Secret Breakfast macarons (inspired by Humphry Slocombe ice-cream)

It’s Halloween night today, and I have a special treat for you friends — macarons [special edition flavor]! There are several reasons for it to be called special, but let me start from the beginning…

A few weeks ago I came home from a blogger’s event with a goodie bag in hand. It included some snacks, pint of ice-cream and a book.

A few days ago I felt bored at home and started to browse through this book. It turned out to be a very fascinating reading!

Three days ago I decided to recreate one of the famous ice-cream flavors from this book. It took me one run to liquor store and lots of sympathetic looks from people around. Because who on Earth buys a teeny-tiny bottle of bourbon in the middle of the day?!

Two days ago after exhausting night of waiting I finally tasted the result. It was somewhat great! Being in the heat of passion I twitted to this ice-cream shop and promised to bring macarons there to compare flavors side by side.

Yesterday with my hands shaking I went to the store and made these shots. The bottom line? Do more crazy things, they make you feel alive.

If I need to describe Secret Breakfast flavor, I’d say it’s an adult play on kid’s favorite meal. Because cornflakes and… ahem, bourbon-the-old-buddy. Think it’s weird? Let’s talk after you give this combo a try!

For the cornflakes cookies:
the recipe is adapted from Humphry Slocombe book

125 g flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
115 g butter, at room temperature
110 g sugar
110 g brown sugar
1 egg
35 g cornflakes

Sift together all dry ingredients but cornflakes. In a bowl of stand mixer with paddle attachment beat butter and both sugars until they become light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix well until fully incorporated. Add the flour mixture, mix everything together. Using a silicon spatula, fold in the cornflakes. Refrigerate the dough for 2 hours.

When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 175 C/350 F. Divide the dough to 12 equal parts and place balls on the baking sheet covered with parchment paper. You’ll need to space them at least one inch apart, so it’s better to work in batches (put the remaining balls in the fridge).

Bake for 20-25 minutes for dark brown cookies (or adjust time to your liking, but no less than 12-15 minutes). Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let them cool.

For the macaron shells:
makes about 60 shells

150 g almond flour
150 g powdered sugar
55 + 55 g egg whites
150 g granulated sugar + a pinch
50 g water
gel coloring (optional)

Make batter and bake macarons shells by following instructions in Cooper’s how-to post. After baking, transfer shells to a cooling rack and let them cool completely before filling.

For the bourbon buttercream:

90 g milk
70 egg yolks
40 g sugar

First prepare the creme anglaise. In a heavy bottom saucepan bring the milk to boil. In a bowl whisk together egg yolks and sugar until lightened. Slowly add hot milk to eggs mixture while constantly whisking. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat to 85 C/185 F, constantly whisking with a silicon spatula. Strain the cooked cream to a bowl of stand mixer fitted with wire whisk. Beat on medium speed until cooled. Transfer the cream to a bowl.

NB: we’ll use only half of the yield for the buttercream, you can use the rest to make fruit bowls, for example.

55 g egg whites
150 g sugar
40 g water

Next step prepare Italian meringue, we’ll use it to lighten the buttercream. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment place egg whites and a pinch of sugar. Start to whisk on a low speed. At the same time combine granulated sugar and water in a heavy-bottom saucepan and place it over medium-high heat. Cook the syrup occasionally swirling the pan to help the sugar dissolve quicker. As soon as the syrup reaches 113 C/235 F increase the speed of stand mixer. Continue to cook syrup and whisk egg whites until thermometer reads 118 C/245 F. Then immediately remove the pan from the heat, decrease the mixer speed to medium and slowly but steadily pour syrup into egg whites. Increase the speed and continue to whisk mixture until it reaches stiff glossy texture. Transfer the meringue to a separate bowl.

NB: we’ll use 85 g of meringue in the buttercream recipe, you can use the rest for meringue pies.

224 g butter, at room temperature
2 tbsp high quality bourbon
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment cream butter for 5 minutes. Add 1/2 of cream anglaise, bourbon and vanilla extract and beat everything together to combine. Using a silicon spatula gently fold 85 g of Italian meringue. Transfer bourbon buttercream to a shallow dish and cover with plastic wrap directly onto its surface. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until thicken.

To assemble macarons:
1-2 corflakes cookies, cut into small pieces

Transfer the bourbon buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a plain tip. Find matching macarons shells and place one of them face side up and another face side down. Pipe the cream on to one shell, lightly press a few cookie pieces into the center, finish with a dollop of cream and top with matching shell. Repeat with all remaining shells. Place all macarons into an airtight container and chill them in the fridge overnight.

The other thing that makes this recipe special for me is that it’s kicking off a new category I was aiming to start for months. I want to show you cool places in food scene of San Francisco! Will you take ice-cream for a start? 🙂

Humphry Slocombe shop
http://www.humphryslocombe.com
Location: 2790 Harrison Street, San Francisco
What to get: one scoop of Secret Breakfast (obviously) and one scoop of Tahitian V*n!ll@ in a waffle cone