MACARONS! (with one "O")

Okay so how cool is this:  my new job sent me to Love Apple Farms in Santa Cruz on Saturday to take a class on French macarons! No, no, not the coconut kind that Jews eat because they're kosher and flourless. The French kind silly!

I had heard rumors that these are a little tricky to make, but absolutely unbelievable. Good ones are hard to find around here (since this isn't, you know, Europe). But Chez Pim has taught me well, and look! Success! --->

Good recipes are always measured in grams (not with cups or tablespoons, etc) because the measurements need to be very accurate. FYI, these little cuties are Gluten-Free!! But far from vegan, and a vegan version would be rather impossible, since the cookie part is made from Italian Meringue. Now I will brief you on the basics (like Italian Meringue vs. French Meringue) before I hand over the recipe.

Even though this is a French cookie, the best ones are made with Italian Meringue, not French (not even the French use French). In several recipe books, the latter is said to be much easier. Pim, however, disagrees and I stand by her statement. Italian Meringue is made with sugar syrup, whereas in French, you add sugar directly to the whipped egg whites, no syrup involved. The sugar syrup needs to be EXACTLY 243 degrees F when added to the egg whites, which is why you get to use a fancy candy thermometer (digital probe ones work best).

Macaron recipe as follows: 

150 g almond flour, sifted

150 g confectioner's sugar, sifted

(whisk together until completely blended).

35 g water

150 g granulated sugar

(for your sugar syrup)

110 g AGED egg whites, divided into 50g and 60g measurements

add 60 g measurement of aged (i'll explain later) egg whites to bowl of a stand mixer, put in balloon whisk and whip whites until pale and foamy. stop now!! dont over beat! 

for the syrup: put granulated sugar and water over medium heat. do NOT stir. when thermometer reads 243F, remove immediately from heat, give the egg whites a quick whip to fluff back up then poor in the syrup at a steady stream when mixer is on medium. turn mixer to high and beat meringue until sides of mixer bowl cools down until just warm to the touch. (if using color- duh!- put in half way through this process so you dont over beat meringue). Meringue should be beaten until forms a soft peak and cools to 120F (thermometer!). 

now pour 50 g egg whites into flour mixture. dont stir yet. add 1/3 of meringue, and with a spatula, stir vigorously until completely blended! add rest of meringue. This part is tricky!!! you've got to incorporate, but do not over mix. scrape the side of the bowl, then fold over mixture and press against side of bowl. Pim says "you are not folding, but massaging." mixture should flow like lava. 

put mixture into pastry bag (ideally fitted with a 5pt pastry tip). Pipe 1.25 inch rounds on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. then pick up each sheet, and drop it hard onto the counter!! this is scary. but it is to loosen any air bubbles. Let them sit out and dry for 15 to 30 minutes until they are no longer sticky to a light touch. 

Baking: 375F for 15-16 min. sticky a wooden spoon in door of oven to act like a vent. 

let them cool completely before peeling off parchment paper! then the filling, then the sandwich.

Fill with your favorite ganache recipe or a buttercream-jam combo. 

These are my new favorite cookie, which is weird because I'm not really a meringue person. There are SO many different ways to play around with them (this weekend I made basil-buttercream!).

And look what just came out of the oven! Popovers!!! It worked!!!

  

Goodnight.