Macarons and I don't get along. We've had a love-hate relationship for years. No matter how hard I try, something always goes wrong. They might look perfect on the outside but they're hollow on the inside.
Or, if I stop folding the meringue a moment too soon, they mock me with their little top-notches. I can't tell you how many times I have thrown a batch into the trash, swearing I would never make them again. I try to forget them, ignore them, put them completely out of my mind, but then, they start to call my name. They entice me with those magical little feet and lure me with hints of whimsical flavors. So, in spite of my better judgement, I make another batch.
For all of you who struggle with this obsession, don't give up. In my old house, I baked macarons in electric convection ovens. I experimented with the convection on and off and was never happy with the results. The Mud House has a propane gas stove. Kiss of death? Complete disaster? Probably. I put it off as long as I could, but that siren song was calling me. I had visions of electric-pink-prickly-pear-white-chocolate-ganache sandwiched between two perfect, green, footed macarons. Once the prickly pear simple syrup was made, I was a goner. So here we go...
Mud House Prickly Pear Macarons
A few words about technique. I use the Italian sucre cuit method. I have tried the French method but the Italian just seems to work better for me. Humidity can be a problem for macarons. However, this is seldom an issue in the desert, so I do not find it necessary to age the egg whites or rest the shells before baking. In fact, when I first started making macarons, I experimented with resting the shells for 15-30 minutes. Every single attempt resulted in lopsided macarons. I do, however, find it helpful to dry the almond flour before combining it with the powdered sugar.
Preparation:
Note: Please excuse the quality of the photos and the Christmas cooking utensils. I didn't expect to blog about this, considering my history, so really wasn't focused on the details.
Cover a good quality, flat (not warped) double cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place a template under parchment, if using. I have a provided a template for you to download in "Notes", below. Place parchment on a second cookie sheet (any old one will do) to dry almond flour. Prepare pastry bag and tip, I used an Ateco 808. Pre-heat oven to lowest temperature then turn off.
This recipe makes a small quantity, about 30 shells or 15 completed cookies. It's a good size for experimenting.
Ingredients:
100 grams egg whites, divided into 50 gram portions, room temperature
134 grams almond flour
134 grams powdered sugar
134 grams granulated sugar
32 grams water
green gel food color
Weigh 134 grams of almond flour and spread evenly on parchment covered cookie sheet.
Place almond flour on cookie sheet in warm oven for 10 minutes. Then remove almond flour from oven and bring to room temperature.
Preheat oven to bake macarons. I tried to keep my gas stove around 335 F by using an oven thermometer. The temperature numbers on the knob that turns on my oven are worn off, so it took some estimating. Every oven is different so find the temperature that works for you.
Place 134 grams powdered sugar into bowl of food processor. Add almond flour to food processor and pulse, combining sugar and almond flour.
Place almond/powdered sugar mixture in large bowl, add 50 grams egg whites and food color. Make the color a little darker than what you want because it will be lighter after you add the meringue.
Mix to your heart's content. It will start out grainy and dry but will come together. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
Now this is where it gets tricky.
I place my mixer next to my stove so it is in easy reach.
Place the remaining 50 grams of egg whites into the mixer. Be sure your bowl and whisk are grease-free.
Place the 134 grams of granulated sugar and the 32 grams of water in a tall narrow pan . I use my asparagus cooker. (I know... I got it as a wedding present...not on the registry... but handy for this project.) Secure your candy thermometer to the pan.
When the temperature reaches 235 F, start beating the eggs on medium speed.
When it reaches 245 F, pour the sugar into the egg whites with the beater continuing on medium speed. Pour the sugar slowly down the side of the bowl to avoid splattering. Once all the sugar has been added, turn the beaters to high and beat to glossy peaks.
Add the meringue to the almond mixture.
Then the macaronage, (folding) the egg whites into the almond mixture.
This is what it should look like. This is the step that is so important for perfect, smooth, footed shells. There are many YouTube videos that show you how to do this, so I won't go into detail here (plus I didn't take any pictures due to my high level of concentration!)
Next, put your batter into your prepared pastry bag and pipe onto your cookie sheet. Again, some great videos out there on this.
Bang the cookie sheet on the counter a few times to settle any lingering top-notches and to bring air bubbles to the surface.
Then, into the oven...
I baked my cookies at approximately 235 F for 12 minutes, turning the cookie sheet after 6 minutes.
After baking, let them come to room temperature, pipe filling of your choice, store in refrigerator in airtight container. Macarons are at their best 24-48 hours after filling.
These are the best I have made yet. Although it took some adjustments, opening door etc. to maintain temperature, my propane stove is my new best friend
Next up:
Notes:
Template: I downloaded a template from the internet, cut it to fit my cookie sheet and glued it to a manilla folder. It's not pretty, but it slides in and out from under my parchment paper. If you would like to do this, here is a Download IMG of my template. You can print, size and customize it for your pan. Be sure to slide it out BEFORE baking macarons.
Place a dab of batter under each corner of your parchment to hold it in place on the cookie sheet before piping cookies.
Cooking sugar: It's difficult to cook such a small amout of sugar and get an accurate reading on a thermometer. You may want to cook a double batch of sugar. When it reaches 245 F, pour mixture into a a warmed measuring cup. Then pour half of the sugar mixture down the side of the bowl. I know this wastes some sugar but it results in a better final product, especially while you are first learning.
Temperature: This is so tricky because ovens vary so much. Experiment to see what works for you and check the links below for good information.
I could not have done it without these guys...
http://notsohumblepie.blogspot.com/2010/02/macaron-101-italian-meringue-part-1.html
http://www.syrupandtang.com/200712/la-macaronicite-1-an-introduction-to-the-macaron/
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/546793/Demystifying%20Macarons%20-%20Desserts%20Magazine.pdf
Looks pretty tasty! Will you send me some?
Posted by: Ashley | 10/05/2012 at 02:51 PM