Food Desserts & Baking White Chocolate and Vanilla Whipped Ganache This rich, smooth ganache—a filling for macarons—is a good vehicle for flavor customization: Swap another extract (sparingly, of course), such as peppermint, orange or coffee, for the vanilla. The recipe comes from Macaron Bar in Cincinnati. By Nathan Sivitz Nathan Sivitz Nathan Sivitz is executive chef of Macaron Bar, a bakery specializing in French macarons and macaron baking classes. He founded the business in 2014 in his hometown, Cincinnati, along with his husband, Patrick Moloughney, and partner Mark Santanello. Now they have eight locations in six cities, including Indianapolis and Chicago, and ship nationwide. From the start, every bakery has offered classes. "We knew people were interested in learning, and it's a fantastic opportunity to connect with our communities," Sivitz says. "People come out of the classes saying, 'I think I can do this.' And that's what we like to hear." Midwest Living's Editorial Guidelines Published on November 2, 2023 Print Share Photo: Carson Downing Hands On Time: 10 mins Total Time: 45 mins Yield: 1 2/3 cups Ingredients 190 grams white chocolate, chopped (6 1/2 ounces) 40 grams butter, softened (3 tablespoons) ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste 95 grams heavy cream (1/2 cup) Pinch salt Paste food coloring Macarons Directions In a large bowl, combine white chocolate, butter and vanilla bean paste. In a small saucepan, heat cream just to a simmer. Pour cream over white chocolate mixture. Let stand 5 minutes. Whisk cream and chocolate together until fully emulsified. (If necessary, place mixture in a double boiler over simmering water to fully melt the chocolate.) Add a pinch of salt. Pour ganache into a large flat pan or baking dish. Cover surface with plastic wrap. Chill until firm, at least 20 minutes. When ready to fill the macarons, let the chilled ganache sit at room temperature 10 minutes. Place in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat until pale and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in food coloring. Extra Ganache: This recipe makes more ganache than you need to fill the 12 cookies from our Macaron recipe. (It's hard to beat a smaller quantity.) Use the extra to frost other cookies or a cake. Nutrition Facts (Per Tablespoon): 66 cal, 5 g fat, 7 mg chol, 21 mg sodium, 5 g carbo, 0 g fiber, 5 g sugars, 0 g pro. Print