What better way to start my "food blog" aka "sugar sorcery" journey than with French Macarons. Pronounced as mah-ka-ROHN. Mmmmm, just the sound of macaron, makes my sugary insides tingle. If you share the burden of being a temperamental perfectionist with me, this is the "perfect" confection for you. A lot is taken into consideration in this mind-boggling dessert. The macaron is just as temperamental. Trust me, I had my fair share of tear-my-hair-out-frustrations in achieving that perfect macaron. I will go ahead and give you the gist of how this heaven-in-a-bite came about.
A humble macaron is a cookie, made of fine almond meal, sugar and egg whites. Often mistaken as the equally coveted, coconut macaroon, who is equally delicious but is in a totally different sugary spectrum. In 1533, our girl Catherine de' Medici of Italy and her army of pastry chefs introduced this confection to France upon marrying Henry II. The name is derived from the Italian word maccherone, possibly from maccare, to bruise, batter, crush. The modern macaron has evolved into different forms and shapes. Pierre Herme, Laduree, Bouchon, Aoki, a few names that is on top of the macaroning game. The flavors today ranges from chocolate, sea foam to frois gras. Macaroners upping their game everyday. Its usual exotic fillings are based on ganache, jams, cremeux, and buttercream. It is traditionally round, flat on top, with its signature "feet" as its unique crowning glory. Aesthetically, how the perfect macaron should look like is subjective. But all the same delicious.
So without further ado, let the macaroning begin!
The Rosey French Macaron Recipe:
100 grams aged egg whites (seperated a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator)
30 grams sugar
5 grams egg white powder
125 grams finely ground almonds
225 grams powdered sugar
Baked at 140 degrees Celsius for 18-20 minutes
Go on below and watch you beautiful, macaroner!
Tools and arsenal: piping bag, piping tip # 8, baking sheet/parchment
The meringue: HARD peak
Almond + Sugar mixture: run through finger tips / sifted
Macaroning: folded until the batter has a "tail"
Tapping the pan: get rid of those air bubbles
Toothpick is you bestfriend: make sure you get rid of bubbles / lumps on top
Drying: humidity is your enemy, dry to the touch
Baking: low and steady
Shell + Filling fridge time
Click on this link for Macaron Troubleshooting >> Macaron Troubleshooting
Stay tuned for more sugar sorcery! Part II coming soon, troubleshooting, and why's and how to's!
Hungry and proud macaroner,
Rosey
YOUTUBE
No comments:
Post a Comment