Category: Culinary Arts

For St. Pete man, perfect macarons are both fun and a side hustle

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Joshua Pramis planned to celebrate his 40th birthday with his favorite indulgence — melt-in-your-mouth salted caramel cafe mocha macarons.

The chocolate shells are filled with mocha buttercream and salted caramel and drizzled with chocolate sauce and flakes of sea salt. They look like they came from the finest patisserie in Paris. But no, Pramis creates and cooks the French treats in his St. Petersburg kitchens.

Joshua Pramis, a journalist with The Penny Hoarder personal finance website, started out by baking banana bread and gradually progressed to a dazzling variety of macarons.
Joshua Pramis, a journalist with The Penny Hoarder personal finance website, started out by baking banana bread and gradually progressed to a dazzling variety of macarons. [ Joshua Pramis ]

The origin of the macaron is a bit fuzzy, but legend has it that they were introduced to France by an Italian baker. It doesn’t matter the roots, it’s the results that matter to Pramis.

This month, he’s busy developing holiday-inspired versions of the meringue sandwich cookies with flavors of peppermint and gingerbread for his family, friends and co-workers at The Penny Hoarder, a personal finance website based in St. Petersburg. Last Christmas, his ornament-shaped macarons and red-and-white swirled peppermint confections were a hit.

But he didn’t stop there, making macarons shaped like Easter eggs and bunnies. He created architectural toppings with, of all things, popular cereals. He’s really just starting his creative journey.

Pramis writes The Penny Hoarder’s email newsletter by day. On weekends and evenings, he tests recipes and tempers chocolates and sugars. A fan of the “The Great British Baking Show,” he started baking on a whim about four years ago, starting with banana bread and progressing to cookies and cupcakes. Macarons — not to be confused with chewy coconut macaroons — are the next challenge.

A journalist by day, Joshua Pramis tests recipes for macarons at night. He baked his first batch two years ago and they have become increasingly elaborate.
A journalist by day, Joshua Pramis tests recipes for macarons at night. He baked his first batch two years ago and they have become increasingly elaborate. [ Joshua Pramis ]
Some of Joshua Pramis' most popular macarons have toppings made with candied bits of cereal.
Some of Joshua Pramis’ most popular macarons have toppings made with candied bits of cereal. [ Joshua Pramis ]
Some of Joshua Pramis' macarons are flecked with sea salt and other toppings.
Some of Joshua Pramis’ macarons are flecked with sea salt and other toppings. [ Joshua Pramis ]
Macron, shown here, is not to be confused with chewy coconut macaroons.
Macron, shown here, is not to be confused with chewy coconut macaroons. [ Joshua Pramis ]
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Joshuan Pramis says macarons are a dessert that "requires a ton of patience.''
Joshuan Pramis says macarons are a dessert that “requires a lot of patience.” [ Joshua Pramis ]
Joshua Pramis' ornament-shaped macarons were a hit last Christmas.
Joshua Pramis’ ornament-shaped macarons were a hit last Christmas. [ Joshua Pramis ]
Joshua Pramis makes macarons with a variety of toppings and fillings.
Joshua Pramis makes macarons with a variety of toppings and fillings. [ Joshua Pramis ]

Two years ago, Pramis baked his first batch and they turned out perfectly. With great confidence, he offered to bring macarons to his family’s upcoming Thanksgiving gathering.

“I had a little bit of beginner’s luck,” he said. “The first batch wasn’t perfectly smooth but they actually looked decent and I was like, ‘What is everybody talking about, these aren’t that bad.’”

The day before Thanksgiving he started baking, only to toss out batch after batch of cracked or too-flat meringues, which made him reevaluate his baking prowess. “I almost called it quits — but that fourth, winning batch came out and I just had that feeling that I wanted to keep doing this,” he said.

He kept making macarons, whipping egg whites and slowly adding sugar and cream of tartar and tossing out as many duds as keepers. “It took a little while to get the hang of it and I was bouncing around between recipes,” he said.

Then a friend suggested he check out Brazilian blogger Camila Hurst’s website, Pies and Tacos, for baking tips. She uses the Swiss method of making macarons, mixing the sugar and egg whites together and heating the ingredients over a double boiler before adding a bit of syrup and whipping the mixture. success!

