Chocolate Macarons

Macarons are tricky beasts: mess up one step and the whole operation is ruined. I should know, since my first attempt was just shy of disastrous. But as I like to say, Mama didn't raise no quitter, so I pulled myself together for attempt number two. They still weren't perfect, as you can see from the cracks in the tops, but they were much better since I was able to identify where I went wrong the first time. First, make sure you whip the egg whites all the way to stiff peaks. Second, you can't possibly be too careful when you're folding the egg whites into the dry ingredients. I highly recommend looking it up on YouTube if you have any doubts as to the process. Finally, make sure you pipe the shells to the right size. The second time around, I drew forms on the underside of the parchment paper so they would all be the same size. Whatever you do, don't be afraid to try them just because they're a little more complicated! I seriously almost cried when I tasted the second batch and they were so much better. Attempting new things can only expand on your abilities!


Ingredients: 
For macaron shells
1 cup almond flour
3/4 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons natural cocoa powder
2 large egg whites, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt, optional
For chocolate ganache filling:
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons Nutella

Directions:

1. In  medium bowl, sift together almond flour, powdered sugar and cocoa powder twice. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl with whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and continue to beat. Slowly add sugar one tablespoon at a time. Increase the speed to medium high and beat until hard peaks form. 
3. Sift the almond flour mixture over the whipped egg whites. Gently fold the mixture, running the spatula clockwise from the bottom, up around the sides, and cut the batter in half. The batter will look very thick at first, but it will get thinner as you fold. Be careful not to overmix! Every so often, test the batter to see if it has reached the right consistency. Do this by dropping a small amount of batter and counting to ten. If the edges of the ribbon are dissolved within seconds, the batter is ready. Do NOT mix again. If you still see edges, fold the batter a couple more times and test again. 
4. Transfer the batter into a pastry bag with a round tip.
5. Pipe out 1.5-inch rounds about an inch apart on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. You should get about 42 shells. Tap the baking sheets firmly on the counter a few times to get rid of any air bubbles. If you don't release the air bubbles, they will expand during baking and crack the shells. 
6. Let the macarons rest and dry for 15-30 minutes. On a humid, this step will take longer. To see if it's ready to be baked, lightly touch it. If the batter doesn't stick to your finger, it's ready. Sprinkle a little bit of sea salt on each macaron right before baking, if desired. Preheat the oven to 300 F. 
7. Bake the macarons for 18-2 minutes. To check if they are done, remove one macaron. If the bottom doesn't stick, they're done. 
8. Transfer to wire rack to cool for 15 minutes, then remove from the baking sheets.
9. While macarons are cooling, prepare the ganache filling. Heat the heavy cream in the microwave for a minute. Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl and pour hot cream over them. Let it stand for a minute or two, then stir until smooth. Stir in Nutella. Cool the ganache in the fridge to thicken
10. Transfer the ganache filling into a pastry bag and fill the macarons.
11. Store the filled macarons in airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the filled macarons in airtight container for up to 5 months.

Source: Sweet and Savory

The Entropy Effect - Vonda McIntyre

If you've been on my blog for any amount of time, you've probably learned that I have a slight Star Trek obsession. Within that obsession, this book is like a sub-obsession; it is hands down my favorite Star Trek novel based on the original series. Keep reading for the summary!

The U.S.S. Enterprise has been orbiting a naked singularity for 6 weeks while Commander Spock takes observations that may prove to be critical for understanding the life span of the universe. Unexpectedly, Captain Kirk receives a top-priority order to proceed to Aleph Prime, a mining colony, and weeks of meticulous observations are ruined on the cusp of proving a shocking discovery. Upon arrival at the planet, however, Kirk finds that there is no real emergency; brilliant physicist Georges Mordreaux, once Spock's teacher, is being transferred to a rehabilitation colony after being convicted of murder and the Enterprise has been diverted to take him. Mysterious circumstance seem to follow Mordreaux wherever he is taken and unexplainable bouts of hypermorphic botulism are responsible for the deaths of key individuals related to the case. Spock, unable to believe that his former teacher is capable of performing the crimes he was convicted of, tries to read up on his latest research and finds that a virus is systematically removing all mentions of Mordreaux and his work from computers universally. Mordreaux is transferred to the Enterprise along with the prosecuting attorney on the case, but Spock insists he be confined in a guarded guest cabin instead of the brig.

