Macarons from Rose Blog

By mariannefeldman

also see:
http://www.americanalmond.com/pdfs/Macaronathon.pdf

http://www.americanalmond.com/pdfs/AllAboutParisianMacarons.pdf

All About Parisian Macarons
What’s taking pastry shops and restaurants by storm? French
macaroons, les macarons, light-as-a-feather almond cookies,
the sweet of choice among Paris’ elite. The Wall Street Journal
reports these enchanting pastries may even surpass the
cupcake in popularity.
Unlike the chewy, dense coconut macaroon,
macarons, are two smooth-topped almond
meringues sandwiched with delectable fillings. The
dome-shaped cookies, in a rainbow of colors, have a
delicately-crunchy surface and a meltingly-tender
interior complemented by a rich buttercream or jam
filling. The standard-bearer of macarons is La Durée
in Paris, credited with inventing the cookie as it is
known today. Pastry chef Pierre Hermé, who worked
at Ladurée before opening his own shops, vies for
the title of Best Macaron with his innovative flavor
combinations such as white truffle and hazelnut,
caramel and fleur de sel or rose and pistachio. Only
recently have these cookies been appearing in the
United States. You’ll spot them in dozen of pastry
shops in every major U.S. city. Even Starbucks
nationwide carried them over the holidays.
These refined cookies take some skill to master but offer many rewards. “It requires
some finesse to accomplish the perfect balance between crunchy shell, the chewy
interior and the creamy filling,” says Chef Jacquy Pfeiffer, co-founder of the French
Pastry School. Chef Pfeiffer has shared with us some of the techniques for making
macarons that he and his staff teach to students at the school. Chef Pfeiffer and
other acknowledge that the colors and flavor possibilities of French macaron make
them especially appealing. Mother’s appreciate their elegance says Chef Pfeiffer and
kids want to tray all the pretty colors. Adding to their appeal, macarons are glutenfree. And, at an average price of $2.00 each, this should sweeten their appeal.www.AmericanAlmond.com P. 2
Sifting almond flour and powdered sugar.
Making French-Style Macaron
Macarons are basically an almond
meringue cookie. They are made from just
a few ingredients: almond flour,
confectioner’s sugar, egg whites,
flavorings and colorings if desired. To
create their smooth surface, the almond
flour should be finely milled. In the
bakeshop, Chef Pfeiffer advises grinding
the almond flour in a food processor with
all of the powdered sugar in the formula.
Sifting should not be needed after that although many bakers will sift the mixture
through a fine sieve before using.
French-style macaron batter is made by
folding the finely ground blanched almond
flour into egg whites beaten with sugar.
Proper folding ensures that the macarons
will bake with a characteristic smooth
surface and a satin sheen. Chef Pfeiffer
explains that proper mixing can confuse a
pastry chef. “Meringues are whipped egg
whites that give volume and a light texture to mousses, sponges, soufflés and all
kinds of fillings,” he says. In a special step called macaronnage, the almond flour is
folded into the egg whites to a point where the mixture slightly deflates. “Most of the
time you’re taught that deflation is a bad thing.”
This is the trickiest part for the students, say Chef Pfeiffer. “The first few times chefs
make them, they will often over deflate the
mixture or not do it enough.” You fold the
almond flour into the batter until it becomes
shiny and falls from the spatula in thick
ribbons. Chef Pfeiffer recommends using a
spatula to drop a bit of the mixture back in
the bowl. “If it settles right away, it’s been
over-mixed; if it doesn’t budge, it hasn’t
been mixed enough.”
Properly whipped egg whites for macarons.
Properly folded egg whites and almond flour.www.AmericanAlmond.com P. 3
The batter is piped into small rounds on
parchment or silicone-lined sheets. For
best results, the tip mark left when
piping should dissolve within one
minute. If the batter has been
insufficiently folded, the tip mark will
remain and the surface may crack and
be dull after baking. Overmixed batter
will be runny. Pipe a test row of the
batter to determine if it has been properly mixed.
When properly made, macarons have a little foot
on the bottom where the eggs whites have risen.
This is caused when the top of the meringue
shell firms and rises slightly. The foot should be
of the same thickness around the bottom of
each the macaron shell.
“One of the tricks to a great macaron
is to fill the shells and then let it rest
for 24-48 hours in a refrigerator before
serving it,” says Chef Pfeiffer. This
gives time for the filling to bond with
the macaron shell. Macarons freeze
quite well. Some pastry shops, says
Pfeiffer, even freeze them before
