Black Sesame Macarons with Cherry Chocolate Ganache Guest Post by Passionate about Baking

Something about Deeba (@vindee) of Passionate about Baking exudes down to earth elegance, even a simple tweet or a comment of hers is full of poetry and prose. Some romantic notion to her language reminiscent of old world, exotic temples, Indian Raj (s) and Ranis and Agra and Varanasi on the Ganges. She is my first guest out of the sub continent of India my parents consider home. With her usual grace she said yes, and took on the tree nut free macaron challenge, monsoon humidity and all. Can't wait to meet Deeba when I travel to India someday and go on a Vintage Indian Pots & Pans hunt, hopefully soon!

Deeba, one part of the amazing MacTweets diva duo. Not only did she come up with a tree nut free macaron, but also peanut free. Incredible! A full list of tree nut/all nut free macaron guest posts you will find at the bottom of this post. Like a little kid I have followed around MacTweets intrigued. In anticipation, wishing to participate in the next challenge, but I haven't, yet!  So no wonder I am so excited to have Deeba on board, as my fourth guest in this series, giving us not only these black sesame beauties but also a glimpse into the world.   What incredible Macs, food styling and photography, all an art form!
Inspiration comes in strange ways. I'm racing with the wind, time is no longer my friend, the hands of the clock whiz by at a dizzy pace ... and the pressure of baking macarons for our baby, MacTweets appears to be a lost case. Out of the blue one day, I get a tweet from Shulie Food Wanderings asking if I'd like to do a guest post for her on macarons. I want to say yes, but I know I can't manage it. I should say no ... but predictably, I say, "Yes of course, sure!"

When you least expect it, you will see the mountain move. The mac-gods were kind to me and my jaw dropped to the ground when I saw those precious FEET at the bottom. Rubbed my eyes in amazement, looked another 3 times...wheeee... they were there! Later that day my eyes stop to admire the precious little tea set I picked up at the night market in HKG.
Unplanned in every sense of the word, quite like a premature baby that arrives without warning, since the feet were here, it was time for the filling. Just the 'get up and go' I needed for MacTweets dear Shulie, thank you! The filling was going to have some red to go with the teapot, and that red came from cherries.
My dear sistah Jamie, who held fort @ MacTweets last month while I was away on vacation Down Under, is cycling up a canal in France, so I am filling her boots, literally, with my tiny feet {she is tall and I am not}.










The filling was going to have fruit which is part of our theme for the month at MacTweets, and I picked red cherries!
This post has everything I love about food blogging. The inspiration which is abundant in every tweet and food talk, the connect between bloggers, blogging without boundaries where hearts meet, challenges that are taken head on ... and of course, the eternal charm of macarons. Nut free or otherwise, macarons are a whole new frontier, an opportunity for creativity.
The making of these French delights afford you as much joy and as much heartache as life typically does. Never predictable, yet always charming! Thank you Shulie for making me push my boundaries. If it were not for your tweet the other day, these wouldn't be here!

Recipe: Black Sesame Macarons with Cherry Chocolate Ganache













Summary: Tree nut free, black sesame seed macarons sandwiched together with a deep dark cherry chocolate ganche. {Gluten free cookies}

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
• 1/4 cup black sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg white {about 28-30gms, room temperature}
• 1/2 tsp egg white powder
• 2 1/2 tbsp sugar

Method:
1. Run the sesame seeds and 1/2 cup sugar in blender, in short pulses, until powdered {Thermomix: Turbo 1-2 seconds, 3-4 times}
2. Beat the egg white with the egg white powder until foamy, add the 2.5 tbsp sugar and beat till it holds firm peaks
3. Add the sesame -sugar powder and fold until you get a lava like consistency.
4. Pipe out on parchment paper.
5. Rest for 15 minutes
6. Bake at 140C for 12-13 minutes / until the tops are firm to touch.
7. Sandwich with fresh cherry chocolate ganache. {Recipe follows}

Filling:
• 100gm dark chocolate
• 40ml low fat cream
• 10-15 fresh cherries, pitted, chopped
• 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar

Method:
1. Place chocolate and cream in saucepan and simmer gently until the chocolate melts. Add balsamic vinegar and stir until mixed.
2. Add the cherries and cook briefly for 30 seconds
3. Remove from heat, stir until smooth and shiny,and allow to cool.
4. Use immersion blender to roughly blend the filling.
5. Cool, chill until you get a firm consistency and sandwich the macarons.

Tree Nut Free Macaron Series:

1. Mocharons, Chocolate-Coffee Macarons with White Chocolate Ganache by The Daily Palette.
2. Pumpkin Seed and Matcha Macarons with Coconut, Dark Chocolate Ganache by Brave Tart.
3. Cocoa nib Macarons with peanut butter ganache by eat.live.travel.write.
4. French Fridays: Peanut Macarons with Cacao Nibs by The daily Palette.
5. Black Sesame Macarons with Cherry Chocolate Ganache by Passionate about Baking

Go to visit these distinguished Mac ladies' sites and show them some Macaron love!

41 comments:

  1. What a lovely post!

    @deeba: Your pictures are just gorgeous!!

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  2. Stunning, I love the blackish hue, SO CHIC!

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  3. Lady you make me blush...I love the way you write, capturing the essence of my beautiful country so magically! HugsThank you for inviting me to your macaron series ... it has been my pleasure entirely. Hugs to you Shulie

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  4. Deeba and Shulie, I am in AWE! Just fabulous! Whatever Deeba makes/photographs is ART.

    I cannot wait to try this recipe! Thank you for sharing!

