KBB#18: French Macarons

remember the baby i talked about? project with egg whites? this is it.

French Macarons, the trickiest biscuit of all time. it really is a funny thing how this biscuit can turn my mood up and down everyday and how it can make me so curious about this little feet-y thing. i have lots of problems making this cute little tempting biscuit. first, the batter. second, the baking temperature. i'll elaborate some theory here, but really in my post they're just a theory.

theoretically..

first of all, you should pulse the almond meal and powdered sugar until they're all combined and really smooth, this step can give you a smooth surface of macarons. then, you have to beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form but you should not overbeat it unless it'll show a cracky surface. confuse? yes, i am! well, to shorten it, you should beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form but not dry, don't let the shine gone. after that, you have to mix the dry ingredients with the egg whites, this step called 'macaronage'. people often confuse with the consistency of macarons batter, me too at first (or still up til now). you should mix them gently, remember people 'gently', or we could say carefully. for me, it is similar to brownie batter, not too runny and not too stiff. mix them until they resemble a paste with magma consistency. 'magma consistency' is also a weird vocabulary for me, have you ever seen magma? honestly, i have never. yeah, the conclusion is the batter should be light handling but not too runny and a little thick. i guess brownie batter is more like it.

after you piped all the batter, you should let them rest for no matter how long until the glossy surface turns dull and form a skin. you'll know it's dry enough when you can touch the surface without having any of the batter sticks to your finger. humidity really takes part in the drying process, here in Jakarta i have to let them rest for almost 6 hours until the skin forms. other country could dry them only in 15 minutes, magical. after that, the baking part. in order to get the feet, you should obtain the right temperature of your oven and of course the right consistency of your batter and the skin. let's say you've got the right consistency and skin, then if you bake it too hot it will crack and have burnt bottom, not hot enough they won't let their feet out.

i have been trying to make a proper macarons, some succeed some didn't. i think i need luck for making this biscuit. maybe i should wait until the moon is on the right side of the sky so i can produce a perfect macarons, joking really. if i should evaluate my macarons project, why it could have feet and why it couldn't or why it's cracked and why it's wrinkled, i really do not know the reason yet. consistency? skin? oven temperature? they are mysteries in my miseries. haha. i am really tired figuring this macarons! i'll take a break from this, but... i still had the curious side effect of these biscuits, maybe i should try and make them again soon. how do you think?! haha.

macarons

hi everyone, it's March already.. how fast? my holiday's over now.. :(

today, i'm trying to bake perfect macarons again.. well, still imperfect though. hehe. but at least, i've got their feet! yay! i can see them today.. i was so happy, but unfortunately the surface aren't smooth. if you think it's cracked, it's not cracked either. haha. it's wrinkled! strange wasn't it? haha. but never mind.. sure i'll make a better one next time..

referring to what i've read in KBB's blog before, about perfect macarons and how it should be and how to bake them well, i can make a conclusion today. my macarons are in the right texture, i guess so and i hope so.. it's a little chewy and smooth inside, crispy outside.

anyhow, i won't post any recipe today since the macarons haven't turned out perfectly. but when i have made them perfect, i'll post the recipe.. actually it's not really different with the one i made before, you can see it on my Parisian Macaroons post.

and for the filling, i just used my leftover dark-chocolate and melt them in a double boiler. a perfect combination for the sweetness of the macarons. i don't know why but nowadays i don't really like sweets as much as before..

out of this macarons' topic, i have already got my list for what foods i'll make this month. this month, my mom will celebrate her birthday and i really hope i could bake her one of her favorite cakes. teehee!

well, i think enough of the talk today, thanks for reading and see you on the next post..

have a great March, people! :)

coconut macaroons

hi all! i don't know why, but today i was craving for any kind of sweets that consist of egg whites. it includes either meringue or macarons. especially after looking at KBB post about macarons, the proper macarons, not like mine before! hahaha.

you know, i'm kinda thinking how stupid i was when i thought that i've successfully made macarons. it's completely not the way it should be and it was not a success. the reason why i thought it was successfully made is because i never could bake egg whites before, my first experience with egg whites is when i tried to make a Mont Blanc. the saddest part is that it never went to the oven, haha. my Mont Blanc recipe used almond powder to make the meringue, just like making french macarons. i never fold the almond, i always beat them with the sugar and fresh egg whites, that's why it was never stiff. haha. but then i learnt that oil is not meringue's best friend, it's meringue's enemy. if beaten egg whites meet oil, it won't be stiff and i guess ground almond contains oil.. hehe. that's why, we have to fold it when the egg whites has becoming stiff.

today, i haven't get the guts yet to repair my french macarons. so i start with coconut macaroons.. actually i don't taste any part of the meringue after it is baked. hoho. just sweet shredded coconut. but it's quite tasty and i like them.