Macaron Making Handy Guide

 

 Equipment – be prepared

 Mastrad’s innovations:

• Mastrad’s macaron sheets (for small and large macarons). Easy to use, Mastrad’s macaron sheet makes preparing macarons easy: Its indentations help easily lay the shells in place during the delicate stage of filling the macarons 100% food grade silicone, it is both flexible and non-stick and ensures the easy removal of shells, without breaking them.  Unbreakable and heat resistant to 250°C/ 480°F.  Dishwasher safe.
• Mastrad pastry bag. Easy to fill thanks to its stand, the silicone pastry bag helps keep the mixture fresh in the fridge and is easy to handle. You will quickly get the hang of using it.  Dishwasher safe.

also required:

• Sifter: Essential for fine powders used for making smooth shells.
• Digital scale: Macarons require great precision, spot on weighing of ingredients is essential!
• Cooking thermometer: Italian meringue is made with liquid sugar at 110°C/230°F, no more, no less!
• Large mixing bowl: It must be heat resistant when making Italian meringue
• Silicone spatula: The essential utensil for the delicate macaron shell making stage! Silicone utensils ensure a more supple gesture and perfect dosing.
• Electric egg whisker: It’s best to use an electric whisker for the Italian meringue, as some things must be prepared at the same time!
• Electric mixer: To finely blend powdered ingredients.

Planning and conservation:

Macarons require planning ahead and you must be patent while waiting for them to be ready to eat!

For best results, it’s important to give them a ‘maturing’ period: macarons must be left in the fridge for 24 hours after cooking and filling. This gives them time to acquire their unique taste. Leave to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

Depending on the recipe, some fillings must be prepared beforehand to set or absorb their favours. They must be left to stand in the fridge.

Non-filled macarons can be kept for up to 7 days in an airtight container in the fridge or several months in the freezer (defrost for 12 hours in the fridge before serving).

Fillings can be kept depending on the ingredients used to make them: fillings made with cream, butter or egg yolks must not be kept any longer than 3 days. Cooked fruits can be kept for up to 7 days.

Fruit based fillings can be frozen. Remember to defrost for 12 hours before use.

Ingredients & extras

Macaron shells require simple ingredients. However, their confection is an exact science and the art of making macaron is somewhat delicate.

The secret lies in using top quality ingredients and preparing them well. Do not substitute products or modify quantities… even if you feel they are too sweet, if you do, the magic won’t work!

Basic ingredients

• Almond powder (or finely ground   almonds)

Choose a pure white, very fine almond powder with no added salt or sugar.

• Icing sugar (or powdered sugar)

Choose a pure white icing sugar containing 2 to 3 % starch.

• Egg whites

The egg whites must be prepared several days before making the macarons and at least one day before use: they must be carefully separated from the yolks and placed in the fridge in an airtight container.  They must be removed from the fridge 1 hour before use and left at room temperature.

• Granulated sugar

White sugar must be used.

Putting together

This is the most fun stage in making French macarons: your shells are ready, beautiful and waiting to be filled, all you have to do now is let your imagination run wild!

Decorating the shells

Once cooked, the shells can easily be decorated with all sorts of ingredients: spices, cocoa powder or walnuts, desiccated coconut or whatever other sweet ingredients take your fancy (mimosa, chocolate vermicelli), dried chopped fruits, seeds, chopped dried or fresh herbs, gold or silver powder…

Run a wet finger over the shells and then sprinkle with your chosen ingredient.

To add a trickle of chocolate, melt 50 g / 1.7 oz of chocolate and pour it into a paper cone. Fruit coulis can also be trickled over the macarons using a cone.

 

 

This recipe makes perfectly smooth shells.

Ingredients

Ingredients for plain shells:

150 g / 5 oz almond powder

150 g / 5 oz icing sugar

60 g / 2 oz + 60 g / 2 oz egg whites (approx. 2 + 2)

20 g / 0.7 oz + 150 g / 1.7 oz / 5 oz granulated sugar

50 g / 1.7 oz water

At least 1 day before making, prepare the egg whites: separate the egg whites from the yolks and place them in the fridge in an airtight container. Remove them from the fridge 1 hour before use so as to bring them back to room temperature.

Italian meringue:  Pour the icing sugar and the almond powder into an electric mixer to obtain a fine powder (this is called half and half). Stif them into a bowl and add 2, non-beaten, egg whites.

Place the other two egg whites in a stainless-steel bowl. Mix-in 20 g / 0.7 oz of granulated sugar then whisk until firm with an electric whisk on a low speed.

