For some strange reason, macarons seem to be the pinnacle of every home baker's repertoire. They're held in such high esteem that it's almost as if being able to make the perfect macaron is an initiation right into a secret society of pastry chefs. I had a few failures when I first tried my hand at making macarons. Once I understood how the recipe worked though, I realised how simple they really are!
Most people are probably unaware that macarons actually originated in Italy, however not in the form that they are most commonly known as today. Queen Catherine d' Medici brought her Italian pastry chefs to France with her in 1533 whom introduced the macaron in a singular state. Louis-Ernest Laudurée opened the Laudurée bakery in Paris in 1862, but it wasn't until 1930 when his grandson Pierre Desfontaine sandwiched two cookies together with ganache, creating the macaron that we are so familiar with.
To overthrow the notion of macarons being notoriously difficult to make, I'm sharing a recipe for Sugar High Friday #65 that rids the need for conventional Italian meringue once and for all. It's based on the very first method which I was taught and have adjusted a little here and there since.
There are of course, a few things to keep in mind before you begin. You will need electronic kitchen scales to attempt this recipe as achieving the correct consistency is paramount. You cannot substitute icing sugar mixture for pure icing sugar as it contains cornstarch. Almond meal does not have to be passed through a fine sieve before using. If you use liquid food colouring instead of powdered, add an extra 5 g of almond meal for each 1 g of colouring and combine colouring with the egg white at the first step.
Green Tea Macarons
155 g pure icing sugarSift dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
100 g almond meal
5 g green tea/ matcha powder
66 g egg whites
Whisk egg whites in an electric mixer on high speed for 2 minutes.
Add egg whites to ingredients in the bowl.
Smear the egg whites into the dry ingredients with a spatula until completely combined and glossy.
Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a size 7 piping nozzle.
Grease a heavy steel baking tray with oil and line with baking paper.
Pipe mix onto tray 2cm wide, 3 cm apart.
Tap the underside of the tray sharply against your palm to flatten the macarons.
Leave in a warm, dry area for 20 minutes (longer, depending on ambient humidity and temperature) or until you can touch the surface lightly without any sticking.
Bake on a low rack in a convection oven at 140ºC for 15 minutes, turning halfway.
Cool macarons completely on the tray.
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Any leftovers? I've been telling myself that one day I shall *attempt* baking macarons. I love anything green tea, and these macarons look scrumptious. Did you use green tea for the ganache as well?
ReplyDeleteP/S: Thanks for your comment on my blog. The feeling is mutual - I can't believe that I haven't discovered your blog sooner!
i actually still have a few apple and lemon thyme macarons rolling around in the fridge. i scoffed so many chocolate freckles at work yesterday i think if i have any more sugar i'll have some sort of hyperglycemic induced heart attack! :P
ReplyDeletei'm not really a fan of using ganache with macarons as i always seem to find them too sweet. i sandwiched the green tea macarons together with 2 different, overlapping "custards". one was just a plain variation of pastry cream and the other was green tea flavour. you can see the filling more clearly in this picture (http://www.flickr.com/photos/xxcadavrexx/4478675355/). this was my first attempt at using green tea and i love the flavour too!
Fantastic post! My attempt of green tea macarons failed as I used liquid food colouring; thanks for the tip! I will definately try them again since I have loads of matcha remaining..
ReplyDeletebe sure to tell me when you do! i'd love to see how you go! :D
ReplyDeletethey look fabulous and I will attempt making macarons with your recipe this weekend :)
ReplyDeleteI have yet to have a go at making macaroons, these are fabulous.
ReplyDeleteHi. I am fond of making macarons and I used to attempt to make them since my friends love it. But eventually it turned out 2 out of 3 trays are unsuccessful. I wouldn't know what are the reason till now. I mostly used fan oven and because i do not have enough silicone mat(only one I had) as to line the tray therefore i most probably replace by grease papers. In the end, it turned out like cracked on top or sometimes does not rise even and they would sticked to the paper instead. Would you tell me what might be the solution to fix these problems? I am looking forward to hear from you soon. Thanks.:-)
ReplyDeletehi May :)
ReplyDeletei personally always use baking paper and not mats as it heats through much faster and is easier to stick to the pan with spray so it doesn't flop around during the tapping process. fan ovens are sometimes a little unreliable. make sure to get an oven thermometer so you can set the temperature accurately. they also have hot spots where the air does not circulate due to the square shape of the oven so it's important to rotate the trays during baking. if your macarons are cracking, it's most likely that they are not rested for long enough. depending on ambient temperature and humidity you may have to leave them for longer to form a skin on top. you should be able to touch the top lightly without any batter sticking to your finger. baking on a heavy metal sheet pan is very important as it helps distribute the heat evenly. i use a blue steel baking sheet from Bourgeat which is a great french brand. the thick material also retains heat for longer and so assists in drying the bottoms of the macarons after they come out of the oven so they don't stick. if you're already using a heavy sheet pan you might want to try baking them for a minute or two longer as sticking is an indication of under-cooked batter.
I love your no-nonsense approach! It inspired me to try macarons despite how cross and cranky they've made me on past attempts.
ReplyDeleteI used your non-matcha recipe from a little while back but it really didn't want to get liquid-y enough, I had to add more whisked whites (around 60g extra). The egg whites were pretty old though, so I was wondering if next time around I should add more egg white in the first instance or just use ones that haven't been hanging out in the fridge for so long that they're practically part of the household?
Thanks for visiting my blog. I have never tasted macarons before nor tried to make them. Btw, congrats for being a DMBLGIT winner.
ReplyDeleteThese look great! You're right about macarons being the pinnacle of homebaker's repertoire! I've made two attempts at baking macarons in the past with dismal results, but I'll give it one more go using your recipe! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi! I just wanted to let you know I made (and posted in my blog) your lovely recipe for macarons. Mine were not nearly as perfect as yours, but they were quite delicious. Still working to perfect them, though... Meanwhile, you can see them here http://milnead.typepad.com/blog/2011/05/macarons-au-th%C3%A9-vert.html if you like.
ReplyDeleteAll the best,
Adriana
this is nice and i would love to try some. i usally drink green tea but i love to eat and i am sure it taste good.thanks for the recipe.
ReplyDeleteAlan Green
Hi how much does this recipe make? looks lovely, cant wait to try!
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