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.

French Macarons
original recipe comes from 'Tartelette'

plain macarons:
30 gr egg whites (about 1 egg)
pinch of salt and cream of tartar
67 gr powdered sugar
36 gr ground almonds

chocolate macarons:
30 gr egg whites
pinch of salt and cream of tartar
67 gr powdered sugar minus 1 tsp
1 tsp chocolate powder
36 gr ground almonds

green tea macarons:
30 gr egg whites
pinch of salt and cream of tartar
67 gr powdered sugar minus 1 tsp
1 tsp green tea/ matcha powder
36 gr ground almonds

direction:

1. line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. whip the egg whites to a foam, add salt and cream of tartar until obtain a glossy meringue.
3. place the powdered sugar, almonds, and flavoring powder (if using) and give them a good pulse.
4. add to the meringue. give a quick fold to break some of the air and then fold the mass carefully until obtain a batter that falls back on itself after counting to 10. give quick strokes at 1st to break the mass and slow down. don't take more than 50 strokes (for me 20 is already too much). if the top flattens on its own, you're good to go.
5. pipe into parchment paper, preheat oven to 150 degree C. let the macarons sit out until they form their skins or harden. and bake for 15-20 minutes. let cool completely before taking them off from the parchment paper.

chocolate filling
modified from 'Kitchen Pantry'

30 gr butter
50 gr bitter-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp baileys

direction:

1. melt all the ingredients except the liquor in a double boiler. remove from heat.
2. add in the liquor, stir until they're all combine.
3. let cool completely until it thickened. use to sandwich 2 macaron shells and refrigerate.

huff, that's all for today people. thanks to KBB for making me more curious about macarons, hahaha.
thanks for reading.. :)