French Macarons: French Meringue Method
Yields 40 Sandwich Cookies
Equipment:
Stand/ Hand Mixer
Kitchen Weighing Scale
Parchment Paper
Pastry tip and bag
Ingredients:
165 g almond flour
165 g powdered sugar
150 g sugar
115 g aged egg whites at room temperature
(aged in the fridge for 2-3 days before baking & left in the counter 2-3 hours before baking)
Pinch of cream of tartar
4-6 drops of gel food coloring
Filling:
Jam, Curd or Buttercream
Prep & Baking:
1. Process and sift almond and powdered sugar. Place them in a big bowl and mix.
2. Beat the egg whites starting at low gradually increasing the speed to medium-high.
3. When the egg whites starts to bubble, add the cream of tartar. Then add the sugar gradually.
4. Continue to beat until meringue reaches stiff peaks. Add food coloring to the meringue before reaching stiff peaks. When bowl is inverted, meringue should not drip. Be careful not to overmix the meringue.
5. Sift 1/3 the powdered sugar/almond mix into the meringue.
6. With a spatula, fold in until well-incorporated about 10-13 strokes.
7. Repeat with the other 2/3 of the powdered sugar/almond mix.
8. In folding, do so gently so as to not deflate the meringue. This process is called Macaronage. Most of your French macaron success & failure will happen on this step.
9. Try to limit the number of strokes to 50. The meringue should look glossy and runs down like lava.
10. Fit the pastry tip into the bag and place on a tall glass.
11. Pour the meringue into the pastry bag.
12. Pipe in 1 inch circles about 1 inch apart from each other.
13. Tap the sheet into a flat counter 2-3 times.
14. Let macarons dry in the counter for 15 minutes.
15. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
16. Bake macarons for 12-14 minutes.
17. Once done, cool in the baking sheet for 3-5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.
18. Allow the macaron shells to cool completely before filling.
19. Pipe jam, curd or buttercream into the macaron and sandwich with another shell.
20. Place on an airtight container for 24 hours before eating for best results
21. If not consumed within 4 days, keep it frozen for up to 4 months. To thaw, leave in the counter for 20 minutes before eating.
Happy Baking!
