Macarons....those delightful, delicate, almond-based meringues, filled with delicious ganache, fruit, jam or jelly have been the subject of great amusement in our house for quite a while!
The girls would kill for them, the other half hasn't to date expressed any great opinion on them, but enjoyed telling all in sundry of my culinary disasters, which only encouraged the determined side of my character to come out and succeed.
To be honest I, personally, could take them or leave them..but where there's a macaron there's a challenge....and yeees, I've
enfin managed to make the finicky, french delicacies - 'the little black dress of french pâtisserie' as Raymond Blanc calls them!
Cooking to me is not generally about quantities -
'au pif' is an expression I use regularly -
Pif a slang word for nose - so basically, just throw it in if the fancy takes you....but NOT where these babies are concerned...there are lots of basic rules....Right now I feel a little like Julie in Julie and Julia after days of expeimenting in the kitchen in a quest to make the perfect macaron!
Macarons
Ingredients
For the pâte à macaron
• 185g/6½oz icing sugar, sifted
• 185g/6½oz ground almonds
• 2 medium free-range egg whites
For the Italian meringue
• 2 medium free-range egg whites(at room temp.)
• 185g/6½oz caster sugar
• 3 tbsp water
For the ganache filling
• 100ml/4fl oz whipping cream
• 100g/4oz dark chocolate, or white chocolate if you wish
• Or lemon curd .....or raspberry jam....or whatever!
Preparation method
1. Heat the oven to 160C/300F
. In a food processor with a knife blade, mix the icing sugar, ground almonds then sieve them to remove any impurities (takes yonks!)
3. In a large bowl mix egg whites, icing sugar and ground almonds to form a paste. Don't overmix!
4. For the Italian meringue, whisk the egg whites on a medium speed until stiff (i.e turn the bowl upsidedown - the mix shouldn't fall out!) Add colouring.
5. Meanwhile, place the sugar and water in a small pan and cook over a high heat until it has reached 117C/242F.
6. Reduce the speed on the mixer to its lowest setting and pour the sugar syrup onto the firmly whipped egg whites.
7. Increase the speed to high and continue to whisk for 2-3 minutes.
8. Using a spatula,fold the Italian meringue mixture into the pâte à macaron until it reaches the ribbon stage. Do not over-mix or the macaroon will crack when cooked.
9. Place the mixture in a piping bag fitted with a 8mm/¼in nozzle.
10. Line two baking trays with greaseproof paper and pipe on 3cm/1in discs, at least 2cm/¾in apart.
11. Leave to ‘rest’ for about 10 minutes.
12. Bake in the middle of the oven for 8 - 10 minutes and then leave on a tray until completely cold.
13. Place on cooling tray.
14. Pipe about one teaspoon of ganache/lemon curd/jam onto the flat side of a cooled macaroon and top with another macaroon to make a sandwich.
15. Repeat with the remaining ganache and macaroons and store in a single layer in an airtight container in the fridge.
Note: Macarons are best eaten a day after baking. They freeze very well (ungarnished) Remove from the fridge for at least 15 mins. before tasting.
