Beautiful, colorful, inviting. We see them displayed in the bakeries as if they were jewels and also the boxes where they are packaged look like small chests. Ancient sources trace the cake back to 16th-century Venice, brought to France by Catherine de Medici in 1533 when she married the Duke of Orleans Henry of France. The macaron we know today was created by pastry chef Pierre Desfontaines of the pastry French Laduree (look at the pastry in Paris) and consists of two discs joined by chocolate, a cream ganache or jam.
Ingredients for about 60 macarons sandwiches
Keep in mind that you should make them at least 24 hours before serving, and that the macarons are best 24-72 hours after making )enhanced flavour, texture)
A thermometer for foods of the type shown in the figure is necessary. The use of the Mixer or a Hand-held mixer is recommended. with the hand -held mixer it is necessary the help of a second person.
For cookies
- 250g ground almond powder
- 250g Powdered (icing) sugar
- 95 grams of egg white (unbeaten)
- a sufficient quantity of food colorant or 25 grams of unsweetened powdered cocoa . Note: If using liquid food colourant, use a little bit less of the egg whites to make sure that the mixture does not become too liquid.
For meringa
- 250g caster sugar
- 85g water
- 95 grams of egg white. (it´s best to crack the eggs the night before, leave the whites covered at room temperature overnight until ready to use)
Ganache, filling for 60 macaron sandwiches
For the filling I propose two different kind of ganache, white and dark chocolate. The recipe call for “couverture chocolate” in two varieties White and Chocolate. To be couverture chocolate, it that must contain at least 31% of cocoa butter.
For the Vanilla Ganache
- 350 grams of white chocolate
- 270 grams whole liquid cream
- 40 grams butter, chopped
- 2 vanilla Beans
For the Dark Chocolate Ganache
- 225 grams dark chocolate, chopped in pieces or purchased in small flat pastilles
- 100 grams of whole liquid cream
- 200 grams of full milk
- 20 grams of unsweetened cocoa powder
- 100 grams butter, chopped
Preparation
- Put the water in a small pot, then add 250 grams of sugar. This is important so you do not end up with caramel on the bottom; you also will not to stir
- Cook the sugar/water mixture over a high heat, and remove from the heat source when the mixture reaches 117 degrees C, to be detected with the thermometer.
- When the sugar water mixture reaches 108 degrees you can start beating the egg whites (in the mixer with the whip hook) , at a medium low speed. It is important not to turn off the Mixer, until the process is over. When the sugar water mixture is closer to being ready, 117 degrees, increase the speed. The goal is to bea the egg whites only until the “soft peak” stage but not before the syrup has reached 117 degrees.
- When the syrup is ready, take off heat , let it rest for a few seconds as you finish beating the egg white, then slowly pour the sugar mixture (in a stream) into the egg white while the mixer is still beating at medium speed.. The sugar mixture should NOT touch the metal beaters as you pour it in, just the egg whites. If you are using a hand-held mixer, you will need someone to help you pour.
- Continue beating the meringue mixture at a medium speed until the temperature it has cooled down to 40 degrees.
- While the meringue is cooling, combine the almond flour, icing sugar, egg whites at room temperature in a bowl with a spatula. When the meringue is cool enough, fold in a small amount into the mixture of almond flour, then incorporate the rest of meringue, folding with the aid of a spatula (NOT with electric beaters or else it might end up too thin and liquid).
- Using a pastry bag with an 11 mm tip, pipe the meringue mixture into small circles onto the cookie sheet lined with cooking paper.
- Cooking stores sell macaron silicone sheets with circles as guide. Otherwise you can draw uniform-size circles on the paper in advance as a guide (with pencil). To fill the circles you have to hold the bag vertically and start in the center, careful not to move, and pressing at the top of the bag to push the filling out. Release the pressure from your hand and pull tip to stop before mixture has filled the circle completely (it could spread out slightly). you want the height of each cookie mass to be a thick as your finger tip.
- When finished, bang the sheet a couple of times on the counter, and then let it sit for 10 minutes before putting in the oven. A super suggestion is to warm up a little the sheet before making the macarons; the heat helps the dough to unfold and you will get macarons with a super smooth surface, without the dot that sometimes remains.
- Bake in a fan oven that is already hot at 150 degrees. Keep the oven door just a crack to let the humidity out (this will prevent your cookies from cracking on top). Cook for 12 minutes.
- Allow the macarons to cool over a racks; when they are cold, they easily come off the oven paper.
- And now we fill the macarons.
- Vanilla Ganache: Put the cream in a pan with the vanilla seeds (cut the vanilla beans in half and scape the seeds) and the white chocolate in a mixing bowl. Bring the cream to a boil, reduce the heat and leave the pods in for about 5 minutes to infuse the flavo, then pour the hot cream over the white chocolate and mix with a whisk. Incorporate he butter. Transfer the mixture on a tray (must be a thin layer) and put it in the refrigerator. Just before you are about to fill the macarons, take it out of the fridge and whisk it so it´s a thicker creamier mass.(this ganache goes well with chocolate macarons)
- Chocolate Ganache: In a pot, put the cream and milk to a boil and add the cocoa in simmer, stirring with a whisk constantly to make sure that all bits of cocoa have been dissolved. When there are no more lumps, pour the hot mixture over the chocolate pieces. Mix very gently with a whisk ( NOT vigorously) until the chocolate is well melted and incorporate into the cream mixture.. Add the butter and continue stirring gently. On a sheet lined with cooking paper, spread the chocolate into a large rectangle of the same thickness, cover with plastic film that must be placed directly in contact with the chocolate, and let it sit for two hours at room temperature. So fill the macarons.
Notes
Macarons can be filled simply with Nutella-type chocolate cream or fruit jellies.
