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