On the way to the rehabilitation colony, Mordreaux appears on the bridge and uses an outlawed weapon on two of the crew, killing both of them. When security mounts a search for Mordreaux and the weapon, the former is found in his cabin, seemingly unaware of what happened, and the latter is nowhere to be found. Spock, in temporary command of the Enterprise, visits Mordreaux to get his side of the story and learns that the professor had been working on time travel technology and, in fact, had sent some of his friends back in time. Realizing that time travel was involved, the two piece together the solution to the mystery of the Mordreaux that couldn't have been on the bridge and the weapon that was never found. The final conclusion reveals a stark reality; messing around with time has created a disruption in the very fabric of reality, which manifested as the naked singularity, that threatens the future of the universe with hundreds of alternate realities that shouldn't exist. With this in mind, Spock and the present Mordreaux work to reverse the damage and restore the reality that was meant to be.

As I said previously, this is my favorite Star Trek novel. It's almost like a Doctor Who/Star Trek combo because of the time travel factor. There's a major shock scene (the result of which I tried to conceal as best as I could in the summary) that may result in a few tears. We get a lot of backstory on Sulu because he does more in this novel than just sit at the helm, and, fun fact, this book is the origin of some of the information we get on him in the TV series (or so I've heard). Additionally, since Spock is the main character in this one, we get to see a side of him we don't usually get to. The other thing I love about it is the complexity of the plot; virtually nothing is what it seems to be and it keeps you guessing throughout the novel.

The main complaint I have of this book is more format-related than textual, and that is the length of the chapters. They. Are. So. Long. With the schedule I've had recently, I've had to sneak in a bit here and there instead of chugging through like I normally would, but the lack of chapter breaks made it really hard to keep track of where I was between readings. I know what you're thinking - "Why didn't you just use a bookmark?!" Well, while it is true that I have an abundance of bookmarks, it's also true that I never seem to have them when I need them. But, such is life. Aside from the long chapters, I also noticed that there are a few things that aren't really fully addressed at the end; you can definitely imply the answers, but they aren't explicitly stated. Overall, it's a great read that I would definitely recommend!

Pros:

• Time travel!
• Lots of interesting backstory on Spock and Sulu
• Interesting, complex plot

Cons:

• Really. Long. Chapters.
• Still a couple of loose ends at the conclusion of the novel
•  Teeny bit of inconsistency between book and TV series, but nothing major

Since this post is about my favorite Star Trek novel, I can't resist sharing my favorite piece of Star Trek fan art to go with it. I wasn't able to track down the artist, but whoever you are, you're my hero. This is some seriously amazing skill, especially considering the only art I can do is abstract. You can almost feel the emotions being portrayed here. Okay, done ranting, I'm gonna just leave it here.

 

Dragons of Autumn Twilight - Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

Get ready, folks, this one's likely to be a doozy. I've been a fan of these books for a few years now, but they definitely aren't for everyone. By the end of the post, you'll know why! It might be helpful to watch the trailer at the bottom of the post first, but either way, I'm sure you'll get the idea!

When Tanis Half-Elven returns to Solace after 5 years abroad, he expects to sit down with some of his closest friends for a chat about the state of the world. When he arrives at the designated meeting place, he finds some of his companions are already there: Sturm, the solemn knight who serves an order almost forgotten, Flint the old dwarf, Tas, an irrepressibly curious kender whose light fingers often get him into trouble, Caramon, a warrior by all stretches of the imagination, and Caramon's twin brother, Raistlin, a sickly but powerful mage who recently underwent a transformation that left him bitter and cynical to even his brother. The adventurous group, each pursuing different goals, made an oath years ago to meet at Solace to discuss how the world is changing, but one of them is missing; Kitiara, Caramon and Raistlin's half-sister and the object of Tanis's favor. The breaking of the oath is bound to be a bad omen, and sure enough, not long after their arrival, trouble breaks out. Sturm, adhering to the Code he values above all else, picked up two barbarian on the way to the meeting, a man and a woman bearing a strange staff that seems to be the talk of the town. To make matters even worse, Solace has been overrun by hobgoblins claiming to serve a Dragon Highlord of the dark queen Takhisis, despite the fact that dragons haven't been seen in Krynn for ages. The combination of these two factors result in a fight in the inn and the companions are forced to flee with the barbarians and the strange staff in tow.

