Mike's Pistachio Macaroons

[Cathy Stapleton]

A friend on another message board I contribute to posted this recently:

While on recent trip to Boston, I roamed the North End (kind of a little Italy) and made the mistake of consuming a pistachio nut macaroon from Mike's Pastries.

I have never, ever, in my entire life put anything that tasted that good in my mouth. Since then, I've searched for a recipe for pistachio nut macaroons and can't come up with anything close to Mike's. They were like eating a cross between a gooey butter cake and spumoni ice cream.

If anyone has anything close, let me know. I'm pretty talented in the kitchen and I figure if I get a recipe that comes close, I can figure the missing parts out on my own - given enough practice batches.

In the meantime, I've ordered some from Mike's and they should be here today or tomorrow. Sad, isn't it.

Apparently they have an Almond / Cherry flavour to them.

Does anyone here have a recipe that might come close to what these must be like?

[CrazyTATT]

I know RC FIne foods, out of Belle Meade New Jersey, carries the top of the line extracts. I believe the have a macaroon "base", some sort of leavener for the whites I'ld guess. So maybe a good pistachio extract, with ground up nuts, and ultimatly a good macaroon recipie.

3 large egg whites
1/2 Teaspoon extract of choice
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup ground pistachios(just a guess)

Then just do the typical macaroon perp. Whip the whites till glossy peaks form, GENTLY fold in the extract,sugar and nuts. Spoon and bake.

Cooling them is crucial. I prefer to get em on a wire rack ASAP, to avoid any sogginess.

[Cathy Stapleton]

Thanks CrazyTATT, I'll pass on the info.

I managed to find this recipe on the web:

PINE NUT COOKIES

Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, these cookies are like almond macaroons with a pine nut bonus

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups pine nuts (about 7 ounces)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup (packed) almond paste,* crumbled
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large egg whites
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup powdered sugar (for dusting)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 2 large baking sheets. Using on/off turns, blend 3/4 cup pine nuts and next 4 ingredients in processor until crumbly mixture forms. Transfer mixture to large bowl; add egg whites. Using electric mixer, beat until mixture is smooth. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in small bowl to blend. Add to pine nut mixture; beat until smooth (dough will be soft and sticky).

Place remaining 3/4 cup pine nuts in shallow bowl. Spoon generous tablespoonful dough into pine nuts in shallow bowl, coating 1 side of dough with pine nuts. Using floured fingertips, transfer dough to prepared baking sheet, pine nut side up. Smooth edges of dough to form even round. Repeat with remaining dough, flouring fingertips as needed to prevent sticking and spacing cookies 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.

Bake cookies 1 baking sheet at a time until golden, about 20 minutes. Cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar, transfer to plate, and serve. (Cookies can be made 1 day ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.)

*Almond paste is available at specialty foods stores and in the baking-products section of most supermarkets.

Makes about 28.

******************

Someone made this comment about it:

If you have had the pleasure of the pistachio macaroons from Mike's Pastry in Boston's Northend, you will understand that any cookies that resembles Mike's is great. These do!

Do you think if the pine nuts were substituted with pistachios, and the grated lemon with some kind of cherry product, it might work?

If so, what would you recommend for adding the cherry flavour?

[CrazyTATT]

I think that cherry and pistachio are a hand in hand type of thing. I think the recipie is a sound recipie and will yield the "melt in your mouth" quality you want.
For the cherry flavour, I'ld use Kirshwaser(sp?), or a quality extract.Just my opinion though.

I rather like the pine nut idea too.

Lemme know how things work out for you.

Best wishes,
Jon

[Cathy Stapleton]

CrazyTATT,

I've noticed that you've said to whip up the egg whites and then add the other ingredients to them. This recipe says nothing about whipping the egg whites. Would you recommend whipping the egg whites and then adding the crumbly nut mixture to them - and then folding the flour mixture into that?

[CrazyTATT]

ooH YES! I didn't even realize that, wow(long day)....

A Macaroon is eccentially a baked merangue cookie. Whipping the white to stiff shiney peaks is crucial. This step is what provides the macaroon its signature "Airyness". With out whiping, you'll just get baked egg white omellets.

Be sure to whip them, when they bake it will firm all the protien of the white and lock in the air, rendering you a light and fluffy, melt in your mouth macaroon. They are one of the easiest cookies to produce, just make sure the cool on a rack so they don't stem themselves soggy.

Best of luck.

[Cathy Stapleton]

Thanks for all your help CrazyTATT, it's very much appreciated.

If the woman at the other message board tries them, I'll let you know how they turned out.

I'd like to try making them myself, one day, but I'll have to wait until we've moved into the house we're building, as the oven in this rental suite we're in now is terribly undependable.

[CrazyTATT]

Not a problem, I am glad to of beenof service.

By the way I LOVE VANCOUVER!...and Whistler/Blackcomb...heaven on earth.

[Cathy Stapleton]

CrazyTATT,

She tried out the recipe last night and I guess it does come pretty darned close to Mike's Pastries' version - close enough that it will tide her over until she gets to Boston again in August. Thanks again for all the help!

Yup, Vancouver is in a beautiful part of the World. Every time I've gone away on vacation some place, I come back home and realize just how beautiful it is here compared to so many other places on Earth.

But it's started to get awfully crowded here in the Fraser Valley, east of Vancouver. It's got me thinking of moving up to the Sunshine Coast, north of Vancouver, where life goes at a slower pace and it's not the rat-race that living here has become in recent years.

The house we're building is my parents place. I'm just living with them because I'm unemployed at the moment. If I knew I could find work up there, I'd be out of here in a flash.

[CrazyTATT]

Glad everything lead to a succesful copy of the famous Mikes Macaroon...who knows, just tweak it a little, and see what yall can come up w/. Heck, start your own macarron bussiness?


I loved being in Vancouver. I do agree, it has really boomed over the past 6-10 years. But I also enjoyed hoppin in the car and driving an hour in any direction and being in the "wild".

I am trying to get back out there in October, do me some sking

[Kathleen 1]

The pistachio macaroon cookie is the best cookie I have ever had. Used to live in Boston and tried and tried to get the recipe. Mike's would just laugh when I would ask. Bought cookies and took to other Italian bakeries to see if they knew the recipe and no luck. Used old Italian cookbooks and tried to put one together. No luck. I was told that it is an old family recipe and that they won't give it out. Did not realize that they are other lovers of the cookie out there. They are almost like the bar cookie, hermit, for the texture, though they definately are macaroons. Glad for any help in putting together a recipe. Thanks

Apparently they have an Almond / Cherry flavour to them.

Does anyone here have a recipe that might come close to what these must be like?[/quote]

[mj west]

Hi:

I'm new. I too am looking for the recipe for Mikes pastry shops, pistachio macaroon cookie.

mj