I have wanted to make french macarons since I began culinary school. It just seems cliché, perfect, a responsibility of sorts for being in french cooking school. But did we learn how to in Baking and Pastry? Nope.
It was time to take matters into my own hands. I’ve got 5 weeks left of school and I have to work my remaining class time in Technique, the schools restaurant. So, I approached one of the chef’s about my macaron dilemma and he suggested I find a good recipe and test it out. Free rein and all the products at my finger tips? OK!
Thank you David Lebovitz, this recipe is pretty darn amazing! (adapted with my own minor tweak from The Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebovitz)
Macaron Batter
1 cup powdered sugar
½ cup almond flour, needs to be really fine
3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
5 tablespoons, granulated sugar
Chocolate Filling
½ cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces
**Special ingredient, optional. Get Ready…. Fleur de sel. SEA SALT MACARONS.. I know, crazy. AND TDF (to die for)
Macaron Cookies
Preheat oven to 350*F
Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats.
In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients; powdered sugar, almond flour, and unsweetened cocoa powder, set aside. *If mix is clumpy, pulse in a food processor to get a smooth flour like mixture.
Whip egg whites in a mixer until white peaks begin to form, add granulated sugar and whip until peaks are firm.
Carefully fold the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is just smooth and there are no streaks of egg white, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag (standing the bag in a tall glass helps if you’re alone).
Pipe the batter on the parchment-lined/silpat baking sheets in 1-inch (3 cm) circles (about 1 tablespoon each of batter), evenly spaced one-inch (3 cm) apart.
Bake for 9-11 minutes. *Oven temps will vary so please test out a cookie or two before you bake. The book recipe calls for 15-18 minutes, but I found in my commercial oven that 11 minutes dried them out completely, 10 minutes was ok, and 9 minutes was perfect for a crunchy outside and chewy inside. It all depends on what texture you are looking for.
Dark Chocolate Ganache Filling
Heat the cream in a small saucepan with the corn syrup. When the cream just begins to boil at the edges, remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate. Let sit one minute, then stir until smooth. Stir in the pieces of butter. Let cool completely before using. The chocolate will turn into a spreadable paste, but should not be runny.
Spread or pipe a bit of ganache on the inside of the macarons, sprinkle a pinch of coarse Fleur de sel, then sandwich them together. Let them stand at least one day before serving, to meld the flavors.
Since we perfected the recipe to our liking, I decided to make little drizzle cookies for my other classmates to try. All agreed David Lebovitz is the man.
Thanks for reading and have fun making these delicate treats! xo-G
Did I mention, I’ll be in PARIS IN THREE WEEKS!! Ever been? Please comment with suggestions to do/see/eat!!
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pastry in the fridge over night, or if you forget, thaw on the counter for 30-40 minutes. Place parchment paper on a rimmed baking sheet and lay the puff pastry out. Fold each edge over about 1/4 ” creating an edge. Dust the puff pastry lightly with cinnamon. Peel, core and quarter the apples. Using a sharp knife or mandoline cut the apples into 1/8″ thin slices. Arrange the apple slices diagonally across the pastry or however you like. Dot with butter squares, sprinkle sugar evenly over the top and place in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.
