Is there anything more adorable and elegant than a Parisian macaron? Not to be confused with the American macaroon, an equally delicious coconut confection, these light, crispy, chewy, and sweet treats are all the rage in Paris (or so I’m told, still planning that trip) and have become popular here in the States. Their ingredients are simple, but the technique is complicated and can be tricky, which is why you will pay a pretty penny for them here.
As part of my Weekend Warrior project over at MarcusSamuelsson.com I featured a recipe for pink macarons, which was a summary of my day-long adventure of making macarons (check out the original post here). For those of you who are interested in the science, lure, and technique of making them, I have posted a detailed explanation of the ingredients and process involved. It’s lengthy, but should be very helpful to those first-time macaron makers.
By no means do I hype this up as a way to intimidate you from making them, it’s well worth the effort and for those of you who enjoy baking, will be a lot of fun. Sure they may not come out perfect the first time, but it’s simple to make a new batch and try again. Plus, your friends and family will be so impressed! Tap into your inner fearless foodie attitude and try them yourself!
French vs. Italian meringue
First things first—macarons are meringue folded with almond flour and confectioners sugar, piped and baked. There are three different meringues, French, Italian, and Swiss, and when it comes to making macarons, the two methods used are French or Italian.
A French meringue (which I used) is the least complicated and is simply egg whites whipped with granulated sugar to stiff peaks. An Italian meringue requires more precision; sugar and water is heated to 244 degrees F (also known as the soft ball stage) while simultaneously egg whites are being whipped to soft peaks. The hot sugar syrup is then trickled into the whipping egg whites until stiff peaks form. The benefit of using the Italian method, as the French macaron master Pierre Hermé does, is that it gives the meringue more stability, increasing the chances that your macaroon will rise just so.
I chose the French method because I a) don’t have a KitchenAid stand mixer which is essential to the Italian method, and b) wanted to see if it could be done the French way. There is a secret ingredient you can add to your French meringue to help stability—egg white powder.
Egg Whites
Egg whites are the main ingredient of macarons so it’s important to understand how to use them. It is best to use egg whites that have aged at room temperature for a few days, or at least 24 hours. This means leaving the egg whites in an open container on the counter. Older whites are thinner and foam more rapidly than fresh ones.
It’s also important that your whites have no traces of fat in them. When you’re separating your eggs initially, be careful not to let any yolk into the whites, this will make it more difficult to achieve the stiff foam you desire and the overworking will decrease stability. If you see any yolk, scoop it out with a spoon the best you can. Separating cold eggs should help prevent the yolk from breaking.
A meringue is an egg white foam sweetened with sugar not only for flavor, but stability. According to Harold McGee’s On Food and Cooking, sugar “contributes reinforcement of its own in the form of fine but solid, cotton-candy-like strands of dry sugar.” When you add the sugar is also critical. McGee explains that whipping the whites to a foamy-state before adding the sugar will allow the egg proteins to unfold, something sugar hinders. The picture below shows the foamy state you should look for.
Egg white powder, as I mentioned above, is dehydrated egg whites. In theory you could use all egg white powder, add water, and whisk to create the same effect. By adding the egg white powder to the fresh whites you are adding another layer of stability to your meringue. You can find egg white powder at speciality bake shops or online at Amazon. For those of you weary of using fresh whites, egg white powder is pasteurized and is a great substitute. It’s also great in making royal icing.
Soft/Stiff Peaks
The terminology soft and stiff peaks is used a lot in baking texts but can be confusing to inexperienced bakers. Soft peaks are when egg whites are whipped to a stage where the whites are fluffy and glossy, and when you pick up your whisk the foam hangs off the end and droops down, almost running off. Stiff peaks are achieved with continued whisking until the whites firm up, looking like whipped cream, and when you pick up your whisk the foam stands up on the end and slightly hooks (see picture below). Once stiff there is no need to continue whisking. Stiff peaks are required in macarons as their stiffness increases stability.
I used a hand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment to whip my whites, but you could certainly use a stand mixer (which I recommend) or by hand, but be prepared for a solid arm workout!
Almond Flour
Almond meal/flour is simply raw blanched whole almonds that have been ground into a fine powder. Next to egg whites and sugar, they are the main ingredient in macarons and give them their unique nutty, almond flavor. If you have a high-speed food processor like a Robot Coupe you could make your own flour, but for ease and simplicity I would recommend buying it. I used a bag I picked up at Trader Joe’s that had large traces of almond skin in it, which I tried to sift out, but still ended up in my macarons (which you can see in the picture). If I were to do it again, I would but a fine ground version, such as Bob’s Red Mill.
Exact Measurements
As with all baking, measuring your ingredients exactly is important. I used a scale to measure everything out in grams to ensure accuracy. I highly recommend picking up a digital scale at your local kitchen supply or hardware store. It will cost you under $30 and will save you even more on wasted ingredients from things you over-baked. My recipes below are listed in grams, however I did include a conversion if you want to go by cups and spoons. I cannot guarantee the results if you don’t measure with a scale.
Incorporating Wet and Dry Ingredients
Combining the wet and dry ingredients is usually where macaron making can go wrong. Keeping the meringue fluffy while incorporating the flour, sugar, and salt is a careful art. In my research I found that each person had their own count of how many strokes make the perfect macaron. I’m not sure there is an exact answer to this, each batch I made took a different number of strokes to get the ideal texture, ranging from 25 to 45.
The proper technique is to fold the batter by scraping a rubber spatula around the side of the bowl while simultaneously turning the bowl in the opposite direction. What you don’t want to do is stir it; this will break down the meringue you worked so hard to create and deflate your batter. You shouldn’t need to go past 50 strokes, but look for the whites to just incorporate, leaving a few traces of white with no loose flour and a glossy texture as in the picture below.
Another way to test the proper doneness of your batter is tilt your bowl; the batter should slowly run down like flowing
Tara O'Keeffe