OMG !!! It is such a thrill & an excitement to come back with
MACAROONS !!!
These little round almond cookies can be so tricky...
I found great advices on this blog (french)
Valérie has tested & retested all kinds of methods & shares the best.
The milk chocolate hazelnut ganache is my own.
Here's what we need for 15/20 macaroons (depends on their size) :
2 DAYS BEFORE TASTING
ALL INGREDIENTS MUST BE AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
75g almond powder
75g icing sugar
2X28g
OLD egg whites
(the week before, separate your eggs & keep the whites in the fridge)
75g granulated sugar
18g water
200g milk chocolate
60g
hazelnut praline paste
50g butter
25cl whipping cream
Here's what we do :
MIX almond powder & icing sugar for a few seconds in a blender, stir, mix again, stir, until finely blended (should look like flour), be careful not to heat the mixture !!
Italian meringue :
Pour 28g egg whites in the bowl of your food processor,
DON'T BEAT THEM YET
Heat 18g water & 75g granulated sugar in a small saucepan
When the syrup reaches 212°C, start beating the egg whites at slow speed, gradually increase the speed
As soon as the syrup hits 244°F, pour it slowly into the egg whites (on the edge of the bowl)
At this point, the egg whites
MUST NOT be hard.
Now, beat at maximum speed until
COLD
Your meringue should be shiny & hard
Macaroons :
Stir the remaining 28g egg whites with almond powder & icing sugar until well combined, you should obtain a soft marzipan.
Stir in a small amount of Italian meringue to soften the marzipan.
Add half of the remaining meringue making circular gestures & lifting the marzipan,
Add the last half. The mixture should be shiny, smooth but
NOT TO runny.
The pastry baking tray must be at
ROOM TEMPERATURE (NEVER, NEVER HOT!!!)
Cover a pastry baking tray with
PARCHMENT PAPER
Pipe your macaroons with a 8mm smooth tip.
Preheat your oven at 356°F. Well, 356°F is perfect for me, but you can
find lots of different recipes, it really depends on your oven, the best
is to try...Maybe you'll find out that 320°F is better....Macaroons is a
hard job, based on trials !!!
Bake for 10/12mn (check every 30seconds)
Ganache :
Coarsely chop milk chocolate in a large bowl.
Heat the whipping cream with praline hazelnut in a saucepan on medium heat until it boils.
Pour on chocolate.
Whisk well until creamy & smooth.
Add butter & whisk well.
Put in the fridge for a list 6 hours.
pipe on one side of your macaroons & cover with another one.
Put your macaroons in a airtight box & in the fridge until next day.
Relax, savour & share !!
