Kiss The Cook | French Macarons (Recipe)

Ingredients:

For the Macarons:

• 1 1/2 (225g) cups powdered sugar
• 2/3 cup (133g) almond meal or ground almonds
• 3 large egg whites (room temperature and preferably aged up to 3 days)
• 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (syrup)

Note: Its a classic meringue-style French macaron. Macaroon come in all sorts of colors and tastes, so the next add extracts with color that you want.

• For rose: 1/4 teaspoon rose extract and pink gel food coloring
• For red velvet: teaspoon of Dutch-process cocoa and red gel food coloring 
• For chocolate: 2 tablespoons natural cocoa powder and 1/4 teaspoon fine salt

For buttercream filling:

• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 1/2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (syrup)

For ganache filling: 

• 4 ounces (112g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 

For strawberries filling:

• 100g heavy cream
• 6 mint leaves
• 100g cream cheese
• 50g icing sugar
• 40g strawberry puree
• 15ml strawberry liquor

Preparations:

Macarons

1. Preheat the oven to 300ºF (150ºC) and rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and draw 1-inch (2.54 cm) circles on the back of each sheet, spacing the circles at least 1/2-inch (1.27 cm) apart on the back side.
2. If your almond meal is very coarse, grind it with the powdered sugar in a food processor until fine. Sift the almond meal-powdered sugar mixture twice through a mesh sieve.
3. Place egg whites in the bowl of a mixer, and begin to beat on medium-high. When the eggs are frothy, gradually add granulated sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until fully incorporated. Continue to beat the egg white mixture until glossy and stiff peaks form when you lift the beaters. Gently stir in the vanilla extract.
4. Add half of the sifted almond mixture, and gently fold it into the meringue using a flexible silicone spatula. Lift from the bottom, up around the sides, and toward the middle, being careful to not over agitate the meringue and lose too much air. Once the almond mixture is predominantly incorporated, add the second half and repeat the folding motion.
5. When the almond mixture is just incorporated, you will need to transform the batter into the appropriate texture. Using the flat of the spatula, "punch" down into the center of the batter, then scrape more batter from the sides to the center, and punch again. You will need to repeat this 10-15 times (or more, depending on your arm strength and the beginning texture of your batter) until the batter slowly and continuously drips back into the bowl when you scoop it up with the spatula. Think of the consistency of molten lava. For the best results, punch the batter a few times, check the consistency, then punch a few more times, etc. Do not make the batter too runny or the macarons won't rise as they should, and you could end up with oil stains on the surface.
6. Pour batter into a pastry bag fitted with a 0.4-inch tip. Rap baking sheet firmly on the counter two or three times, this smooths out the tops. The macarons should be dried. The macarons should form a very thin, smooth crust where, if you tap it lightly with your finger, the batter will not stick to your finger.
7. Place baking sheets in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes. After the first 2 minutes, open the oven to allow any excess humidity to escape. Halfway through, swap oven racks and rotate the sheets for even baking.  Take care to not underbake (insides will still be mushy) or overbake (tops will begin to brown). Remove them from the oven, and cool on baking sheet placed on a wire rack.
8. When fully cooled, assemble the macarons with your choice of filling.

Note: approximately for 4 dozen macaron halves (about 2 dozen complete macarons)

Macaron buttercream filling

1. Cut butter into pieces, and mash until the consistency resembles mayonnaise.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks, then add the granulated sugar, and whisk until the mixture lightens to an off-white and you can no longer see the granules of sugar. Add the milk, and whisk to combine.
3. Pour the egg mixture into a small saucepan, and heat over low heat, whisking frequently to ensure that the mixture does not curdle or scorch. Cook until the mixture becomes thick  like pudding.
4. Pour the egg mixture back into its bowl, when it returns to room temperature. Whisk in the butter, add the vanilla, and stir until smooth and all ingredients are fully combined. Spread onto one macaron half and sandwich between the other.

way of preparation:

Total Time: 1 1/2hrs

Callories: 140

Enjoy ♥