455 LEXINGTON AVENUE
MOUNT KISCO, NY 10549
(914) 242-4555
CO-OWNERS: MAARTEN AND FRANCES STEENMAN;
BAKER: MAARTEN STEENMAN
In some ways, La Tulipe Desserts in Mount Kisco is a super-local enterprise. Its owners, Maarten and Frances Steenman, met more than twenty years ago when they were both working in a bakery in town. Holland-born Maarten Steenman is a second-generation pastry chef who had apprenticed at some of the finest patisseries in Europe—to be honest, sleepy Mount Kisco was lucky to have him. Once united, the Steenmans opened La Tulipe Desserts and set about creating their signature, incredibly painstaking desserts for locals. Thing is, one of those locals turned out to be Chelsea Clinton, who famously asked La Tulipe to create her vegan, gluten-free wedding cake.
But most locals do not need the high-profile recommendation of the Clintons (who happen to live nearby in Chappaqua) to appreciate La Tulipe. The bakery’s fans have known for ages that La Tulipe will deliver the goods with consummate style, whether that means whipping up a vegan, gluten-free wedding cake for an American princess or slinging the bakery’s signature treat, its gemlike chocolate-raspberry macarons.
(MAKES 38 MACARONS)
For the raspberry ganache filling:
½ cup raspberry puree
⅓ cup water
2¾ teaspoons lemon juice
9 ounces chocolate (64 percent cacao), chopped
14 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened
5 ⅓ teaspoons raspberry liqueur
For the macarons:
2 extra-large egg whites
¾ teaspoon lemon juice
Pinch of salt
½ cup plus 2½ tablespoons 10× powdered sugar
1–2 drops red food coloring
¼ pound almond flour
3 tablespoons Valrhona cocoa powder
To make the ganache: Bring the raspberry puree, water, and lemon juice to a boil. In a medium bowl place the chopped chocolate. Working in small batches, use a silicone spatula to stir the hot raspberry mixture into the chocolate. Do not use a whisk and do not overmix, as the mixture will separate. Gently stir the mixture after every addition, stirring until chocolate is completely melted. Add small pieces of the soft butter and raspberry liqueur. The acidity from the puree will cause this base to separate a little, but the ganache will come together when the butter and the liqueur are added. Stir to emulsify the ganache, then pour it onto a tray to cool (it will cool faster with greater surface area—plus, it will allow for greater moisture loss) at room temperature.
To make the macarons: Three days before you intend to bake the macarons, separate the egg whites and store them in the refrigerator. This extra step breaks down the elasticity of the egg whites and improves the texture of the resulting macarons. On the day that you plan to bake the macarons, fit a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Place the rested egg whites in the mixer bowl and whip them with the lemon juice and salt until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Add the 2½ tablespoons of powdered sugar and the food coloring and whip until combined.
Into a separate bowl sift the almond flour, cocoa powder, and remaining powdered sugar. Sift the ingredients one additional time. Using a silicone spatula, fold the almond flour/sugar mixture into the whipped egg mixture until it is shiny and forms smooth ribbons. Fold the mixture very gently, as you do not want the meringue to collapse. Preheat the oven to 310°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag and then pipe the batter into seventy-six circles, each about 1½ inches in diameter. Allow the macarons to dry at room temperature for about 20–30 minutes before you place them in the oven. After they have dried, bake the macarons in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Allow them to cool before filling.
Working one at a time, spread about 1 teaspoon ganache onto the flat side of a macaron, then top that with another macaron, flat side placed directly on the ganache, rounded side up. Repeat this process to make thirty-eight sandwiched macarons. Serve.