In the meantime, pour the water and 150 g / 5 oz of granulated sugar in a pan. Turn the pan gently, with your hand, to mix the ingredients together and heat until you obtain a syrup. Place the cooking probe in the pan and set it to 110°C/230°F.  Remove the pan from the heat as soon as the temperature is reached.

When the syrup is ready, pour onto the meringue mix, whisking as you do so. To avoid splashing, pour the syrup near the edge and not near the whisk. Continue

to whisk on an average speed until the mixture cools completely.

The meringue must be firm but smooth. It’s ready when you can form stiff peaks with the whisk.

 

 

Making into macarons:

Mix the Italian meringue into the powders and non-beaten egg whites: pour in the first quarter of the meringue and then gently fold together with a silicone spatula.

You must go from the centre of the bowl outwards, being sure to scrape the spatula along the bottom of the bowl so as to lift all the mixture at the same time (with your right hand) then turn the bowl a quarter turn (with your left hand!). Add, in quarters, the remaining meringue and repeat the same process until it is all thoroughly mixed together.

This is the delicate part of the macaron making process: the mixture must be mixed until smooth, shiny and slightly runny, but you must stop at the right moment!

If mixed too much it will become liquid and the macarons will not develop perfect edges during cooking… if it’s not mixed enough the macarons will split during cooking!

Any ingredients used to flavour or colour the shells must be added during this stage.

And there you have it!

Using the pastry bag

Once the mixture is ready, pour it in the Mastrad pastry bag and use the smooth nozzle.

Place the macaron sheet on the (cold) oven grill pan.

Take the pastry bag of the stand.

Place a small drop, about 2 cm (3/4 inch) wide, on each indentation on the macaron sheet, turn your wrist a quarter of a turn and remove the pastry bag swiftly, allow the mixture to spread into the indentations itself.

Lightly tap the grill pan on the counter top to remove any air bubbles.

Leave to crisp at least 15 to 30 minutes at room temperature: the shells are ready once they no longer stick to your finger.

Cooking

Preheat  the oven to 130/140°C.

Customize your shells as you desire before popping them in the oven:

You can  sprinkle  them with ingredients that are heat resistant – before cooking:

• Rose petals, spices, desiccated coconut, dried herbs or flowers (oregano, thyme, rosemary, dill, lavender, orange flower water, cornflower…)
• Dried chopped fruits: peanuts, pistachio, cashew nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, faked almonds
• Black or white sesame seeds, fennel, aniseed, vanilla pods, pumpkin seeds, poppy seeds
• Orange zests or grated lime (blanched for 30 seconds in boiling water), candied orange peel
• Grated Tonka beans, cocoa, praline or powdered tea
• Sugary sweets that resist to heat (crushed sweets, sugared almonds, crystalized violets, hundreds & thousands, sprinkles)
• Leaves, gold or silver leaves or dust, iridescent powder

Place the macaron sheet in the preheated oven and cook for 12 to 15 minutes in a normal convection oven (do not use fan ovens as this will flatten the macarons).

Open the oven door slightly 2 to 3 minutes before the end of cooking so as to allow the steam to be released.

Temperatures may vary from one oven to another, the cooking process must be monitored carefully and tests must be carried out to find the most adapted process: the shells must not dry out. They must however be cooked enough as any humidity will leave marks on the shells.

If you cook several sheets at the same time, be sure to change their positions every 3 minutes (alternating between the top and bottom of the oven).

At the end of the cooking process remove the macaron sheet from the grill pan and leave to cool at room temperature.

Wait for the shells to cool completely (approx. 15 minutes) before removing from the sheet.

List of possible imperfections!

• Several practice runs are often necessary before succeeding in making macaron shells…
• Here are the most frequent imperfections:
• Overly rounded shells: the macaron mixture has not been mixed thoroughly enough.
• Flat, cracked shells, ‘ugly’ edges: the macaron mixture was mixed too much, thus damaging the firmness of the whisked egg whites.
• Lumpy shells: the icing sugar + almond powder mixture («half and half») or the ingredients added to favour the shell were not thoroughly mixed or sifted enough.
• Odd shaped shells: too much mixture was put in the macaron sheet’s indentations and will have oozed over the edges.
• Cracked shells: the shells were placed in the oven before being «crisp» enough, or the oven was too hot.
• Exploded shells: the mixture was not thoroughly mixed.

But whatever happens, don’t despair! Next time will be better, for sure.