Here they are. The awe inspiring Macaron. An exquisite french pastry popping up everywhere lately. I'll admit, early last year I had never even heard of the macaron. By pure chance I 'stumbled upon' a blog by the name of Tartelette and I was super lucky. Amazing recipes, classy photography and invaluable information about the macaron opened up a flood gate for me. I have truly discovered that pastry is for me.
Pastry has always been the aspect of cooking I have been most interested in, and the macaron was something I instantly, definitely wanted to master. Such valuable advice can be found on the internet and the research I did was absolutely essential, but applying this knowledge and seeing it in action is the key to success.
After trials, errors, reading and planning, I believe that I have made macarons that are worthy. I know I have!
Tartelette has definitely become an Idol of mine, the recipes are tantalizing and executed with such finesse and skill. The recipe I now use incorporates ingredient measurements from Tartelette and multiple technical aspects I have picked up from extremely interesting sources. David Lebovitz has summarized an amazing wealth of
information on the macaron. This is definitely worth the read.
The macaron itself is a stunning yet fickle meringue based cookie. Stunning in appearance and texture. Fickle because slight inconsistencies in the method can cause drastic changes to the finished product. Comprised of almond meal, icing sugar and a glossy sweet merignue, the macaron may still be rather lifeless in texture and appearance if brought together incorrectly. The key to success is the consistency of the meringue and the perfection of incorporating the almond mix, the act of the 'macaronage.' When this is done correctly the macaron will shine, it will be awe-inspiring, and the texture will be unforgettable. The macarons are then sandwiched with a ganache or buttercream to intensify the flavours and textures, making these a sweet, delicate and memorable treat.
The flavour possibilities are endless, and the excitement just continues to increase for me. I will include information I believe will help all you avid bakers out there with your quest to macaron perfection in future posts. Read, practice and believe.
Walnut and Honey Macarons. Adding the flavour of walnuts to a macaron creates a bittersweet and earthy flavour, and appearance. Honey is one of my favourite things and it pairs beautifully with all nuts so I made a very simple, light buttercream with honey to fill these macarons. Bittersweet, nutty, creamy and luscious.
My family and friends love these and that's a big part of why making these little things feels so great to me. It feels right. The smile on peoples faces when they taste their first macaron is priceless, and the challenge of reaching the perfect macaron is something I loved to do. This is the beginning of something big for me! oh how I dream of Paris...
Walnut and Honey Macarons
Macaron Recipe adapted from Tartelette
For the Shells:
100g Egg Whites (Separated at least 24 hrs before)
50g Granulated Sugar
110g Almond Meal (For this recipe, I used 30g Walnuts and 80g Toasted Almonds and made my own meal)
200g Pure Icing Sugar
For the Filling:
125g Unsalted Butter at room temp.
50g Icing Sugar
2-3 Tablespoons of Honey
2-3 Tablespoons of light, flavorless oil.
(I used Apricot Kernel Oil. This gives a light, silky texture depending on how much you add. )
A dash of cream (optional)
For the Shells:
Process almonds and walnuts with a small amount of the icing sugar (to prevent it becoming gummy and pasty) until superfine. Incorporate the rest of the sugar, and pass through a fine sieve making sure there are no lumps and the mix is light and airy.
In a mixing bowl, whip the egg whites until foamy and bubbly, then gradually rain in the granulated sugar. Continue to whip for a few minutes until the meringue resembles thick shaving cream. Stiff peaks should hold, it should appear glossy, shiny and smooth and not dry or dull. If you tip the bowl on its side the meringue should not begin to pour out at all.
Now the macaronage. Add your almond mix to the meringue and stir briefly, dispersing the dry ingredients evenly throughout the bowl. Then gently begin to incorporate them through the meringue by folding, lifting the bottom to the top, turning the bowl 45degrees after each fold and scraping the sides of the bowl. Do not overmix. When you achieve a shiny, glossy batter, slowly flowing (like magma is a fantasitc description) and with thick ribbons, stop mixing. If you overmix, the batter will look overly wet and flow quite quickly.
Using flat trays lined with baking paper, pipe out 1 inch blobs leaving room to spread. You can smack the bottom of the trays to encourage the macaron to spread, remove air bubbles, and create a seal around the base which will encourage the 'foot' to appear. Now let the macarons develop a skin for approx half an hour. If it's wet outside, you may be waiting for some time, and if it's really humid you probably shouldn't attempt to make them. Macarons like it crisp and dry.
Preheat the oven to 150 degrees and bake for ten mins. Cooking times are a bit challenging, as all ovens are different and macarons are extremely delicate. 150 for ten mins works for me, I rotate them at five mins to encourage even cooking. The macaron should be crisp and firm (to a gentle touch) and when peeled off the underside should feel soft and slightly undercooked. This will mean a soft, pillowy centre.
Allow the macarons to cool before gently and carefully removing them from the baking paper. You can use a peeling motion if they are sticky. Usually when the batter is right, you won't have any hassle removing them. Sandwich with filling and allow to rest for a day, if you have the self control!!! It is worth the wait though!
For the Filling:
Simply cream the butter and sugar and gradully add all the other ingredients, adding the cream last if using. The oil will help make your frosting light and silky.
