Blog Archive

Thursday 11 October 2012

Macaroon, not easy .....

 Macaroons!
 So not easy to make. Am going to share a good recipe with you today. Macaroon looks so easy to make but its one thing i pray my customers never want to buy from me. May be its not that complicated but i just don't like making them because it takes too long. Well, back to he topic!


                                                 Different Flavors and Coloures.

 Macaroon is a type of light, baked confection, described as either small cakes or meringue-like cookies depending on their consistency. The original macaroon was a "small sweet cake consisting largely of ground almonds similar to Italian amaretti.


                                                     Coconut Macaroons.

The English word macaroon and French macaroon come from the Italian maccarone or maccherone. This word is itself derived from ammaccare, meaning crush the beat, used here in reference to the almond paste which is the principal ingredient. Macaroons should not be confused with the French macarone.
Most recipes call for egg white (usually whipped to stiff peaks), almond, coconut and nuts. Almost all call for sugar. Macaroons are sometimes baked on parchment or edible rice paper placed on a baking tray.


Ingredients
300g icing sugar
300g ground almonds

5 egg whites eggs
Pinch of cream of tartar
75g caster sugar
food colouring (Optional0


Method
Sift almond flour and confectioners’ sugar through a sieve and set aside. In a stand-mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment, whip egg whites on low for a few seconds until foamy, then gradually add granulated sugar. Continue to whip until whites become stiff peaked, about 5 to 8 minutes. 
Fold in sifted ingredients in 3 to 4 increments. Add a few drops of food coloring and/or flavoring at this point, if desired. Be quick but gentle, and be sure to scrape down flour that sticks to sides of bowl. Batter should not be too thin or too thick.

Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a piping bag fitted with a 1/2 inch plain tip, fill with batter. Pipe out 1 inch mounds about 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart on the sheet. To avoid a peak on the cookie surface, flick the pastry tip to the side when finishing, instead of straight up. Let batter rest on sheets for at least an hour to form a dry skin on its surface. Meanwhile, preheat oven to Gas mark 4
Bake macarons for 10 –12 minutes, rotating after 5 minutes. Finished cookies should be smooth and very lightly golden. A characteristic, crackly ringlet that circles the flat side of the cookie should form, called ‘feet. Let rest for 15 minutes before filling and sandwiching.


                                                       Lemon  with lemon curd filling.


Flavors and Fillings 
to your heart’s desire. Fill with jam, chocolate ganache, home made double thick fruity jam, custard cream, or caramel. My personal favorite: adding chopped nuts between the sandwiched custard cream layer for another level of texture. Amazing.

3 comments:

  1. OOoh How I know about the difficulties of Macarons. I had an order for 75 this weekend and (stupidly) decided to try a new recipe I had found. Needless to say there was quite a few wonky looking shells in the "restover" pile for the kids and a very stressed cake decorator. Temperamental little beings BUT still worth the effort. There is something about beating those little sweets and producing something beautiful to eat!!

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  3. Been away for a while but once i saw your comment i had to reply immediately. Making Macaroons can be a pain. Before i start to make anything. I pray to God and before i start to make Macaroons. I fast and pray for a day or two. All it takes is just a silly mistake, lol!
    Am not joking, you need to concentrate and follow the recipe right to the doted "i". Please don't give up, just try it when the kids are not in or when they go to sleep.

    Thanks for the comment and i visited your page too!
    Estherfairs

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