French macarons
Description
Delicious pastries for the whole family. Macarons are quite popular both in France and Italy, and now they are widely made here as well. Essentially, they resemble meringue, but with the addition of almond flour—which is the most essential ingredient in macarons. To make proper macarons, strictly follow the recipe, baking temperature, and syrup preparation. You can make them white, without adding food coloring to the syrup, but with colors, in my opinion, they are much more fun. The baking is ready. Serve at the table.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Prepare all the necessary ingredients.
- 2
Step 2
The most important thing is precision—no "eyeballing" ingredients, this is not that kind of recipe. Sift the almond flour through a fine sieve; it should not contain any large particles.
- 3
Step 3
Add powdered sugar (which is also best to sift) to the almond flour. Mix the mixture with a whisk or mixer, then sift it once again.
- 4
Step 4
Separate the egg whites from the yolks. You need exactly 100 grams of egg whites, so get out your scales and weigh everything.
- 5
Step 5
Mix 150 grams of sugar and 50 grams of water.
- 6
Step 6
Prepare the pastry bag in advance, as well as parchment paper and macaron templates— their diameter should be 3-4 cm.
- 7
Step 7
Prepare the ingredients and proceed with cooking: keep the first 50 grams of egg white and the mixer at hand, and meanwhile place the syrup with added food coloring over heat. Cook until it reaches 95 degrees (a thermometer is essential here). Once it reaches this temperature, beat the egg whites at maximum speed until stiff peaks form. When the syrup reaches 110 degrees, gradually add it (yes, while hot) to the egg whites, continuing to beat.
- 8
Step 8
This is how they should look with the syrup. Next, the mixture should be cooled to 45 degrees.
- 9
Step 9
Add the remaining 50 grams of egg whites to the cooled whites (whipped with syrup).
- 10
Step 10
And also add the flour with powdered sugar. Mix with a silicone spatula until the consistency becomes smooth and slightly runny. The mixture should flow smoothly off the spatula.
- 11
Step 11
Fill a pastry bag with the resulting mixture and fill the previously prepared stencil.
- 12
Step 12
Let the macarons sit for about 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 140 degrees. Then place the baking sheet with the macarons on the middle rack and bake for 12-15 minutes.
- 13
Step 13
After about 5 minutes, the macarons will rise and develop a sort of "belt," known as the macaron "skirt." Turn the baking sheet over so they dry evenly. They may bake for up to 17 minutes, but under no circumstances should you change the temperature! If the macarons haven't cracked or broken, and can be easily lifted with a knife, they are ready.
- 14
Step 14
Let the finished macarons cool, and in the meantime you can prepare the cream for filling the two halves. This can be ready-made cream, white or dark chocolate ganache, or even a simple jam or preserve.
- 15
Step 15
Here are the red macarons I made.