Patience is the key ingredient, Pramis said. You have to get the meringue right before sifting in confectioners’ sugar and almond flour.

“It’s weird because I’m not a very patient person in general and this is a dessert that requires tons of patience,” he said. “In a way it has helped to reel me in overall, in all aspects of my life. If you want to get the winning macaron, you have to keep going and going. And you don’t ever know until they come out of the oven.”

Pramis posted photos of his best batches on social media and started getting requests from friends. He has a dedicated following at @themaczaddy on Instagram and a side business that keeps elevating his creativity. He started with plain cookies filled with chocolate or

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People Are Sharing Their Best Family Cooking Tricks

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Lots of families have recipes passed down through generations, cooking tips and flavor-boosting techniques that are basically sacred. So Redditor u/OoopsieWhoopsie asked, “What Are Some Of Your ‘Secret’ Family Cooking Tips?” Here’s what people say, and I’m personally looking forward to trying some of these in my own kitchen.

1.

“My family owns a catering business, which was started by my grandparents who came to the states from Portugal. One thing I’ve learned that greatly improves my meals is to add butter to your noodles when making saucy pasta like spaghetti in tomato sauce. “

2.

“My grandma would save butter wrappers in the fridge and use the left over butter on them for greasing dishes when she baked. Now I can’t help but stockpile the wrappers. It really comes in so handy.”

3.

“Mustard powder in mac ‘n’ cheese. It’s so necessary, otherwise mac tastes bland even when you use sharp cheddar.. I also put in a bit of cayenne pepper.”

4.

“Put a little fish sauce into any stew or sauce that needs an umami boost. It’s basically anchovies in liquid form.”

5.

“A tablespoon of ground coffee in brownies really kicks up the chocolate flavor a notch. The higher quality the coffee beans, the better.”

6.

“Sprinkle sea salt on cookies right before or right after baking. The extra salt brings out the flavors more and helps balance out the sweetness.”

7.

“I’m from a Midwestern Scandinavian family, and I have learned that cream of mushroom soup is kind of a universal solution for improving any dish.”

8.

“My pumpkin pies are very well-regarded in my friend’s circle, but the secret is the crust: It’s just crushed up Trader Joe’s Triple Ginger cookies and melted butter.”

9.

“Very gently fold whipped egg whites into pancake batter with a whisk. It makes the pancakes so much better, fluffier, and more decadent.”

10.

“In my family we mix a heaping scoop of mayonnaise into cake batter, whether it’s scratch or from a box.”

11.

“I use almond extract in pretty much all of my baked goods. Often, if a recipe calls for vanilla extract, I will either sub almond for all of it or use half and half.”

12.

“There is no better chocolate chip cookie recipe than the recipe on the back of the Tollhouse chocolate chip bag. Follow it to the letter. Everyone thinks I have the best of the best chocolate chip cookies.”

13.

“Add pickle juice to tuna or chicken salad. This adds just the right amount of tartness.”

14.

“Add a packet of vanilla pudding when you’re making cake. You can actually substitute any flavor of pudding. It makes the cake much more moist.”

15.

“I use vanilla or plain full fat yogurt in my bathing mixture for French toast in place of milk. It turns out perfectly every time.”

16.

“If you’re making bread bowls, don’t hollow them out. Instead, pack down the inner bread layer to create a thicker bottom. This will prevent leaks and sogginess when you serve your soup or whatever you’re making.”

17.

“When I’m cooking anything that requires breadcrumbs, I use crushed up chicken flavored Stove Top stuffing. I also use them as mini croutons in my salads.”

18.

“In my family, a decent aged balsamic vinegar adds depth to almost anything you’re making. I use aged balsamic in literally everything from chili to spaghetti. It’s a fantastic addition, and you only need a tiny bit to make the flavors pop. “

19.

“Add a pinch of nutmeg to anything with dairy in it (for example, cream sauces). You won’t taste the nutmeg but it makes the dairy richer and tastes better.”

20.

“When I make burgers I mix a packet of Lipton onion soup mix and a couple dashes of nutmeg in with the ground beef. I let it sit for at least an hour or two in the fridge before I start grilling. It gives the meat a nice little oomph over just a plain salt/pepper seasoning.”

