one thing about being in a relationship with a farmer slash songwriter who lives for making things rhyme is that if you successfully smuggle saskatoon jam out of canada and then have a desire to make a pavlova with it, you will not be making a pavlova with it.
you will obviously be making saskatoon macaroon. macaroons. (can we just pretend that it's singular so that it is a perfect rhyme? i'm imagining one big fat hedgehog-sized macaroon right now, you should too.)
other than some stress that accrued during my search for the perfect pavlova recipe, i really cannot complain about the task of making macaroons. they're one of my favorite things to make and i've been making a lot of them recently with the help of danny macaroons' the macaroon bible.
unless coconut offends you, there is truly no reason not to have a bag of coconut and a can of condensed milk on hand in case you need to quick whip up a batch of thank-you-for-making-me-steak macaroons or i-hope-your-nose-job-heals-soon macaroons. the ingredients for these macaroons have a long shelf life, the recipe doesn't require refrigeration or anything labor intensive, and they taste soooooooooo good. with a sturdy manly shell and a chewy satisfying center, you'll feel silly for ever buying the canned ones.
danny macaroons' basic recipe is so easy that i memorized it after one time of making it, and from there i graduated to his red velvet macaroons and chocolate ganache ones. they can be dressed up or dressed down with booze, bacon, nuts, or any flavorings you please. i dare you to come up with another perfect rhyming one.
oh but wtf are saskatoons? they are like little blueberries that grow in manitoba, and when i eat this jam, i get a hint of apple. others taste almond. saskatoons also go by the name juneberry and they're quite difficult to farm, says eggcousin elaine. i just love the name saskatoon... it is pleasing to say.
so here are some logical next steps:
1. click through this slideshow on jew and the carrot where danny demonstrates how to make his delightful macaroons.
2. go to the store and stock up on condensed milk and coconut (which will set you back all of about six dollars).
3. buy saskatoon jam (online might be easiest) or blueberry jam or any other jam if you just don't have that kind of patience.
4. fend off the januaries and make these...
saskatoon macaroons
based on danny macaroons' recipe from the macaroon bible
makes 24-30 macaroons
ingredients
one 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
one 14-oz bag sweetened shredded coconut
2 large egg whites
1/4 tsp kosher salt
about 3/4 c saskatoon jam
clues
preheat oven to 350ºf. line a baking sheet with parchment, set it aside.
in a large bowl, combine 1 cup of the condensed milk (i find that 1 cup = the amount that i can easily pour from the can without scraping it. you will have a little bit leftover... which you should pour on some clean snow to eat) and vanilla. mix in the coconut and set aside.
in a separate bowl, beat the egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form.
fold the egg mixture into the coconut mixture and then spoon balls of it onto the baking sheet. danny recommends 1 1/2 inch balls, which is good for crowds, but if i'm just baking for a few people, i'll make bigass plum-sized macaroons.
bake them for 20-25 minutes (more if they're larger), until they become golden brown. let cool and then spoon about a teaspoon of jam onto the tops.
-yeh!