Trouble Shooting Tip No. 1

Coz us women want to look drop dead gorgeous we go to extreme lengths to hold on to our youth...  pressures abound whether we like it or not and you only have to open a magazine to find advertisements for anti-wrinkle cream, botox, plastic surgery and the like.
Anyway, the great news is that with macaron the first trouble shooting tip is to AGE your egg-whites. Yes, ladies we definitely don't have to worry about botox, plastic surgery or moisture creams here... we want those egg whites to lose some elasticity and dehydrate.  If we did this to ourselves however, we'd end up looking like prunes and this is definitely not a good look. 

Tip No. 1 - To age your egg whites place in a bowl, loosely covered with cling wrap the night before and leave on the kitchen bench.  Alternatively, you can place them in a bowl and leave in the fridge for up to 5-6 days but make sure you bring them back to room temperature again prior to use.

The reason we age the egg whites is to remove moisture to produce a more stable macaron with a smooth shell.  Aged egg whites are more tolerant and more difficult to over beat which means goodness especially when you're starting out and still learning.  If you happen to over beat your egg whites they become grainy and the water molecules disassociate from the albumen -  if this happens throw your egg whites out and start again.

French Macaron - Trouble Shooting

Come back soon for trouble shooting tips... in the meantime, feel free to leave a message.

I had some pretty spectacular failures before I got it right and some ended up looking like little volcanoes!

Note: I've since posted Trouble Shooting Tips 1 , Numero Deux & Trois so make sure to visit these before you leave:)

Violet & Lindt White Chocolate Ganache

Violet & Lindt White Chocolate Ganache

175 ml thickened cream

20-25 ml Monin Violet Syrup

250g Lindt White Chocolate

MAKE THE GANACHE 

1.  Gently heat the cream in a medium saucepan until it almost reaches boiling point then remove from the stove.

2. Add the syrup and chocolate to the cream and stand for 5 minutes.  Whisk until smooth. 

3. Transfer the ganache to a bowl and refrigerate for about 90 minutes until firm but not set. 

4. Use an electric mixer to beat the ganache on high speed but be careful not to over beat.

5. Spoon the ganache into a piping bag and begin filling your macaron.

Notes: Tint the basic macaron recipe purple and sprinkle crystallised violets on top of the shells straight after piping them.  Smell the gorgeous floral aroma whilst your macaron are cooking - bon appetit.

Secrets of Macarons

For an extremely good review of the subject book visit http://trissalicious.com

I pre-ordered my copy from Amazon back in September 2010 but gave up of ever getting it as they kept rescheduling delivery. In the end delivery date was March 2011... ummmm, I don't think so. I subsequently got my copy online from Wheel & Barrow. If you're into making macaron or just want to try your hand at making these little ladies this book is definitely worth the investment - you won't be disappointed.

Mad Macaron Day

Today, was one mad macaron making day... macaron batter and ganache up to my elbows but hey, the result is worth it. Flavours include salted caramel; fairy floss (again as the last ones were so yummy); kirsch; blood orange & cardamom; and mmmmmmmint.

THE DAY BEFORE MAKE THE GANACHE: 1:1 ratio of 53% couverture chocolate and cream. If you want to be creative you can also add some fruit puree, tea or essence. Store it in the fridge then bring back to room temperature before you begin piping.

BASIC MACARON:
INGREDIENTS FOR THE TANT POUR TANT (TPT)
300g sifted TPT (150g almond meal with 150g icing sugar)
55g egg whites
 (fresh)

INGREDIENTS FOR THE ITALIAN MERINGUE (IM)
150g caster sugar

37g water
55g egg whites (old egg whites aged 12-24 hours in a bowl on the kitchen bench)
Wilton gel paste or powdered food colouring

STEP 1. MAKE THE TPT
Mix the Tant Pour Tant (equal quantities of icing sugar and almond meal) with the fresh egg white until it forms a thick paste, cover with cling wrap and set aside.

