tackling the macaroon

I don’t know what I’ve been thinking when I decided to conquer macaroons. Considering the humidity and stupid, tiny oven with descriptive temperature settings (bake, keep warm etc…) this mission was destined to fail.  With that said, I’m rather pleased with the results.

But let’s start from the beginning…

Apparently macaroons are incredibly temperamental and full of attitude; and need careful preparation. 

 

Funnily enough, recipe is very easy:

100 grams of icing sugar

100 grams of caster sugar

100 grams of ground almonds

3 egg whites

Pinch of salt

And then the fun begins… Internet is overflowing with tips for foolproof macaroons. First of all, the ingredients have to be measured accurately. The icing sugar and ground almonds should be sieved to avoid lumps and egg whites are best when few days old – no idea why? Maybe they are less moody when they get older? Oh and the food coloring should be in paste or powdered form, liquid will make batter too runny.

Preparation, though seemingly easy, is full of traps.  

Almonds and icing sugar have to be well mixed together and set aside – that’s pretty straight forward.

Egg whites should be bitten with salt to soft picks. Then we add caster sugar, a little at the time, while whisking till the mass is nice and stiff. Then again, if it is over beaten, macaroons shells will be hollow.

In the end, almond mixture needs to be folded energetically into the egg whites – towards the inside. It should be thick and sticky. Over mixing will result in too runny batter, which creates all sorts of problems like cracked shells or absence of “crown” (little frill at the base of macaroon).

When the batter is ready, we pack it nicely into piping bag with round nozzle. Apparently the best surface to bake macaroons on is a silicon mat. After squeezing pretty little circles onto it, we tap it sharply onto kitchen counter to remove excess air and “fold in” sharp picks. Now macaroons have to rest, I’ve read, anywhere from 15-45 minutes, to create non sticky shell. 

Again, not letting them rest may create almost any macaroon problem you can imagine. Unfortunately humidity and high temperatures will do that too and I’m not sure if there is a way to work around it…

Finally it’s baking time. The temperature is crucial here. Mostly suggested is 12-18 minute baking in 120-160 (Celsius), but since every oven is different, you have to watch them closely. Macaroons should rise and spread slightly, while creating “crown” at the base, but shouldn’t brown. It is good to turn the baking tray half way through, to bake them evenly.

Oh and one more thing, they shouldn’t be removed from baking sheet before they cool down completely.

Now to the assembling… luckily that is much simpler task to tackle as they will taste and look great with nearly any filling. Unfortunately that's not the end. They have to  have few hours or whole night sleep in the fridge – this is the part making then chewy and full of flavor. 

I have to admit, I didn’t really follow most of these advices. I figured, since the climate is so macaroon unfriendly, its best to just mix and dump them in the oven. My last note on the subject is: what they lack in appearance, they make up in taste!

… and just in time for valentines too…

P.S.
I almost forgot... the filling!
I kind of improvised, but it turned out great. Its not too sweet so it balances macaroons nicely.

3 eggyokes
3 teaspoons of sugar
mascarpone (100-150g)
powdered coconut milk

Whisk egg yokes with sugar until creamy, mix in mascarpone and powdered coconut milk till nice and fluffy; and voilà!