When I first tackled macarons, again in 2012, they’d simply taken over from the cupcake because the patisserie du jour – from the shiny American teen TV sequence Gossip Lady to French branches of McDonald’s, these brightly colored little meringue sandwiches appeared to be all over the place. Nowadays, they really feel quite particular once more, particularly if you happen to’ve wielded the piping bag your self.
Prep 40 min
Prepare dinner 15 min
Makes About 10
65g floor almonds
85g icing sugar
25g cocoa powder
75g egg whites – ie from 2-3 eggs
A pinch of salt
60g caster sugar
For the ganache
100g whipping cream
100g darkish chocolate
20g butter
A pinch of sea salt
1 Make the ganache
Warmth the cream in a small pan till sizzling, however not boiling. In the meantime, roughly chop the chocolate.
Add the chopped chocolate to the recent cream, depart for a few minutes when you roughly chop the butter, then stir the chocolate into the cream till melted easy. Regularly beat within the butter and a pinch of salt, then put to at least one facet to chill and set.
2 Draw out circles on baking paper
Line a big, flat baking tray with greaseproof paper. Put a pastry cutter (or one thing else spherical) about 3½cm in diameter on the paper and draw round it in darkish pencil or ink, then repeat, spacing the circles about 2cm aside – you’ll want about 20 in whole, so if you happen to can’t match all of them on to at least one sheet, put together a second tray.
3 Put together a piping bag
Lower a second sheet of paper of the identical measurement and lay it on prime of the primary – you must be capable of see the circles (AKA your template) by means of it; this second sheet will forestall the pencil lead or ink from staining your macarons. Put together a piping bag with a roughly 1cm nozzle (or reduce a 1cm gap within the backside of a disposable one).
4 Begin on the bottom
Put the almonds in a meals processor or clear spice grinder and whizz to a really fantastic powder. Sift the almond powder, together with the icing sugar and cocoa energy, by means of a fantastic sieve, right into a bowl.
Repeat this sifting, so the three are completely mixed – there’s nowhere to cover lumps in macarons, so that is nicely well worth the effort.
5 Beat the egg whites
Use a stand mixer or electrical beaters to whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt till they maintain their form, then whisk within the caster sugar a spoonful at a time.
Proceed whisking at excessive velocity till the egg whites are stiff sufficient so that you can flip the bowl the wrong way up with out them falling out – examine the consistency repeatedly, so that you simply don’t overbeat them.
6 Combine within the dry substances
Fold within the sifted dry substances with a big metallic spoon, then beat the combination once more till it simply drops off the spatula: if it’s too thick, will probably be onerous to pipe.
Don’t fear about knocking a few of the air out of it: you don’t need an excessive amount of trapped within the macaron shells.
7 Pipe into rounds
Spoon the combination into the piping bag, then rigorously pipe it on to the circles you’ll be able to see by means of the highest sheet of paper.
Choose up the tray and drop it on to a piece floor a few occasions, then depart to relaxation for about half-hour, till the macarons really feel dry to the contact quite than sticky. In the meantime, warmth the oven to 180C (160C fan)/390F/fuel 4.
8 Bake the macarons
Bake the macarons for 15-17 minutes, till agency, opening the oven door briefly a few occasions throughout cooking to set free steam.
When you’re certain they’re carried out, slide the macaron-topped paper off the tray and on to a cool floor to cease them cooking additional, then depart to chill fully on the paper. As soon as cool, rigorously peel or carry the macarons off the paper: they need to come away fairly simply.
9 Sandwich with ganache
Match up pairs of equal-sized macarons, then, utilizing a small palette knife or spoon, rigorously sandwich them along with the set ganache.
The macarons may be eaten instantly, however for that characteristically chewy texture, retailer them someplace cool, or within the fridge, for twenty-four hours and produce again to room temperature earlier than serving.
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