STEP 2. MAKE THE IM
Pour your aged egg whites into a Kitchen Aid mixer and insert the whisk attachment.
Bring the caster sugar, water and food colouring to the boil in a small saucepan. When the sugar syrup reaches 115°C start whisking your aged egg whites into soft peaks. As soon as the syrup reaches 118°C slowly pour the syrup into the beaten egg whites in a thin stream. Continue whisking the IM in the Kitchen Aid until it reaches a temperature between 50-55°C.

STEP 3. COMBINE THE TPT & IM
With a spatula, fold one-third of the IM into the TPT and egg white paste and knock out some of the air in the batter. At this stage of the process you can be quite rough when handling.
Gently fold in the rest of the IM into the TPT and combine until you have the right texture (should be glossy and look like cake mixture). Be careful not to over-mix the batter here or it will get too runny and your shells may crack in the oven.

STEP 4. PIPE YOUR MACARON SHELLS
Fill a piping bag with the macaron batter and place some parchment paper over a baking sheet. Put four small dabs of macaron mix underneath the parchment paper in each corner to secure the paper. Pipe 3.5 - 4cm diameter circles onto the parchment paper, tap the tray on the work surface to remove air bubbles and leave to dry for about 15-20 minutes to form a crust and are dry to touch.

STEP 5. COOK YOUR MACARON SHELLS
Cook the macaron for 17 mins at 150°C (fan forced oven). To release steam, leave the oven door open slightly. If this doesn't work for you, keep experimenting until you find the right temperature as every oven is different. Once cooked, remove from the baking sheet and leave to cool on the parchment paper over a wire rack.

STEP 6. ASSEMBLE YOUR MACARON
Remove the shells from the parchment paper and pair like sizes together. Pipe a decent blob of ganache onto the shell, then place the lid on top and twist slightly so that the ganache flows out towards the edge of the macaron. When piping the ganache onto the shell always leave a small rim.

STEP 7. STORE YOUR MACARON
Store your macaron in the fridge for 24 hours prior to eating so that the humidity helps the ganache to soak into the shell and allow the flavours to develop. Try not to eat your macaron the day they are made as they are too dry. Allow the macaron to return to room temperature prior to serving.

Macaron Music Box

Have fun reading my blog whilst listening to the macaron music box near the header... ummm, I mean youtube video - just hit play.

Macaron Music Box

Fairy Floss Macaron

I remember when I was young and my mum would take me to the show and how excited I'd get when she bought me a big stick of fairy floss. Light pink, glistening in the sun almost as if a magical spider had cast a spell and produced this web which was so magnificent in every way. Sugar melting and crystallising and getting stuck in my hair - little sticky pudgy fingers putting fingerprints everywhere. Fast forward to today and fairy floss comes in every colour of the rainbow and now my gorgeous girls enjoy it just as much as I did. 

Now that I'm an adult my passion for all things sweet is much more sophisticated so imagine how ecstatic I was when I made fairy floss macaron... delightful on its own but absolute heaven with a bottle of Moet.

Gold glitter adds some bling!

Understated Elegance

Macaron are like distinguished French ladies dressed in shots of shantung silk, taffeta, tuille, ribbons and lace.  Their skirts come in every colour imaginable and sit perfectly with little frills on the bottom.  But for most women, world-wide, it's all about the heel and with macaron it's the "pied" or foot.  Shoes come in a vast array of styles: ballet flats, kitten heels, French heels, Mary Janes, pumps, peep toes, sling-backs, stilletos and wedges. And, the feet in macaron can also come in a vast array of sizes and shapes.

When making macaron, some like the effect of stilettos (really high feet) - they stand out and have the "wow" factor but sadly often contain nothing more than air pockets inside the shell.  Others, however, prefer simple understated elegance and opt for dare I say it French heels, which are also perfect for macaron as they are a medium height "pied". This type of foot for macaron, should not contain any air pockets and the batter should rise nicely throughout the inside of the shell.  The outer "croûte" or crust of macaron  should be as fine as eggshell. Like French women they look rather polished on the outside but when you delve into that crisp exterior it gives way to a soft, mellow centre.

At the end of the day, how you want your macaron to look is a personal choice and part of the fun is experimenting and trying new things (styles).  If you get sick of your stilettos why not try French heels for the day but definitely stay away from those ballet flats as they're not an attractive look for a macaron.

