KBB#18 French Macarons - Raspberry French Macarons

I first saw this in Paris couple years ago and immediately thought wow what a cute little morsels, so pretty with many colors and flavour but darn they weren’t cheap either. Ever since I bump into macarons here and there over the net but never did I got the guts to try it out, for I heard that they weren’t easy to make hence the price tag. Until earlier this month we at KBB received the challenge that I had to make it but I would be forever thankful to KBB, if not for this challenge I don’t know when would I have the courage.

As I ran out of time to do some try outs, so this was my first ever macarons and I think they turned out not so bad. I got the s0-called feet, YAY. Moreover I love this macarons more than shop bought version since this I found not too tooth achingly sweet, just perfect with a cup of coffee.

All in all some conclusion that I could make:

– Important to not over whip your egg white.

– Do not overbeat.

– Let it stand outside for aproximately 1 hour.

– Make sure the oven temperature is low at 140C.

Basic French Meringue

For the shells:
– 90 gr egg whites (use eggs whites that have been preferably left 3-5 days in the fridge)
– 25 gr granulated sugar
– 200 gr powdered sugar
– 110 gr almonds (slivered, blanched, sliced, whatever you like) (I used almond meal)
– (I used 1 drop red gel food coloring)

Prepare the macarons:
– In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites to a foam, (think bubble bath foam) gradually add the sugar until you obtain a glossy meringue (think shaving cream). Do not overbeat your meringue or it will be too dry.

– Place the powdered sugar and almonds and powdered color in a food processor and give them a good pulse until the nuts are finely ground.

– Add them to the meringue, give it a quick fold to break some of the air and then fold the mass carefully until you obtain a batter that falls back on itself after counting to 10.

– Give quick strokes at first to break the mass and slow down. The whole process should not take more than 50 strokes. Test a small amount on a plate: if the tops flattens on its own you are good to go. If there is a small beak, give the batter a couple of turns.

-Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip (Ateco #807 or #809) with the batter and pipe small rounds (1.5 inches in diameter) onto parchment paper or silicone mats lined baking sheets.

– Let the macarons sit out for 30 minutes to an hour to harden their shells a bit. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 280F.

– When ready, bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on their size. Let cool. Once baked and if you are not using them right away, store them in an airtight container out of the fridge for a couple of days or in the freezer.

White Chocolate Raspberry Ganache:

– 1/2 cup cream

– 1 1/2 cup white chocolate

– 1/3 cup good quality raspberry jam

– Heat the cream until hot, drom white chocolate and raspberry jam into the cream and stir until all are melted and come together.

– Let cool and firm enough to pipe or spoon onto the macarons shells.

Source: Helen Dujardin