“Macaroon is a sweet cake or cookie made from egg whites, almond flour and a mixture of sugar and powdered sugar. The word "macaron" itself comes from the word "ammaccare" which means to smash, implying almond flour ["broken" almonds]. These cookies are characterized by a smooth, rounded top, a ruffled bottom (also called a “knot”), a flat bottom, and a slightly moist, melt-in-the-mouth texture. The right macaron will have a very tiny egg shell-like outer surface and a moist and airy center. Often macarons are glued together with buttercream or some kind of jam. Since the English word "macarOOn" can also be used to describe coconut cookies, many have adopted the French spelling of the word (macarOn) to distinguish one from the other. “ – Wikipedia My free translation
Macarons are one of those delicacies that can only be obtained if all the stars are aligned in... absolutely all conditions are met and fulfilled correctly.
This is not one of those baked goods that you can throw together in 15 minutes and serve an hour later. I think that if beginners in baking manage to cook them, it will be because they 1. read the cooking instructions very carefully and followed them exactly, 2. all the stars aligned, they were very lucky. Because here not only the recipe and technology are important, but also what cannot be written/described, and this is experience. If you didn’t succeed the first time, then welcome to the club you are not alone. The main thing here is patience and perseverance
The last photo in this post, (3 years ago), is from the seventh serving (all on the same day, dears). I was determined to win that day and was not going to give up until I got it. Now that I already have 20 servings under my belt (haha), the last 5 of which have been completed, I decided that I was still worthy of sharing my proven recipe and technology. This recipe itself was taken from Dessert Magazine, where Tartelette posted its recipe and technology (below is my free translation with my comments). I made my last macarons with buttercream (mayer lemon flavor), but more about them (with new photos) in the next post.
For dough: 100 gr. - proteins kept at room temperature for 1 day. 50 g - granulated sugar A pinch of salt 100 g - almond flour (*1) 200 g - powdered sugar (*2)
- The day before making macarons, separate the whites from the yolks (from about 3 eggs) and leave the whites at room temperature . ***This helps excess moisture evaporate from the proteins. By following this step, the chance of making macarons increases by 100%. The whites can even be 2-3 days old, the main thing is to return the whites to the refrigerator after 24 hours, covering them with film. In this case, immediately before cooking, the proteins must be returned to room temperature. This helps them whip up to maximum volume. Tartelette suggests that you can achieve the same result by heating the whites in the microwave at intervals of 10 seconds (20 seconds in total). I tried it 2 times and 2 times they just cooked. ***
- Before starting to prepare the macarons, turn the oven on to 300F.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper ***important! Otherwise you won’t be able to peel off the macarons from the surface***
- Prepare a pastry bag with a 1.5 cm round tip. ***The smaller the hole on the tip, the more air will come out when we squeeze out the dough, that is, if we started with a thick dough, when we squeeze out it will be liquid (spread). Because the larger the opening, the better***
- Combine the powdered sugar and almond flour in a blender (about 30 seconds). ***At this stage you can add loose paint if you want macarons of a certain color. *** ***This stage is important to remove all the lumps from almond flour and powder. You can also simply sift through it, but I liked the result with a blender more, since it is more likely than satiety and, secondly, the powder and almonds are mixed more thoroughly***
- Measure 100 g with scales. whites (from about 3 eggs), sprinkle with a pinch of salt and beat with a mixer until soft peaks form. ***it is important to measure, since eggs are different and if they are too large, the dough will be runny, if they are too small, it will be thick. By measuring, we ensure success, every time***
- Continuing to beat, add 1 tablespoon of sugar.
- Beat until pearly color and stable peaks.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the whites and stir with a circular, quick movement of a spoon or spatula until the ingredients are almost completely mixed (about 12-15 circular movements), then continue to wrap the mass with slow movements until all the dry ingredients are completely mixed into the “dough”. ***It is important here to knead exactly a certain number of times, so that the dough is not very thick (when you squeeze the dough out of the bag, in this case the “tip” sticks out without falling), but also not very liquid (it spills a lot, in very flat cake). That is, as soon as all the dry ingredients are mixed and the dough is still thick, after that, you will literally need to wrap the dough a couple of times to make it more liquid.***
- Fill a pastry bag with dough and squeeze circles 2-3 cm in diameter onto parchment paper (press, lift/tear method)
- At this stage, if you want to sprinkle the macarons with something, then this should be done now, while they are still “wet” and the sprinkles will stick.
- Leave the macarons on the table for 30 -60 minutes so that they form a crust ***if you skip this step, nothing will change at all***
- Place the baking sheet in the oven, insert a wooden spoon into the gap between the door and the oven.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let the macarons cool.
- Remove from parchment paper
1. You can make the flour yourself (by blanching the almonds, removing the skin and grinding in a blender) or buy ready-made flour. In general, there are 2 types of almond flour - prepared with blanched almonds and “raw”. I worked with both types, it does not affect the final result. In the second case, the macarons will not just be light, but speckled brown as in the picture.
2. When choosing powdered sugar, take powder from a good and well-known company, since usually in cheap types the ratio of powdered sugar to starch (so that the powdered sugar does not stick together, + starch is cheaper) is very high, and starch will not give a good result. Instead of them looking like macarons, they will look like regular egg white cookies without the kick.
Chocolate ganache 1/2 tbsp. cream 25 gr. oil 1 tbsp. l. corn syrup or glucose 1/2 tbsp. dark chocolate Pour the cream, butter and corn syrup into a small saucepan. Let it boil. Cut the chocolate into small pieces. Pour chocolate into hot cream. Let stand for 1 minute. Mix until a smooth, homogeneous mass is formed. Let cool (you can put it in the freezer/refrigerator and stir every 5-10 minutes until it hardens).