Adriano Zumbo Candy Cane Macarons

Australian Gourmet Traveller

Not sure about anyone else but I've got some left over candy canes that I hid from my girls so that they wouldn't gobble them all up in one day... not much fun when they start bouncing off the walls. Anyway, this sounds just perfect to use them up.


Makes 15

Macaron Ingredients

150g almond meal

150g pure icing sugar, sieved

150g caster sugar

110g egg white (about 3 egg whites)

¼ tsp red food colouring, or to taste

Candy Cane Ganache

125g white chocolate, finely chopped

20g coarsely crushed candy canes (about 2 small)

75ml pouring cream

½ tsp peppermint essence

45 g butter, coarsely chopped

STEP 1 MAKE THE TPT & ITALIAN MERINGUE

Preheat oven to 140C. Sieve almond meal and icing sugar into a large bowl, set aside. Combine caster sugar and 40ml water in a saucepan, stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves, then bring to the boil and cook until mixture reaches 121C on a sugar thermometer (4-5 minutes). Meanwhile, whisk half the eggwhite in an electric mixer on medium speed, then, whisking continuously, gradually add syrup in two places to avoid syrup pooling in bottom of mixing bowl. Whisk until lukewarm (3-4 minutes), then add to almond meal mixture. Add remaining eggwhite and fold to combine.

STEP 2 COLOUR, PIPE & BAKE THE MACARON SHELLS

Divide mixture between two bowls and add red food colouring to one bowl, folding to combine and colouring to your liking. Slap excess air out of white mixture with a spatula. Lay a piping bag fitted with a 1cm plain nozzle on its side, fill one side with white mixture and the other side with red mixture. Pipe half the mixture into 8cm-long right-facing candy cane shapes on baking trays lined with baking paper. Pipe remaining mixture into 8cm-long left-facing candy cane shapes, firmly tap trays on work bench to expel excess air, then stand until a skin forms and mixture doesn’t stick to your finger when touched (45 minutes-1 hour). Bake in batches until firm and tops are set (10-12 minutes), then cool on trays.

STEP 3 MAKE THE CANDY CANE GANACHE

Meanwhile, for candy cane ganache, place chocolate in a heatproof bowl, set aside. Cook candy canes without stirring in a small frying pan over medium-high heat until caramelised (4-5 minutes). Meanwhile, warm cream in a small saucepan over medium heat, add to candy canes, shake pan until combined (10-15 seconds). Add to chocolate with peppermint essence, stir to combine, then stir in butter. Stand until ganache reaches spreadable consistency (1-1¼ hours), spoon into a piping bag fitted with a 9mm plain nozzle and pipe on flat sides of right-facing candy cane macarons. Sandwich with left-facing candy cane macarons and stand until set (10-15 minutes). Candy cane macarons will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 days but are best eaten on day of making.

(source: Australian Gourmet Traveller magazine December 2009 issue)

RECIPE ADRIANO ZUMBO PHOTOGRAPHY WILLIAM MEPPEM STYLING EMMA KNOWLES

Salted Caramel Macarons

Here are some of my salted caramel macarons - always a hit in our household!

Salted Caramel 

125g Fresh Cream
175g Caster Sugar
5g Maldon Sea Salt (crushed into smaller flakes)
175g Unsalted Butter (chopped into small cubes)

Melt the sugar over low heat until it caramelises. Heat the cream in a separate saucepan until it reaches boiling point then slowly pour it into the melted sugar. Blend with a whisk and allow the caramel to cool. When it reaches 45 degrees celsius add the butter and whisk until well combined. Pour into a shallow stainless steel tray, place cling wrap on the top, to prevent a skin from forming, then cool in the fridge. When set, remove from the fridge, bring back to room temperature, sprinkle the salt on top and hand whisk again until the colour changes and it becomes glossy. To make the macarons follow my basic recipe.

If you're lucky enough to get your hands onto some Fleur de Sel substitute in lieu of Maldon sea salt. Fleur de Sel is considered to be the best salt in the world and is often used in desserts throughout France. Although, not cheap it is definitely worth the expense as it has a delicate flavour and isn't as strong as the Maldon sea salt.

