Macaron 101

Ingrédients

French Macaron

180 g Ground Almonds

130 g Icing/Powdered Sugar

110 g Egg Whites (Aged*)

Pinch of Cream of Tartar

110 g Sugar

Gel Colour

Italian Macaron

180 g Ground Almonds

150 g Icing/Powdered Sugar

110 g Egg Whites (Aged*)

Pinch of Cream of Tartar

150 g Sugar

35 g Water

Gel Colour

Instructions

Step 1

Blend the ground almonds briefly then sieve them to weigh 130g.

Step 2

Add them to a bowl then sieve in the icing sugar and whisk them together.

Step 3

In a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar on a low speed until lots of small frothy bubbles form.

Step 4

Slowly add the sugar - increasing the speed to medium. Once you’ve added it all, whisk for another 2-3 minutes until stiff peaks. Whisk in the gel colour.

Step 5

Tip half the almond mixture onto the meringue and gently fold it to combine. Add the remaining half then gently fold until it reaches a ribbon texture.

Step 6

Pipe the mixture into discs onto a silicon mat.

Step 7

Leave the shells to rest for 20-30 minutes until dry to the touch.

Step 8

Bake at 155C for 14-16 minutes or until they have a very slight wobble when you touch them.

Step 9

Remove the shells from the oven, cool them to room temperature, then freeze them for 10 minutes (this makes it easier to pull them off the mat!).

Step 10

Blend the ground almonds briefly then sieve them to weigh 150g.

Step 11

Add them to a bowl then sieve in the icing sugar and whisk them together.

Step 12

Add 55g egg whites and the gel colour to the mixture. Mix to form a sticky paste.

Step 13

In a saucepan over a medium heat, heat the sugar and water to make a sugar syrup.

Step 14

Meanwhile, in a stand mixer, whisk the remaining egg whites on a medium/low speed.

Step 15

Once the sugar reaches 118C, slowly pour it over the whites. Then whisk for 7 minutes on high speed or until you have stiff peaks.

Step 16

Fold the meringue in, in three parts until you have a ribbon texture.

Step 17

Pipe the mixture into circles onto a silicon mat. Tap the tray to remove air bubbles and pop any with a toothpick.

Step 18

Leave the shells to rest for 20-30 minutes - until dry to the touch.

Step 19

Bake at 155C for 14-16 minutes or until they have a very slight wobble when you touch them.

Step 20

Remove the shells from the oven, cool them to room temperature, then freeze them for 10 minutes.

Notes

*to age the egg whites simply crack the eggs and weigh the whites. Then leave them covered at room temperature overnight.