Macarons
are decidedly Parisian and one of my favourite desserts. I mean - how can one possibly resist the cute
factor and the lovely abundant colours they come in!
We
cannot visit Paris without picking up a stash of these goodies at Macarons Gourmands. Although Ladurée
is a more recognizable brand (and has even recently opened a store in New
York), we have found the ones offered by Macarons Gourmands to be
delectable.
Following
some research, there are quite a few recipes / variations - some requiring,
such as the classic Ladurée recipe, cream of tartar others requiring the skins
be left on the almonds. I've tried a
couple of these recipes and, in all honesty, all have worked out for me. The key is to understand the techniques and
the consistency you are looking for at each stage.
Some
quick tips:
1.
Egg whites should
be at room temperature and several recipes require aged egg whites (some
instruct to leave the egg whites at room temperature, slightly covered, for 24
hours, while others simply state to use egg whites that have been aged for 3
days).
2.
There are a few
different takes on the speed at which the egg whites need to be whipped at -
some say start low and increase to medium, while others call for whipping them
at medium-high speed the entire time. I
tend to stick with a lower speed and then increase towards the end of the
beating process.
3.
Only start adding
the granulated sugar once the egg whites have started to foam. Slowly sprinkle the sugar a tablespoon at a
time. Do not dump it all in at
once.
4.
Stop the machine
every few whips once you start seeing the whisk markings in the mixture. You are done when you remove the whisk and
the egg whites left on the whisk form a point that stands straight up (aka
stiff peaks) instead of flopping over (known as soft peaks). Be sure not to over whip the egg whites as
they will turn back to liquid form.
5.
An interesting tip
I read was to add a few drops of lemon juice (or any type of acid, such as
cream of tartar) to the egg whites to help with stability. I have made some with and without the acid
and they have both turned out.
6.
Almonds need to be
ground as finely as possible. The first
time I made macarons, I had whole blanched almonds, which I ground with the
icing sugar. I did get around to
purchasing some ground almonds; however, they were still a little too coarse
for my liking, so I ended up grinding that batch with the icing sugar until the
mixture was a fine as possible.
7.
Once you have
folded the dry ingredients into the wet ones, you need to continue folding the
mixture on itself to get the desired consistency. This is almost like "kneading"
dough, but not!! Essentially, you want
the mixture to be smooth, shiny and drips slowly off the spatula.
8.
Once your macarons
are piped out, don't forget to bang the baking sheet on the table a few times
to get rid of any air bubbles.
9.
I haven’t tried
this technique as of yet, but wanted to pass along the tip of doubling up your
baking sheets to prevent the bottom of the macarons from getting too browned.
The
really challenging bit (for me anyways) was finding the appropriate placement
of the oven racks to achieve the desired doneness, without overly browning them
and still maintaining a slightly chewy texture in the center (my households
preferred consistency). I have seen
recommendations to have the baking sheets placed in the lower third and upper
third; others required both baking sheets be placed towards the bottom of the
oven and others directly in the middle.
Now everyone's oven is different, so I recommend starting with a test
batch to see which placement works best for you. I have found that I get the best results by
baking only one sheet at a time, placed on the second lowest rack fitting. Admittedly, this takes a little longer, but
with all the care you have taken to get the batter appropriate and pipe them
out to perfection, some extra tender loving care at this stage is well worth
the effort.
The
picture above is based on a variation of two recipes. One by Hisako Ogita found at Style At Home,
as well as, a variation of Hisako Ogita's original recipe adapted by Sara Yoo
at Yum Sugar.
This
is the basic recipe, which can then be modified to your heart’s content! Most simply use food colouring to change the
colour of the cookie and modify the filling to achieve the desired flavor.
Ingredients
·
2/3 cup (3 oz/85 g)
ground almonds
·
1-1/2 cups (5 1/4
oz/150 g) powdered sugar
·
3 large egg whites,
at room temperature
·
5 tbsp (65 g)
granulated sugar
·
1 tsp vanilla
extract, or seeds from 1/2 a vanilla bean
Steps:
1.
Preheat oven to
280°C.
2.
Line baking sheets
with parchment paper and draw 1 inch circles, spacing them 1 1/4 inches
apart. Be sure to flip the parchment
paper before piping your circles so that the pen or pencil does not transfer to
the macaron.
3.
Double sift the
ground almonds and powdered sugar. Set
aside.
4.
Using a stand
mixer, begin whisking the egg whites on low speed until foamy. Slowly sprinkle the granulated sugar one
tablespoon at a time until completely incorporated.
5.
Increase the speed
medium and continue whisking until stiff peaks has formed. Add the vanilla and mix until just incorporated.
6.
Fold the almond
mixture into the wet mixture in two additions.
7.
Once incorporated,
continue folding the mixture onto itself, scrapping from the bottom and pulling
across the bowl away from you. Repeat
until the mixture is smooth, shiny and drips slowly from the spatula.
8.
Using a piping bag,
pipe 1 inch circles. Bang the baking
sheet a few times to remove any excess air.
9.
Pat down any peaks,
left from piping the batter, with a wet finger.
10.
Allow macarons to
sit at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes until the top is no longer sticky
/ tacky when touched.
11.
Bake for 2 minutes
before propping open the oven door with a wooden spoon. Continue cooking for 10 to 15 minutes, until
the tops are hard and just starting to brown slightly.
12.
Cool the macarons on
the baking sheet placed on a cooling rack.
13.
Baked macarons can
be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
It
had been quite a bit of time since I had last made buttercream. Had it been more recent, I would have surely
remembered the extensive whisking involved, and (hopefully) been smart enough,
to use an electric hand mixer rather than the manual approach. All was not lost, as it gave me the chance to
practice whisking with my left hand!
Ingredients
·
7 tablespoons
unsalted butter, softened
·
2 egg yolks
·
1/4 cup granulated
sugar
·
3 1/2 tablespoons
milk
·
1 teaspoon vanilla
extract
Steps:
1.
Cut the butter into
small pieces and mash with a spatula until creamy and smooth in texture.
2.
In a separate bowl,
whisk the egg yolks, then add the sugar and continue whisking until light and
fluffy in texture, ensuring no sugar granules remain.
3.
Pour the egg
mixture into a small saucepan set over low heat. Continuously whisk as you heat the egg
mixture until it has thickened and has taken on a custard like consistency.
4.
Pour the mixture
back into the bowl and continue whisking until the mixture has come to room
temperature.
5.
Whisk the butter
in, in 3 additions, then add the vanilla and continue whisking until
combined. Pipe or spread the buttercream
on a macaron base and sandwich together with another macaron half.
I added raspberry jam to the vanilla buttercream. Very yum!!
It worked out, almost, perfectly!
Next time I need to remove the seeds.
Enjoy!
