French Macarons

French Macarons. Really not much more needs to be said. These meringue-based confections are light, airy, sweet, gluten free (!) and heaven in a bite.

As delicious as they are, making them at home is not for the faint of heart. I do not say this to be discouraging. The comment is intended to be instructive and realistic while being a bit cautionary. If you decide to venture into Macarons, make sure you are organized, obtain the necessary equipment, and prepared to be meticulous every step along the way.

When I decided to try these, I researched online to learn the process.  I found the best Macaron instruction to be on Tartlette. My adapted recipe (based on my trial and error experience and blending advice and commentary) is below. My process is a three day effort.  Day 1 is simple, you separate egg whites and begin to age them. Day 2 you make the Macaron Shells.  Day 3 you make the buttercream and assemble for serving.

Recipe and Instruction for Macaron Shells

This recipe makes approximately 48 shells, each about the size of a quarter. Since you need two shells per Macaron, you end up with 24 Macarons total.

Ingredients

3 egg whites (aged for 24 hours - refer to instruction below)

50 grams granulated sugar

200 grams powdered sugar

110 grams skinless, blanched, sliced almonds

Coloring (if desired and you intend to color the shells)

Critical Special Equipment (that you may not already have)

Digital food scale that can be calibrated to weigh in grams

Ateco pastry equipment: tip - #809 and Ateco pastry bag (I use the disposable variety for the shells)

Parchment paper baking sheets

Oven thermometer

Instruction: One Day Ahead

Prepare your egg whites. The day before you intend to make Macaron Shells (24 hours), separate 3 eggs and store the whites at room temperature in a glass bowl that is covered with plastic wrap and slightly vented.

Instructions: Making the Macaron Shell

1. Combine 110 grams almonds and 200 grams powdered sugar in a food processor and pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Pass ground mixture through a sieve.  (Note: Once I put the mixture through the sieve, I will re-grind that which is left over and re-pass it through the sieve. Ultimately you will discard a small amount of matter that is too large to go through the sieve).

2. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites to a foam. Gradually add the 50 grams of granulated sugar until you have a glossy meringue. Do not over-beat the meringue or it will be too dry and the shells will not work.

3. Once you have a glossy meringue, if you are going to add color to the shells, add it at this point.

4. Add the nut and powdered sugar mixture to the meringue. Give it a quick fold and then fold carefully until the batter flows like magma or a thick ribbon. Use quick strokes at first, and then slow down. The whole process should not take more than 50 strokes (literally count the strokes.)  When you think you have the correct consistency, test a small amount on a plate: if the top flattens on its own you are good to go. If there is a small beak in the top, give the batter a few more turns. 

5. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plan tip (I use Ateco #809) with the batter and pipe small rounds (about the size of a quarter) onto parchment baking sheets.I found an extremely useful template at Pure Gourmandise to assist with piping. You can print the template directly from the Pure Gourmandise website and slide it under your parchment paper to serve as a guide for piping. 

6. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees (do not rely upon your oven thermostat, unless you know it is precise). I use a separate oven thermometer to ensure precise temperature.

7. Let the Macaron shells sit on their baking sheets for 1 hour prior to baking. This will harden the shells a bit - you will see a slight "skin" appear on the top.  This is also what contributes to the formation of a proper "foot" on the macaroon. During the 1 hour waiting period, wrap the baking tray on the counter several times to break air bubbles in the shells. When the shells are ready to bake, place tray in preheated oven and bake 12-15 minutes. They will be done baking when there is no "bounce back" if touched with a finger.

8. When ready, immediately remove from oven.  Carefully slide sheet of parchment paper onto a cooling rack (with shells remaining on the parchment paper).  The shells must completely cool before you attempt to remove them.  They should separate easily from the parchment when they are cooled (it will take at least 30 minutes). If you attempt to remove them and they are not separating from the parchment paper, simply let them cool longer.

9. Place shells on a cooling rack and allow them to stand, uncovered over night

Recipe and Instructions: Vanilla Agave Mousseline Buttercream Icing

Ingredients

2 sticks of unsalted butter at room temperature

2.5 egg whites

3/4 cup of granulated sugar

1/8 cup of water

1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

1 teaspoon of Agave Syrup (or Honey)

Coloring if desired

Critical Equipment

Candy thermometer

Ateco cake decorating tip #32 (it looks like a star)

Instruction: Icing

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the egg whites until they have soft peaks

2. Combine the water and granulated sugar in a heavy saucepan and bring the syrup up to a candy temperature. My source recipe said the target temp was 250 degrees. My actual experience tells me the appropriate target temp is 160 degrees. The syrup should be starting to form "threads" and should NOT turn into a caramel. 

3. When syrup is ready, slowly add the sugar to the egg whites as they are beating. 

4. You may need to stop and scrape the bowl once all sugar is added.

5. Continue to whip the meringue until it is completely cooled.

6. Slowly add the butter to the meringue, one tablespoon at a time. The mass may curdle (Mine has done so once) Do not panic, it is fine. Simply continue whipping until it all comes together. 

7. Add the vanilla extract, agave syrup to taste.

8. Add coloring to desired shade. 

9. Fill a pastry bag fitted with Ateco tip #32 and pipe icing onto one Macaron shell. Place a second Macaron shell on top. 

Serve immediately. Once filled, they will keep for a day or so, but ultimately the shells will loose their crispiness due to the icing.

Serving option: You may choose to add a jelly to the Macaron shell. I have done this several times. In which case, you will apply a thin coating of jelly to one Macaron shell, pipe the icing on top, and then place the second shell on top. This adds an interesting color variation.