Cookies and Cocktails - Passionfruit

The third installment of my macaron obsession - let's get tropical. Passionfruit to be more precise. An innocent round purple fruit with gelatinous green insides which reminds me of beaches and coconut scented sunscreen. Speaking of hot sunny days, I could go for a cocktail...

First: buy or make passionfruit juice. I found some in the organic section of the local grocery store which was nice because the fresh fruits looked questionable.

Then: raid the liquor cabinet.

Last: mix to your heart's content.

I would like to take two seconds to thank my good friends Ashley and Joe for agreeing to be Guinea pigs. They were brave enough to drink anything I mixed while providing entertainment and valuable opinions.

We quickly realized that the ticket to a good cocktail is that it cannot be too sweet. Especially when paired with crispy little cookies. Thus, the Golden Glamour is perfect with festive bubbles and bright flavors. The best part, you really don't need any special equipment other than a glass. Just mix champagne, passion fruit juice and vanilla liquor in a champagne flute and you're set.

We tried also: 

Passionfruit mojito

Passionfruit ginger cocktail 

Passionfruit Collins

Please note these are all worth the time and effort -- in case you have extra passionfruit juice that is just sitting in the fridge...

Now with a drink in hand, let's get to baking.

Grab your dry ingredients - powdered sugar and almond flour - and sift out any large pieces.

In the bowl of your stand mixture, whip egg whites to form the base for your meringue. Gradually add cream of tartar and granulated sugar and keep mixing until you form fulgent peaks.

Fold the sifted flour mixture into the meringue gently, and add passion fruit juice. Using a pastry bag, pipe onto lined baking sheets. One thing I've picked up is that the consistency of the batter really matters - it should be like thick cake batter but the small discs should flatten within 30 seconds after piping. Please note that my circles are not all the same size. What can I say, I'm working on it...

Don't forget to tap the baking sheets on the counter and let them develop a skin for at least 30 minutes before baking.

While you wait you have two options. Mix another cocktail or mix some passionfruit filling. Probably should go for the cocktail first...

Golden Glamour

By Jonas Halpren
Published 3/5/2010

Ingredients

• 4 oz champagne
• 1/4 oz vanilla liquor
• 1 1/2 oz passionfruit juice

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a champagne flute and garnish with mint.

Passionfruit Macarons

Inspired by The Cooking of Joy, Passion Fruit Macarons: Further Lessons in Humility
Published 6/24/13

Ingredients

• 2 cups confectioner's sugar
• 1 cup almond meal
• 3 egg whites
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons passionfruit juice
• Yellow food coloring

Instructions

1. Sift the confectioner's sugar and almond flour together into a medium bowl.
2. Whip the egg whites in the stand mixer until foamy. Add the cream of tartar then the granulated sugar while mixing until glossy white peaks form. Add food coloring as desired
3. Add the dry ingredients to the egg whites and fold until all the sugar and flour have been incorporated.
4. Transfer the batter to a piping bag and pipe small circles onto silicone-lined baking sheets.
5. Tap forcefully 2-3 times on the counter to help remove air bubble.s
6. Wait at least 30 minutes for the skin to form.
7. Bake at 350 for 12-13 minutes, turning the pan after 6 minutes.
8. Remove cookies from pan and cool completely on a rack.
9. Fill with passion fruit curd, buttercream, or jam.

Enjoy!