Celebrating Japanese New Year....le Macaron de Shōgatsu!

This article is part of "The Macaron Series"
http://lafleuraucacao.blogspot.com/2009/10/in-mood-for-loveand-macaronthe-macaron.html

As we count down along with the crystal ball in NYC, January 1st is also considered by most Japanese to be one of the most important annual festivals and has been celebrated for centuries with its own unique customs. After an evening a festivities, toasts with Champagne, and feeling at ease on my day off, I decided to create macaron that celebrate Japanese New Year (正月) or Shōgatsu.


Japanese people eat a special selection of dishes during the New Year celebration called osechi-ryōri (御節料理). This consists of boiled seaweed (昆布), fish cakes (蒲鉾), mashed sweet potato with chestnut (栗きんとん), simmered burdock root (金平牛蒡), and sweetened black soybeans (黒豆). Many of these dishes are sweet, sour, or dried, so they can keep without refrigeration—the culinary traditions date to a time before households had refrigerators, when most stores closed for the holidays.

This special macaron incorporates one of the ingredients from osechi-ryōri, sweet chestnut, with 2 other signature flavours of Japan, Red Bean (赤豆) and Matcha Green Tea (抹茶).


~ le Macaron de Shōgatsu ~

Makes 20 Macarons

6 Sweet Roasted Chestnuts - cut into 1/4" cubes

1 batch of red bean flavoured macaron shells
for the Macaron Recipe, please click on this link below for the recipe for the Earl Grey Macaron:
http://lafleuraucacao.blogspot.com/2009/10/earl-grey-macaronnew-creation-for.html

* Replace the 8g of Earl Grey tea powder with 8g of Red Bean (Kochi An) powder

1 batch of Matcha Ganache
for the Matcha Ganache Recipe, please click on this link below for the recipe for the le Macaron de l'amour:
http://lafleuraucacao.blogspot.com/2009/11/macarons-that-shimmered-for-union-of.html


Assemble the le Macaron de Shōgatsu:
1. Place the ganache into a piping bag and pipe mixture onto one macaron shell.
2. Place 3-4 pieces of sweet roasted chestnut cubes into the ganache.
3. Gently press an un-piped shell onto the ganache until the ganache just reaches the rim of the macaron.
4. Dust very lightly with Matcha powder if desired.

Bon Appetit!

Turn the deflated toasting bubbly into a refreshing dessert....Gelée de Champagne Lychee

No matter how much you imbibe on New Year’s Eve, chances are you’ll have some already-opened bubbly still left over on the morning, or the week after.


While mimosas, bellinis and other champagne cocktails are always an option on New Year’s Day, a more healthier method can utilise the corked bubbly in creative home cooking. Here I combine one of my favourite tropical fruits to create this refreshing yet simple dessert....

*This recipe can be made into a vegetarian/vegan version with Konnayaku powder or Agar replacing gelatin.

~ Gelée de Champagne Lychee ~


1 tb gelatin = 2 cups liquid *This recipe can be made into a vegetarian/vegan version with Konnayaku powder or Agar
1 Can of Lychee in light syrup
Leftover Champagne
Sugar to taste

1. Combine the leftover champagne with the light syrup from the canned lychee, and measure out the amount of gelatin required for the corresponding volume of liquid.
2. Place the liquid in a saucepan, and sprinkle the gelatin. Allow the gelatin to bloom in the liquid at room temperature for 20 mintues.
3. Heat the champagne mixture with gelatin over medium heat. Constantly stir until all the gelatin is dissolved.
4. Stir and dissolve sugar to your taste. Remove from heat.
5. Place 2 lychee in each champagne glass, and gently pour the champagne mixture into each glass to avoid bubbles.
6. Allow it to cool to room temperature and refrigerate for 4 hours or until the jello sets.

Bon Appetit!