Cardamom Jaggery macaroons

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I devised this recipe when I taught South Indianesque at 18 Reasons, almost 1 year after I had been traveling and studying in India. I love cooking Indian food but I can be quite irreverent when it comes to the combination of ingredients. My dishes often have a decidedly Californian flair. The premise of the class was that we all know someone (perhaps ourselves..?) who had an amazing curry at a local Indian restaurant and decided to try their hand at constructing an Indian dinner. The result was a decent curry and a few pounds worth of leftover spices, specialty rice, tamarind paste... you get the picture.

I had been on a slight macaroon kick at the time and decided to try to swap out refined white sugar for jaggery and to add some cardamom to elevate and enhance. Be advised that the jaggery tends to brown and potentially burn far more easily than the refined stuff so keep a close eye on your oven towards the end of baking.

Ingredients

• 4 large egg whites
• 3 ½ c unsweetened large coconut flakes
• ½ c jaggery, about 2 large disks, grated
• 1 Tbsp ground cardamom
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• Maldon salt for garnishing 

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Add about 2-3” of water to a medium large pot and heat until it simmers. Set aside.
3. Combine all ingredients except for the Maldon salt into a large metal bowl. Stir to combine and place over the simmering pot of water. The bowl should fit snugly and the bottom shouldn’t touch the water. 
4. Stir continuously for about 5-7 minutes until the egg whites begin to become opaque. 
5. Remove from heat and set aside for 20-25 minutes to allow the mixture to cool and any remaining liquid to be absorbed by the coconut.
6. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. 
7. Using a spoon scoop small piles of the coconut mixture onto the cookie sheet. Each scoop should contain approximately 1 ½ - 2 Tbsp of the mixture. Garnish with Maldon.
   
8. Place cookie sheets in the oven and immediately reduce to 325°F. Bake for approximately 15-18 minutes until the outside edges of the macaroon are browned and they smell fragrant.
   
9. Set aside to cool for about 10 minutes before enjoying.
   
   

Yield: 20 macaroons

Note: These are best the day off but will keep for a few days in a tightly sealed container. The flavor will still be fabulous but the coconut will lose its crispness.