Basic Macaron Recipe

THE DAY BEFORE MAKE THE GANACHE:
 1:1 ratio of couverture 53% bittersweet chocolate and cream.  If using white chocolate, use a 2:1 ratio of chocolate to cream; for example, 200g white chocolate and 100g pouring cream (minimum 35% fat).  If you want to be creative you can also add some fruit puree, tea or essence. Store it in the fridge then bring back to room temperature before you begin piping. 

MACARON:

INGREDIENTS FOR THE TANT POUR TANT (TPT)

300g sifted TPT (150g almond meal with 150g icing sugar)

55g egg whites
 (fresh)

INGREDIENTS FOR THE ITALIAN MERINGUE (IM)

150g caster sugar


37g water

55g egg whites (old egg whites aged 12-24 hours in a bowl on the kitchen bench)

Wilton gel paste food colouring

STEP 1. MAKE THE TPT

Mix the Tant Pour Tant (equal quantities of icing sugar and almond meal) with the fresh egg white until it forms a thick paste, cover with cling wrap and set aside.

STEP 2. MAKE THE IM

Pour your aged egg whites into a Kitchen Aid mixer and insert the whisk attachment.  Note - If you couldn't be bothered with aged egg whites, replace with fresh egg whites and 1 gram of egg white powder.

Bring the caster sugar, water and food colouring to the boil in a small saucepan.  When the sugar syrup reaches 115°C start whisking your aged egg whites into soft peaks.  As soon as the syrup reaches 118°C slowly pour the syrup into the beaten egg whites in a thin stream. Continue whisking the IM in the Kitchen Aid until it reaches a temperature between 50-55°C. 

STEP 3. COMBINE THE TPT & IM

With a spatula, fold one-third of the IM into the TPT and egg white paste and knock out some of the air in the batter. At this stage of the process you can be quite rough when handling.

Gently fold in the rest of the IM into the TPT and combine until you have the right texture (should be glossy and look like cake mixture).  Be careful not to over-mix the batter here or it will get too runny and your shells may crack in the oven.

STEP 4. PIPE YOUR MACARON SHELLS

Fill a piping bag with the macaron batter and place some parchment paper over a baking sheet.  Put four small dabs of macaron mix underneath the parchment paper in each corner to secure the paper.  Pipe 3.5 - 4cm diameter circles onto the parchment paper, tap the tray on the work surface to remove air bubbles and leave to dry for about 15-20 minutes to form a crust and are dry to touch.

STEP 5. COOK YOUR MACARON SHELLS

Cook the macaron for 17 mins at 150°C (fan forced oven).  To release steam, leave the oven door open slightly.  If this doesn't work for you, keep experimenting until you find the right temperature as every oven is different.  Once cooked, remove from the baking sheet and leave to cool on the parchment paper over a wire rack.

STEP 6. ASSEMBLE YOUR MACARON

Remove the shells from the parchment paper and pair like sizes together. Pipe a decent blob of ganache onto the shell, then place the lid on top and twist slightly so that the ganache flows out towards the edge of the macaron. When piping the ganache onto the shell always leave a small rim.

STEP 7. STORE YOUR MACARON

Store your macaron in the fridge for 24 hours prior to eating so that the humidity helps the ganache to soak into the shell and allow the flavours to develop.  Try not to eat your macaron the day they are made as they are too dry.  Allow the macaron to return to room temperature prior to serving.

Make sure you visit some of my posts in January to March 2011 as I've got step-by-step instructions in photo's.

Rose Violet Macaron with Two Types of Ganache - Lavender & White Chocolate/ Raspberry & Dark Chocolate

We're off to a dinner party tonight and I had another attempt at making macaron.  Still difficult and not perfect but much improved.

Just hope the Italian meringue was the right consistency.

Yeah - tiny little feet!

Just need a bit more practice piping - the ganache doesn't have quite enough filling and some of the macaron spread a little and ended up different sizes but most were ok.

I made two different types of ganache, white chocolate infused with lavender and the other with raspberry and dark chocolate.