Unsure of how to proceed now that they know that someone is after the staff and evil is making its way through the land, the friends once again band together for a common cause; find the origin of the magical staff and its healing powers, and deal with the threat presented by the armies of the Dragon Highlord. Unfortunately, the latter presents problems for the former, with strange, lizard-like creatures called draconians patrolling the paths for any sign of the magical staff. Their flight pushes them into Darken Wood, a forest feared for the evil presence lurking within its borders. Inside the wood, they encounter the fabled ghost warriors, who, surprisingly, recognize the staff. Just in the nick of time, a band of centaurs appears and leads the group to the Forestmaster, a unicorn who has also sensed the rising evil in the land. She insists that the companions travel to Xak Tsaroth, an ancient city that fell when the gods were believed to have abandoned Krynn. There, they would discover the key to the staff. In spite of some opposition, the group travels to the old city hoping to settle the mystery once and for all. When they finally reach Xak Tsaroth, they discover the horrifying truth; dragons are back in Krynn, and they're on the wrong side. Goldmoon, the bearer of the staff, finds herself in the temple at Xak Tsaroth, where she discovers that the staff is a sacred symbol of a cleric of Mishakal, the goddess of healing. She becomes a disciple of Mishakal, giving her healing powers that come in handy when the group is almost killed by the dragon that lives in the city, and learns that she must recover the disks of Mishakal if they want to have any hope of driving the Dragon Highlord's forces from Krynn. In the underbelly of the city, the companions must work with gully dwarves who have been enslaved by the draconians to help secure the disks. Eventually, however, they manage to retrieve them and begin the long journey back home.

To their shock, Solace has been all but burned down by draconian armies, and they, along with the barmaid Tika, are captured at the inn after a fight. On the way to the slave mines where they are to serve their sentence, they meet up with a befuddled old magician named Fizban who seems to be more than he appears. Another stranger turns out to be Gilthanas, an elven prince who used to be friends with Tanis and was on a scouting mission when captured. When they travel through the woods on the way to the mines, they are rescued by elves and taken to the House of the Speaker of the Suns. There, Tanis has a painful reunion with his first love, a beautiful elf princess named Laurana. Despite his efforts to turn her away, Laurana follows the group on a rescue mission to the mines, where men, women, and children are being held captive and overseen by dragons. While journeying to the mines, they come across a band of men that had been slain by the draconian armies; one man, Eben, managed to survive, and he journeys with them for revenge. By the time they reach the mines, some of them will be lost and others will betray them. Read the book to find out if they manage to rescue the captured citizens and defeat the Dragon Highlord!

As I'm sure you can tell by the veeeeery long summary, this book is veeeeery long. Reading it almost feels like you're reading a whole series compacted into one novel. That being said, it's got plenty of humor (thanks to an oh-so-tumultuous-but-actually-caring relationship between the dwarf and the kender) and the plot has enough twists and turns to keep you interested. Additionally, this novel is like an essential oil of fantasy; it's highly concentrated in the usual fantasy tropes. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but sometimes it's can be a little too much fantasy. If you don't like long, drawn out stories, I wouldn't advise this novel. If you do like long, very fantasy-based books, I'd say give it a go. Worst case scenario, you hate it and never have to waste another second on it. Best case scenario, you love it and decide to add it to your collection!

Pros:

• Epic quest narrative
•  Fairly balanced plot
•  Unicorns (obviously)

Cons:

• Very lengthy
• Plays up fantasy tropes A LOT
•  A teeny bit sexist in a couple of parts, but I wouldn't say it's overpoweringly so

And just like I promised at the top of the post, here's the trailer from the 2008 movie. Okay, yeah, it's little cheesy but let's be real; is there any book-to-movie conversion worse than Eragon? Especially considering it's an animated movie from almost 10 years ago, I didn't think it was awful. Plus, the full movie is on YouTube, but since I'm not sure of the legality of that, you didn't hear it from me.