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Welcome to day two of MACARON MANIA! Can I say I'm fiercely proud of the results? I am. Okay. Fine. My first batch of macarons came out looking like merde...
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| I added LIQUID food coloring to the first batch. |
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| BIG MISTAKE! HUGE! OH, SO WRONG! |
But you can learn from my mistakes. The second batch came out AWESOME! For this batch, I let the egg whites sit until they were at room temperature (around three hours), not overnight.
Because Martha Stewart said I could.
And you don't mess with Martha.
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Ingredients: 3/4 cup Powdered Almonds (Ground Almonds/Almond Flour)* 1 cup Powdered Sugar 2 Egg Whites (room temperature/or left out in a covered container overnight) 1/4 cup Finely-Granulated Sugar 1 pinch of cream of tartar (alt: squeeze of lemon juice ) FOOD COLORING: Use powdered or gel, not liquid!!! *If you can't find powdered almonds, you can make your own...if you have a food processor. Check out this YouTube video for the HOW to: Almond Powder. (Pulse for better results. You don't want an oily paste!) |
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| STEPS ONE AND TWO: Pulse the powdered sugar and almond powder in a food processor using the mix attachment (not a blade). Once mixed, sift the mixture into a bowl (2x). If it's going slow, use a spoon or a small rubber spatula to move things along. |
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| STEPS THREE, FOUR, FIVE, AND SIX: Beat your egg whites until they are creamy/foamy. Just Beat It, Beat It, Beat It, Beat It No One Wants To Be Defeated... Add the granulated sugar, gradually. Add the squeeze of lemon and beat for another eight to ten minutes until the mixture is thick and shiny and beautiful. Then, sift your powdered mixture into the egg mixture, folding it in until smooth and creamy. If you have GEL or POWDERED food coloring, now is the time to add it. Today, my macarons are going au naturel. Note: different strokes for different folks-- 50-65 folds should do the trick. The consistency should be like magma, they say. |
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| STEPS SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE, TEN, ELEVEN, AND TWELVE: Fill a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch tip with your macaron mixture. Pipe 3/4 inch circles, leaving an inch in between each. (It took quite a few attempts to get this technique right, which is why some of my macarons are bigger than others...) Here, I've used a silicon baking mat placed onto a baking tray, but parchment paper is an option, too. IMPORTANT: Before placing your shells in the oven, let the shells sit for fifteen minutes to a half an hour. This an important macaron making rule. Place your tray in your pre-heated oven (325), one batch at a time, and bake for about 10 minutes. Let cool for about two-three minutes, then move them macaron shells to a wire rack. Once the shells have cooled down, it's time to fill them. I made my fillings yesterday (a violet liqueur buttercream and a vanilla bean buttercream) and you can find les recettes here. One teaspoon of filling sandwiched in between two macaron shells does the trick. |
Looky, looky! Have a cookie!
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Miam. Miam. (Yum. Yum.) |
I also want to experiment with the shell's flavors. Apparently, you can add three tablespoons of dark cocoa powder to this recipe. Not only will the shells be chocolate flavored, they will also be dark brown (no food coloring necessary). I'm also on the hunt for mango powder...
So many macarons, so little time!
Seriously, this recipe is a keeper. Try it. Remember, macaron day is March 20th. You have plenty of time to experiment! Okay, I'm off to deliver some macarons to my neighbors...
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BOOK NEWS:
I'm heading back to Los Angeles in April, where I'll be having my very first ever author event! (I'll also see Seven Letters from Paris on the shelves for the very first time! Wow! Can't wait!) Anyway, if you're in southern California and can make it to the Barnes & Noble on Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, I'd love to see you! I'll be talking about Seven Letters, reading a passage, signing books, and answering questions. Plus, I'll be bringing macarons and giving away little pieces of Paris – a surprise!
Time: 7:00 pm
Date: April 15th, 2015
Place: Barnes & Noble on Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica
Tell your friends!
xox and bisous from Toulouse
Samantha