Assembly - Place the ganache in a pastry bag and squeeze out 1 tsp. for each half 1/2 of the total number of cookies. Make a half with ganache and an equally sized half without ganache. Let sit in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.*** This will make the center of the cookies more moist. As it should be***
https://crazyappetite.livejournal.com/24320.html
5. Macarons au citron (lemon macarons)
Continuing the theme of macarons, here is the second recipe for the most common French macarons for those who like a sweet and sour version - Lemon Macarons.
You will need for 36 macarons:
5 egg whites 210 g caster sugar 125 g almond powder (peel the nuts and grind in a blender or coffee grinder) 30 g granulated sugar 1/2 coffee spoon salt 1 tbsp lemon juice 20 drops yellow food coloring 1 tbsp .spoon of lemon liqueur (optional)
For the ganache:
2 egg yolks 40 g of starch (I used corn starch, but the recipe doesn’t exactly indicate which one) 25 g of butter 2 lemons 40 g of granulated sugar Prepare the macaroons.
Mix together the sugar and almond powder. Sift. Beat the whites into a strong foam with salt and lemon juice, gradually, spoon by spoon, adding granulated sugar to get a smooth, shiny mass. Add liqueur and 20 drops of yellow dye to the whites. Mix with a spatula. Gently add powdered sugar and almonds. Mix thoroughly again. Transfer to a piping bag or syringe with a round nozzle. Press out equal circles with a diameter of 4-5 cm onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. Without covering anything, leave the macarons to dry for at least 1 hour ( by the way, chefs from Ladure even advise leaving it like this for the whole night, then the surface will probably dry thoroughly and will not crack during baking, and a beautiful swirl-skirt will form around it
).
Bake for about 10 minutes at 150 degrees Celsius. Do not open the oven door during baking! Lightly spray with water from a spray bottle and separate the finished macarons from the parchment. Let's prepare the ganache. Dilute the starch in 200 ml of water, add the oil and, stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat, cool slightly. Add lemon zest, sugar and egg yolks grated on a fine grater or in a blender. Mix everything thoroughly with a mixer or whisk until creamy and thick. Place lemon ganache or, as it is called in English-speaking countries, lemon curd, on one half of the macaroon and fasten the other. Before eating, place the macaranas on the lowest shelf of the refrigerator for 1 hour, ideally for 12 hours ( the Ladure House advises generally leaving them in the refrigerator for 24 hours
).
Bon appetit
!
https://www.klnr.ru/index.php?topic=1476.0
Picky cookies
The dessert “macaroon” or “macaron” did not get its name by chance. Because the French word “macaron” (meaning “to break”) is perfect to describe the method of preparing the main ingredient of the cookies - almonds, beaten into flour.
A “correct” macaron should have a tasty filling. And the cookies themselves emphasize with their simplicity the subtlety of the aroma and shades of taste of the filler.
Making homemade macarons is quite difficult, because the recipe has so many nuances that many, even using proven algorithms, often get unsatisfactory results and never dare to bake dessert again. Moreover, not only beginners, but also real confectioners who are inattentive to the accuracy of the cooking process fail.
So if you've been looking for a really good, spot-on macaron recipe, it's here! The main thing is to strictly follow the algorithm described below, otherwise the result of all your efforts will not please you.
You will have to work quickly - we postpone watching a TV series or talking with a friend until later, devote all your attention to cooking.
Legends and facts about colored cookies
The popularity of French miracle cookies came very quickly. Connoisseurs of delicious desserts immediately tasted what maracoons were and appreciated them. Many regions of the Mediterranean dispute the right to be considered the birthplace of these cakes. But it is France that is called the place where the delicious almond delicacy took root.
One of the legends says that macarons were developed by the Carmelite sisters living in the monastery of the Nancy district. Their patron Teresa of Avila ordered to somehow diversify the meager diet in the monastery. Almonds were just supposed to cope with this task and replace meat for the girls. Soon the nuns began baking macaroons not only for themselves, but also for sale. The popularity of the delicacy has increased at lightning speed.
According to another version, it is believed that macarons were brought to France by Italian cooks. They were brought there by Catherine de Medici when she married Henry II.
Macarons step by step recipe with photos
For cookies we will need: - 300 g of sifted almond flour; - 300 g of sifted powdered sugar; - 200 g of chicken egg white; - 300 g sugar; - 100 g of water.
For the filling we will need: - 200 g. Nutella; - 100 g butter; - 100 g heavy cream (33%); - a bunch of salt.
We used exactly this filling; we will also describe other options below.
And you will also need: - kitchen scales;
- stewpan; - deep bowls; - mixer; - parchment for baking; - pencil; - stack; - pastry bag or syringe with nozzle.
Packaging of macarons
Today there are special molds for baking macarons on sale. And their packaging deserves special attention. In Parisian pastry shops they are sold in pastel branded boxes that evoke unspeakable pleasure. They are decorated with numerous ribbons, bows, and consist of textured paper and rustling napkins. The way the macaroons are packaged greatly determines their success. Today, many chefs build their business on making macarons. It brings them a good income, and gives customers a lot of crunchy, tender and tasty pleasure.
Algorithm of actions:
1) as mentioned above, it is important to strictly follow every nuance described in the recipe if you want French macarons to turn out in your kitchen. So measure the EXACT amount of ingredients, not by eye, not with glasses or even spoons, but with the help of a kitchen scale. And one more thing - all utensils used in the cooking process must be perfectly dry!
2) put a deep bowl on the scale for kneading the dough, reset the indicators to zero and sift almond flour through a sieve, exactly 300 g;
It is important to know! You can prepare the flour yourself: buy almonds, soak them, dry them thoroughly and grind them without the skin in a coffee grinder. But it's easier to just buy