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  5. Thank you An and Annapet my good friend and daughter, hands down agree, Deeba is a Mac goddess!
    Wabbit, isn't it so HKG or NYC contemporary loft chic?! Such a modern take on macs!!
    Deeba, Thank you so much for the most gracious introduction on your site. You are too generous!! I do know what it takes to pull a post such as this and my sentiments are so deep I don't know if I can express enough how touched I am by your gensture of friendship!

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  6. First of all, these are just gorgeous. The cute feet and the amazing styling are outstanding! Now...I have a bag of black sesame seeds. Should I go for it?

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  7. These black sesame macarons arejust beautiful! And the photos...the contrast of red and black is stunning!

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  8. wow, these are the most exquisite macarons i've ever seen. love that grey speckle of black sesame!

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  9. Deeba, I'm so taken with the styling, the way the black speckled macarons match the tea pot. The way they colors are so dark, gritty, and off set by the blood red cherries. The whole thing is just so arresting!

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  10. Usually, not at a loss for words, this awe-inspiring post has left me speechless. I feel like I could look at these photos daily -- as in, on my kitchen wall! :)

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  11. Such stunning photographs and a wonderful recipe! Thank you for sharing this with all of us Deeba!

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  12. I love Deeba's blog, so nice to find her here with these fabulous japanese inspired macs! Amazing tea set and photos, hope you keep having these macaron guest posts here! xo

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  13. saw these back sesame beauties at Deebas place, incredible! Hats off to you, Shulie for pulling out such lovely posts after posts featuring some of the best foodies on the net. Hers is wishing you loads of success in all your endeavors. Tight hugs.

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  14. You had me at Cherry Chocolate Ganache :-) Those look wonderful and your pictures and styling are stunning. I would almost hate to eat them beause it would mean messing up the photo....Almost :-)
    @alanecooke

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  15. breathtaking and awesome post as always! Have a wonderful weekend

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  16. Lovely shots though I'd bet the taste is even better! Great post, Deeba =D

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  17. These are absolutely spectacular (though I would expect nothing less from Deeba!). I am, however, completely mystified as to why I am the only one so far in this series who had ANY trouble at all and who had to change my technique working with product other than almonds {scratches head}. I will definitely have to give some of these other versions a go when I am back in my own kitchen...

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  18. beautiful photographs Deeba, they are a work of art as are your macarons. Wonderful guest post.

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  19. these are so much fun great guest post

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  20. These are the most beautiful photographs! The macarons look unreal! Fantastic post.

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  21. These are decadent indeed. Just when you think you've tried all the macaron flavours, your are presented with another great combination of flavours!
    Oh, and your beagle Wizard is adorable. I have a tan and white beagle named Cookie. They're such great dogs...but also great chewers!!! Have gone through many TV controllers....

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  22. These macs are spectacular, Deeba! I love that you made them with black sesame seeds. Your photos are incredible, Deeba. Baci to you and Shulie from Italy! Xoxo

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  23. Those colors are out of this world!

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  24. I love macarons and loved reading all your nut-free macarons posts.
    Somehow I find myself a little intimidating by these delicious bites, although I'd like to spend my nights in a french bakery. Yummy.

    @Deeba, your photos are amazing!

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  25. absolutely love the idea of a nut free macaron. almonds are pretty expensive here hence i think it's a good idea to explore other ingredients. Black sesame is one of my favourite and I bet the macaron must be bursting with the nuttiness of the black sesame seeds. Have you tried with desiccated coconut?

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  26. Nellie, YES! DO it! Thank you all for your lovely comments. Deeba indeed is very gifted! I am happy you are enjoying these series. Yuri, stay tuned more on the way.TY sanjeeta and lol Alan. Mardi, let me know what other tree nut/nut free beauties you come up with next and I will link in next posts. Aww adrian Wizard will be all happy he loves the attention & a beagle named cookie how adorable?! Must be a pup. Roxana, you and I both though I tried my hand with some results and mixed success. Swee san, funny you should ask I did and they went splat, now I am an amateur when it comes to macarons but stay tuned to future posts they might just use that one particular mentioned ingredient!!

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  27. Simply gorgeous, love the photos very much! will try this soon:)

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  28. What an amazing study in contrasts - the brilliant cherry just pops in the gorgeous grey/blacks of the photos, and I love the flavor contrast as well. Shulie, thank you for the introduction to Deeba and her beautiful artistry!

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  29. I'm grooving on the use of sesame, and as a lover of all things red, I'm in love with your photo essay!

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  30. Such sexy macarons! I love the contrast of colors.

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  31. I love Deeba's blog and creations! The macarons are fabulous and so are the pictures. A great guest post.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  32. Deeba is one of fav .. you explained her and her passion beautifully. This is yet another classic recipe of hers. loving it and the props too! :)

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  33. So beautiful! The way they match the tea set is inspired, I love it! :D

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  34. Ah, Deeba, Deeba, Deeba, so multi talented! I saw these first on her blog and now here. Stunning!

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  35. Lovely post. Agreed I love Deeba's language. Loved the props. Gosh, where does she find them. I love all the props in her blog.

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  36. The pictures are gorgeous and the recipe sounds so intriguing. One question: what kind of cherries?

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  37. Thanks for all your wonderful words, I am truly humbled! In India, we get 'just' cherries, no types like Bing, Morello etc. I used fresh, juicy cherries!!

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  38. I have a ton of sour cherries - I guess I'll just give them a try.

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  39. I really like this recipe! I have been trying to find a recipe for tree-nut free macarons for a while. I have a question though. Is it necessary to use the egg white powder?

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  40. this is good recipe but i like macaron recipe make by thomas keller-famous chef in USA.you can view it on http://macaronrecipe.net/

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