salt in a small mixing bowl, preferable plastic or metal, and, using an electric mixer beat the whites on low for 30 seconds then increase the speed to high. Once soft peaks begin to hold, gradually add 1 tablespoon of the white sugar as you continue to beat. Beat until stiff peaks hold. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the fromage frais or quark with the remaining 1 tablespoon white sugar and 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar (or 2 tablespoons white sugar and ½ teaspoon vanilla) until fluffy.


Place the milk and the agar-agar in a small saucepan. Slowly heat the milk over low heat, stirring with a whisk, until it comes to a low boil. Allow to gently simmer for only 30 to 45 seconds. It will begin to thicken and the agar-agar will have completely dissolved.

Immediately pour the hot milk onto the fromage frais beating on medium speed to incorporate completely. The mixture will be fluffy, thick and creamy.

Fold the stiff, sweetened egg whites into the fromage frais mixture in 3 additions until completely incorporated.


Divide the mousse into 5 or 6 individual serving glasses or dishes. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.

Prepare the apples:

Peel and core the apples and cut into small cubes. Heat a dollop of butter or margarine in a skillet and add chopped apples. Sauté, stirring and tossing frequently. Once they are heated through, drizzle on a tablespoon or so of maple syrup, to taste, depending on how sweet the apples are. Cook until the apples are sweet and tender but not mush.

Cover the mousse with a layer of the sautéed apples. Return to the refrigerator until ready to eat.

Before serving, sprinkle a tablespoon or two of crushed cookie over each mousse and apples. Serve chilled!

This recipe was delicious eaten the same day that I made it but it was even better the second and third day in the fridge (I made 6 and we each ate one 3 days in a row). Really delicious!

HAZELNUT MACAROONS

I have posted these delicious, chewy, nutty macaroons before, last Passover, and they are so delicious I just have to make them every year. They were perfect chopped up and tossed onto the mousse and apples like a crumble and I highly recommend it. They are easy to make, too.
The original recipe comes from Jayne Cohen’s The Gefilte Variations, a wonderful book chockfull of fabulous holiday recipes.

12 oz (340 g) ground toasted hazelnuts or a combination of ground hazelnuts and ground almonds (2 1/3 cups shelled, whole hazelnuts, toasted then ground) **
1 cup (200 g) plus 2 Tbs light brown sugar
1 - 2 tsp nut-flavored liqueur like Frangelico or Amaretto or ½ tsp almond extract
3 large egg whites

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a couple of cookie sheets with parchment paper (you will be working in batches).

In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer or a whisk, blend the ground nuts with the sugar.

Add the Amaretto or almond extract and the 3 large egg whites.

Using a wooden spoon or rubber/silicone spatula, fold all of the ingredients together until you have a smooth paste.

Scoop out rounded tablespoons of batter and drop, 2 inches (about 4 cm) apart, onto the lined cookie sheets. With the back of a spoon or using your fingers, smooth and flatten slightly each cookie. The batter is sticky, so you may have to wet your fingers to do this.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until just dry to the touch and golden underneath and around the edges. Remove from the oven and transfer the parchment sheet to a cooling rack to cool completely. The macaroons will be too soft to move when warm, but once cooled they will slide right off of the parchment.

To use as crumble for the Mousse & Apples, simply whiz a few cookies, maybe 1 per individual serving, in a food processor until you have crumbs the size of crumble crumbs, not dust.

Sprinkle over the apples.

I also made 2 in ring molds, unmolding just before serving...

Light and fluffy....

Delicious!

Read more »