Today we will be attempting to
perfect the humble art of making Macarons. This might sound a tad dramatic but
believe me if you haven’t made one before, proceed with caution! This predominantly French dessert has revolutionised
the way we “mankind” looks at the simple cookie. Its simplicity only provokes
the thought of its complexity. Smooth, silky and melting in your mouth is just
a few words that describe this truly magnificent treat. Made with meringue,
ground almonds, icing sugar, love, essence and attention to detail, contrary to
what you might think a slightly aged egg white will work best. Eggs aged three
days will give you the perfect meringue and for the best result always use room
temperature egg whites. The Macarons origins
are not perfectly clear and under a lot of debate, some say it is clearly a
French masterpiece others say that the dessert was brought to France with Catherine de' Medici’s pastry chefs, from
Italy back in 1533 after she married King Henry II. But one thing is clear my
friends and that is that the French has mastered the art of Macarons, from your
everyday vanilla and chocolate to the very new and bold flavor's like black
olive and foie gras. Fillings usually consist of three major players namely: Buttercreams,
Jams and Ganache but as with all recipes the only thing stopping you is your
imagination. I’ve even heard of curds being used, so all is fair in love and
war. Once you are confident in your own knowledge and palate you will be able
to design and construct your own masterpiece.
I will be sharing with you two recipes today, one for a decadent chocolate
Macaron and one for a smooth French chocolate buttercream that melts on your
tongue. Do take caution of the following tips: 1. Never make Macarons on a
cloudy day! 2. Read the recipe thoroughly before you start.
For the Chocolate Macarons,
You’ll Need:
3 x Egg Whites –
preferably aged 3 days and at room temperature
25g Cocoa Powder
– sifted twice
200g Icing Sugar
– sifted twice
90g Ground
Almonds – I buy fresh almonds and ground them in a food processor to a fine
meal
55g Castor Sugar
Method:
Pre-heat the oven
to 110c. Line a large baking tray with a silicone sheet or baking paper. If
using baking paper secure it to the tray by smudging small amounts of butter in
each corner of the paper. In a large
mixing bowl whisk the egg whites to soft peak stage, add the castor sugar
bit-by-bit till its incorporated and the sugar is dissolved. In a separate
mixing bowl combine the cocoa, icing sugar and ground almonds and stir with a
slotted spoon till everything is well combined and mixed up. Now slowly fold
the almond and icing mixture into the egg whites, not everything at once! Work
on a large spoon full at a time till all is combined and gently folded into the
mixture. Now spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 2cm plain
nozzle. Take the line baking tray and pipe about 3cm wide rounds onto the paper
spaced roughly 4cm apart from each other. Once done, lift the tray ever so
gently and tap it on the work bench so the Macarons will spread evenly and this
will also let the air bubble out. Leave the tray on the bench for 20 min before
baking. This will help the Macaron form the essential crust that will give it,
its smooth and glossy finish after baking. Now bake the Macarons for no longer
than 17 -18 min, before removing them from the oven. Leave to cool on the tray!
For the Chocolate
Buttercream, You’ll Need:
500g Unsalted
Baking Butter – room temperature
1½C Castor Sugar
½C Water
8 x Large Egg
Yolks
400g Good Quality
Milk or Dark Chocolate – melted slowly in a double boiler
20ml Vanilla
Paste
Method:
In a thick based
saucepan bring the water and sugar to a boil. Use a candy thermometer to make
sure the sugar syrup get heated to soft ball stage. In a large bowl whisk the
egg yolks for 2 -3 min on medium speed. Once the sugar syrup reached soft ball
stage slowly pour the hot syrup into the whisked egg yolks, whisking on high
the whole time. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar syrup together for at least 10 –
12 min, till the egg mixture are pale and glossy and the bowl is cool to the
touch. Now add a 100g of butter whisking for 3min until all is combined before
add another 100g, do this till all the butter is incorporated. Now add the
melted chocolate and vanilla paste, whisk on high for a further 5 min. Spoon
the buttercream into an airtight container and refrigerate till needed.
Now for the
assembly, pair the cooled Macarons in sizes. Fill a piping bag with the
chocolate buttercream and pipe a good amount on one Macaron. Then sandwich the
Macarons together. Be careful as if too much buttercream is piped it will ooze
out on the sides, you have to pipe just enough to make the perfect sandwich.
And remember that
flavour combinations, colours and the creativity all lies with you. So keep in
mind that there are endless possibilities.
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