My first attempt to make macarons was more than 2 years ago, without actually tasting one and reading much about it, it was a complete failure. I produced dome-shaped meringue biscuits that were too sweet and no almond taste (because of the almond powder from the shop). Ever since my paris trip last month, i spent all my spare time (okay... and even office hours) obsessing about macarons. I really couldn't wait anymore to give it a go in my own kitchen, even though i got home like 8:30pm with an empty stomach. T. was very nice fixing a quick dinner so that i could start "macaroning"! The second that I saw the little "feet" popping up, I almost broke down in happy tears..........
The Basic macaron batter and Pierre Herme's rose butter cream.
For the Macaron shells
- 125 g almond, preferably whole/sliced almonds
- 225 g icing sugars
- 100 g 48 hours "aged" egg whites
- 25 g granulated sugar
- 3.5 g natural beetroot powder or other powdered food colouring of your choice
- pinch cream of tartar
1) Grind whole/sliced almonds in a food processor to "poppy seed" size or even smaller, then add the icing sugars and process for further 2 minutes or until fully combined. The shop-bought almond powder are simply tasteless, do avoid using it.
2) Sifted almond powder and icing sugar twice.
3) Add the cream of tartar to the "aged" egg whites and beat at medium speed. The cream of tartar might seem difficult to incorporate at first, but keep beating until the "aged" egg white is foam, then add the granulated sugar slowly. Continue beating the whites to medium peaks and it should be glossy.
4) Add food colouring to the egg white, then continue to beat to stiff peak.
5) Add dry ingredients all in once to the meringue. Fold the mixture slowly to start with, then gradually speed up and fold quickly to deflate the air in the meringue. If you think the batter
consistency is right, do a test by spooning a small lump onto the parchment paper, it should flatten slightly to form a nice round disk in 3 to 5 seconds. If its flattened too early, it means the batter is overmixed and it becomes too runny; or if it has a pointy top that holds its shape, it means the batter is undermixing, you probably need maybe 5 more strokes. ... or if you're not sure.. just do a test every few folds.
6) Pipe the batter into 1 or 1.25 inch disks... any bigger than that would need to increase the cooking time! My disks were about 1.5 inch after they have flattened a bit, it took about 15-18 mins to cook through! As a rough guide,
1 or 1.25 inch would take 12 to 15 mins. If the shells are not cooked through, the centre would be sticky and very difficult to remove from the paper, so make sure you check that its cooked completely. You could also lower the temperature to 140F after 15 mins, otherwise the surface might brown slightly.
7) Let the disks rest for at least 30 mins before baking.
8) Macarons are baked at 155° C. "Feet" would be visible after 5 mins... woooo... yeah... look at those beauties!
9) Remove the parchment paper from the tray and place on a table. Let it rest for 15 mins then remove macaron shells from the paper.
10) After filling the cream, keep refrigerate macarons overnight before consumption.
Im having one as im typing along.... yumyum!
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