shipping them overnight to their
customers. By the time they arrive, they have thawed and regained their crisp
exterior.
Piping macaron batter before baking.
The foot appears when the macaron is baking.
Piping a thin even layer of filling on a macaron shell.www.AmericanAlmond.com P. 4
OUR TIPS FOR PREPARING AND
SELLING PARISIAN-STYLE ALMOND
MACARONS
 Work with ingredients at room
temperature. Separate the egg whites
24 hours before using.
 Select extra-fine-milled blanched
almond flour to achieve the delicate
texture. Sift the powdered sugar to
ensure a smooth product.
 Letting the piped batter sit 15 to 30
minutes before baking produces a
macaron with the characteristic
smooth, shiny surface.
 Bake at a low temperature so that the macarons do not brown. Double panning
ensures evenly baked cookies.
 Cool the macarons before removing them from the silicone mat or parchment
paper. Or pour a few drops of water under the silicone mat or baking paper when
the macarons are removed from the oven to help release them.
 Select a filling that complements the color of the batter. Buttercream, preserves
or citrus curd work well. Whether traditional or offbeat, the filling’s flavor should
be intense enough to balance the sweetness of the cookie.
 Begin your macaron program slowly, offering 4 or 5 flavors in an array of colors.
As your customers’ interest expands, add more flavors.
 Keep macarons in a cool, dry place as they become soggy with humidity.
Refrigerate any macarons to hold them for the next day. They may also be filled
then frozen for longer keeping but should always be enjoyed at room
temperature.
FRENCH-STYLE ALMOND MACARONS (Gerbet Macaron)
This macaron formula uses a common French meringue. Other formulas may use a
Swiss or Italian meringue.
Yield: 90 Cookies, approximately 1 in. each
Blanched almond flour, room temperature 1 lb. 2 oz. 540 g
Powdered sugar 1 lb. 7 oz. 690 g
Egg whites, room temperature 14 oz. (14 whites) 420 g
Granulated sugar 7 oz. 210 g
Cream of tartar pinch pinch
Dried egg whites 0.30 oz. (2 tsp.) 9 g
Liquid or powdered food coloring as needed as needed
Buttercream, ganache, jam,
lemon curd or other filling as needed as neededwww.AmericanAlmond.com P. 5
1 In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, mix the almond flour and
powdered sugar until evenly blended. Set aside.
2 In a mixer fitted with a whip attachment whip the egg whites until foamy.
Stir together the granulated sugar, cream of tartar and dried egg whites,
then add the mixture to the foamed egg whites in a steady stream.
3 Whip the egg whites on medium speed until the mixture is very stiff. Add
the food coloring (if using). Remove the mixture from the machine.
4 Whisk the egg whites by hand using a balloon whisk to restore a uniform
smooth appearance to the mixture. Using a spatula, fold in one-quarter of
the almond and powdered sugar mixture. Add the remaining dry
ingredients and fold the batter until it becomes shiny and falls from the
spatula in thick ribbons. If the mixture looks dull, continue to fold until the
batter develops a shine.
5 Using a pastry bag fitted with a medium plain tip, pipe the batter onto
silicone baking mats or paper-lined sheet pans. Each macaron should
measure 1 inch wide and ¼ inch tall. If the mark left by the piping tip
does not dissolve within 1 minute, stir the batter a little more. Then
continue piping.
6 Let the piped batter rest for 15 minutes.
7 Bake at 325°F until the macarons can almost be removed from the
silicone or parchment paper, approximately 18 to 22 minutes.
8 Allow the cookies to cool, then remove them from the silicone mats or
sheet pans.
9 Spread a thin layer of buttercream, lemon curd, jam or ganache on the
bottom (pan side) of one cookie and gently press another cookie onto the
filling top side out.
To Sample Parisian Macarons in New York
We’ve put together a Google map of bakeries that specialize in macarons in New
York. Click here for more information: Macaronathon™www.AmericanAlmond.com P. 6
About The Company
From around the corner to around the world, American Almond
Products Company understands bakeries. It’s where we started
over 87 years ago and we’ve learned a lot along the way.
Providing ingredients that inspire bakers and pastry chefs to
create new cakes, cookies, chocolates, frozen desserts and
pastries is what we do.
Founded in 1924, American Almond Products Company is
America’s premier producer of almond paste, marzipan and other nut products for
the baking and confectionery industries. Relying on small batches to ensure
consistent quality, American Almond™ is the secret ingredient of bakers and
confectioners nationwide.
Visit us at www.AmericanAlmond.com

Ingredients

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Preparation

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