Sunday, April 10, 2011

Macaron


First attempt, failed..

Minutes after ..for second attempt,a success........

It seems the most difficult, scary dessert to make especially when the base recipe has just 4 ingredients.Though it just sandwiching two part of puffed meringue.Living in rural area , this is not a common dessert around.Just by looking at those pics made me craving for more adventurous baking experience.

I really, really want everyone to master the macaron, to be swimming in as many as you want. Once you understand the basic recipe, you can modify it to any flavor you can think of. All it takes is a batch or two of practice.

All you need:

1 cup almond flour
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
3 large egg whites
2 tbsp granulated sugar

*dont forget the parchment paper

How to :

First, sift the almond flour and icing sugar to ensure a flawless looking shells, no coarse or lumps in the mixture.

In a separate bowl, whisk the whites. You can also do it with a hand mixer or a standing mixer if you prefer.Here are the whites just beginning to get foamy.Once they start to froth up and get meringue like, sprinkle in the sugar little by little. This bit of granulated sugar helps stabilize the whites, so there is less risk of over whipping.Continue to whisk. Here, the whites are still quite loose and soft, barely holding any peak.The mix starts to take on a smooth, glossy appearance, thanks to the addition of sugar.A little more whisking results in firm peaks. You must whisk until the peaks are firm, or the finished macarons will suffer, with a too liquid batter.Can you see the difference?

Once the whites are whipped, incorporate the dry, slowly, so the egg whites don’t deflate.Start folding the dry in carefully. The whites will start to look broken and curdled and that’s ok.Fold by scraping from the bottom, and turning the mixture over on itself.Don't overmixed.

Pipe the mixture on the parchment paper and space them about half an inch apart.Leave them on the room temperature.A skin needs to form, and it can take 30-90 minutes.

Using your finger, touch lightly the top of the batter.If it sticks ...they are not ready to bake. If you feel the top has dried, and nothing sticks to your finger, they’re ready.Bake at 140 degrees C for about 14minutes .

Here they are baked. They should be smooth on and have the coveted “feet”. Let them cool completely

Lastly,pipe your chosen filling on half of the shell.Sandwich them together.....
Tips :

  • Don't overmixed the batter, it will end up a liquidy batter, as a result you'll get a hollow and transparent shell
  • The tops will crack when baked when they are not dry enough before being baked.
cheat but cheap, easy but tasty choc filling...

1/2 cup cacao powder
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 tbsp oil

just mix them altogether, if it is too thick.. just add a tbsp of hot water..

1 comment:

thanx...