21.

“Whenever I’m making a cheese sauce, I add a piece of processed cheese like Kraft singles. It basically turns it into Velveeta. It’s revolutionized my homemade mac ‘n’ cheese game.”

22.

“My wife was stunned to learn that after 25 years together, she only just found out that I put lemon juice in my pancake batter. It’s the ultimate melt-in-your-mouth pancake trick.”

23.

“Bacon always comes out better if you cook it in an oven, but the key is putting the bacon into the oven before turning the oven on. Preheating the oven ahead of time will make the bacon stick to the baking sheet, so putting it in as the oven preheats will mean that the fat renders out more easily (and therefore doesn’t stick).”

24.

“My

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The World’s Oldest “Flatbread” Was Cooked by Neanderthals 70,000 Years Ago. Recipe Includes Wild Pulses, Mustard Seed and Pistachio Nuts

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Scientists have found evidence that Neanderthals—the relatives of modern humans who lived thousands of years ago—may not have been as primitive as previously believed. In fact, they may have originated in the artisanal food category. According to a study published in the journal AntiquityResearchers analyzed burnt pieces of food at a Neanderthal excavation site and found they were remnants of the world’s first “flatbread,” a recipe devised by the ancient figures for pleasing flavor.

“Our findings are the first real indications of complex cooking—and thus of food culture—among Neanderthals,” said Chris Hunt of Liverpool John Moores University, a study co-author. Read on to find out why.

1

“A Prehistoric Falafel”

The findings argue against the typical picture of Neanderthals as unsophisticated. “The old stereotype is that Neanderthals were less intelligent than modern humans and that they had a largely meat-based diet,” explains Hunt. On the contrary, the researchers found evidence that Neanderthals created recipes and cooking techniques to create a kind of unleavened artisanal bread. Hunt describes it as a flatbread. The study’s leader, Ceren Kabukcu of Liverpool University, compared it to a prehistoric falafel.

2

The Ingredients: “Very Palatable”

“It seems the Neanderthals smashed, or ground, then soaked a mix of wild grains and grasses, wild pulses including wild lentils, wild pistachios and, at times, wild grass seeds and grass pea fragments, then cooked the resulting mix on hot stones, ” said Hunt. The study is the earliest example of ingredients being blended together and cooked, possibly with regard to how the result would taste.

Hunt and the research team even attempted to re-create the Neanderthal recipe. “It made a sort of pancake-cum-flatbread which was really very palatable – a sort of nutty taste,” said Hunt.

3

Wealth of Information in Cave

The new study center on Shanidar Cave, a Neanderthal dwelling 500 miles north of Baghdad, Iraq, in the Zagros Mountains. The site, believed to be 70,000 years old, was first excavated in the 1950s. There, archaeologist Ralph Solecki discovered the remains of ten Neanderthal men, women, and children.

Those initial findings suggested that Neanderthals were more sophisticated than given credit for. One Neanderthal appeared to have survived several injuries, possibly because of primitive medical care, and another’s grave seemed to contain remnants of flowers, suggesting a burial ritual.

4

Ancient Leftovers Analyzed

To come to their conclusions, the researchers used an electron microscope to analyze fragments of burnt food discovered at Shanidar and another cave in Greece. In other words, ancient leftovers. “The charred food fragments from Franchthi Cave are the earliest of their kind recovered in Europe, from a hunter-gatherer occupation around 12,000 years ago,” said Kabukcu.

“Those from Shanidar Cave are the earliest in southwest Asia, from Neanderthal and human layers dating to seventy and forty thousand years ago respectively.”

RELATED: The 10 Most “OMG” Science Discoveries of 2022

5

Surprisingly Creative Cooks

Ultimately, the study found that human and Neanderthal food, at least, in this case, aren’t all that different. “Our work conclusively demonstrates the deep antiquity of plant foods involving more than one ingredient and processed with multiple preparation steps,” said Kabukcu.

“This is the cool thing: we don’t tend to associate hunter-gatherers with creativity when it comes to what they’re going to eat,” she added. “The fact that we found mixtures [of ingredients] suggests that there’s some sort of planning and thinking that went into the combination. And maybe it was the flavors that were driving some of the selection.”

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