Taro and Sweet Potato Tapioca Balls on Shaved Ice

中文菜谱：

芋圆薏米红豆刨冰

Shaved ice has been popular among Asian people for many years.  In early time, ice was just simply finely crushed by machine.  Nowadays, if you stop by China town, you will be amazed by how thin and creamy the shaved ice is.  And as for the toppings, wow, they are almost endless! O(∩_∩)O~   The most popular ones are but not limited to taro tapioca balls, sweet potato tapioca balls, red beans, lotus seeds, pearl barleys, strawberry, blueberry, mango, and mochi.  

I do my own shaved ice when I don’t want to drive all the way to China town but still crave for it.  It is easy.  And I always make a large batch and freeze the extra taro and sweet potato tapioca balls for later use. 

I make taro and sweet potato tapioca balls, red beans, and pearl barley. 

Ingredients：

Taro puree
yellow sweet potato puree
white sweet potato puree
purple sweet potato puree
tapioca starch
red beans
dark brown cane sugar
pearl barley
honey
water
1 to 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk

Directions：

I steam 3 kinds of sweet potatoes and taro.  Peel and finely smash them into puree.  Add a little bit water if needed.

Add tapioca starch when the puree is still hot to touch.  Knead separately in different bowls.

Transfer dough balls to a slightly dusted large wooden board. Divide each dough ball into smaller pieces. 

Roll out each dough piece into thin and long strands, about 1/3 inch in diameter.

With a dough scraper, cut each stands into 1/3 inch pieces.

Add pearl barleys and water to a small pot.  Cook over medium heat until barleys are soft.  Remove from heat, and stir in 2 tablespoons honey.

Add red beans and water to another small pot.  Cook over medium heat until red beans are soft and tender.  Remove from heat and stir in dark brown cane sugar.

Cook taro and sweet potato tapioca balls in boiling water until they float to the surface. 

Rinse the tapioca balls quickly to get rid of excessive starch on the outside so that they won’t stick together.

Now it is time to shave some ice!

I have this snow cone machine for almost 6 years, still up and running O(∩_∩)O~

Add ice

Turn on the machine

It is done.  The machine does a pretty good job.

Scoope shaved ice into a cup

Add cooked taro and sweet potato tapioca balls.

Add cooked pearl barley, red beans and then drizzle with condensed milk.

Use a spoon to mix everything and have a big bite! O(∩_∩)O~

Taro and sweet potato tapioca balls are slightly chewy and springy, which makes them so good.  Pearl barleys and red beans have different texture and taste.  When everything is mixed together, it is just such a great treat!

Who doesn’t want a cup of this icy sweet treat during a hot summer day?

There is one thing to keep in mind.  Tapioca balls will get hard after they are mixed with ice.  So don’t let it sit too long before you enjoy once it is ready to eat.

Freeze the extra taro and sweet potato tapioca balls.  Store in an air-tight Ziploc bag and they should be good for up to 3 months in the freezer.

Coffee Cream Filling for Macarons

中文菜谱：马卡龙咖啡馅

I think this coffee cream filling for macarons is one of best fillings I have ever made so far O(∩_∩)O~

I replace 10g almond flour with super fine freshly ground coffee.  Instant French roast coffee and coffee rum are added to the filling for an enhanced coffee flavor.  Turns out to be so amazing!  The real trick here is to use real good dark chocolate.  It makes huge difference!

Ingredients：

1/4 cup dark chocolate (I use 90% cocoa.  Any dark chocolate between 60% to 100% should work just fine)
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons instant French roast coffee
1 tablespoon rum and coffee liqueur

Directions：

Add dark chocolate, heavy cream and instant coffee to a small ceramic bowl.

Melt the chocolate, heavy cream and instant coffee in a double boiler.  Whisk occasionally for smooth texture.

Add coffee rum.  Remove from heat.  Set it aside to chill.

When the coffee cream cools down, this is what it’s going to look like, with a smooth and silky texture.

Meanwhile, I bake some coffee marcarons.

When macarons cool down to room temperature, remove them from silicone mat.  Add 1 to 2 teaspoons coffee cream filling between every two macaron shells.

Store in air-tight container and refrigerate overnight.  By doing so, macarons and their fillings will combine better and their flavors will be maximized. 

Of course, you can always enjoy them anytime you want without the waiting.  They go very well with a cup of coffee or tea O(∩_∩)O~

Apricot Filling for Macarons

中文菜谱：马卡龙甜杏酱

I have been baking a lot of macarons lately.  What a sweet obsession! O(∩_∩)O~ 

Different fillings bring different textures and flavors to macarons.  And I have been experimenting all sorts of different fillings.  Because macaron cookies are very sweet, I like macaron fillings to be moist, not too dry nor wet; mild, not too sweet nor greasy.   After lemon custard, I make apricot filling which is also very tasty and refreshing.

Ingredients：

1 cup of dried apricots
1 1/4 to 1 3/4 cups of water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons pectin

Directions：

Add dried apricots and water to vitamix.  Blend on high speed until smooth and creamy.

Add apricot puree to a small sauce pan, along with butter.  Cook over medium low heat.  Stir constantly with a wooden spoon.

Add lemon juice and pectin.  Keep cooking and stirring until the sauce thickens up to coat the back of a wooden spoon.  Remove from heat and allow it to cool down.

After the sauce is cooled down, spoon a couple teaspoons of filling between every two macaron cookies.

Cover with plastic wrap or store in an air-tight container.  Refrigerate overnight to maximize their texture and flavors.

Lemon Custard for Macarons

中文菜谱： 马卡龙柠檬酱夹馅

I haven’t baked macarons for a long time, mostly because they are just too sweet for my personal taste.  I bought some fresh cute yellow lemons on my last trip to grocery store.  They are perfect for making lemon custard. 

Normally lemon custard requires a large amount of butter, which intimidates me a bit.  So I experiment in my kitchen several times until I create this wonderful lemon custard recipe.  It is sour and sweet, more sourness than sweetness of course, which neutralizes the overwhelming sweetness from macaron shells.  The balance between lemon acidity and sugar is very fascinating.  I think I going to stick to lemon filling macarons for a while.  O(∩_∩)O~

Ingredients：

2 fresh lemons
1/2 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon gelatin powder
1 tablespoon butter
2 to 3 tablespoons water

Directions：

Rinse the lemons, and pat dry with kitchen towel.

Use a grater or vegetable peeler to get as much yellow lemon zest as possible. 

Cut each lemon into halves.  Juice each piece with a citrus juicer

2 lemons yield about 1/3 cup plus 1 to 2 tablespoon lemon juice.

Light beat the egg yolks with a whisk

Fill a small bowl with water.  Sprinkle gelatin powder on top. 

Add lemon zest, butter, sugar and lemon juice to a medium sauce pan

Cook over medium low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves.

Slowly add lemon mixture to the egg yolks while whisking.

Transfer lemon sauce back to the sauce pan.  Add gelatin mixture.

Cook over medium low heat and keep stirring.

Lemon custard sauce will thicken.  When it is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, remove from heat.

After lemon custard cools down, it can be used as filling between macaron cookies. 

The extra lemon custard sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.  Microwave it for a few seconds and stir before using again.