Macarons

loveisdivine

So I tried making macarons for the first time last week. Chocolate ones from Nigellas Domestic Goddess book. They tasted delicious but didnt have "feet" and were cracked and uneven on top.

So tomorrow I am trying again with salted caramel. I have trawled the internet for tips and tricks and I think I have found a recipe that should work. I think I didnt leave them long enough to develop a crust last time and thats why I didnt get any feet. Also, I think I was too gentle with my mixture and thats why they were cracked and uneven on top.

Anyone else ever tried Macarons? Any more tips for me? Success stories? Interesting flavours?

Magic Monkey

To develop a crust, just leave them out for long enough until when you touch one, the mixture doesn't stick to your finger. It's about 30 mins, but may take more or less time.

You should mix the batter until it just appears to be turning glossy. Also, using two baking trays instead of one slows heat transfer to the bases, which ensures an even rise, the development of feet, and prevents cracking on top. Oven temperature/time is also important - you may have to make a few batches until you find the right combination for your oven. Oh, and don't forget to bang the tray after piping them out - it settles the mix.

Interesting flavours, there are so many For reliable recipes, Hodges & Figgis sell Pierre Hermés "Macarons" book, which has lots of recipes. Most, if not all, of the flavour of macarons comes from the filling. Amongst the Parisian pastry shops, colouring is used to reflect the flavour; very few flavour the shells. Typically, they will use a ganache or a buttercream. The ratio of filling to shell(s) will affect the taste, as well as "maturing" the macaron - refrigerating for 24-72 hours, depending on the type, to allow the flavours to meld and the filling to soften the shell somewhat. Also, eating them at room temperature is better than straight from the fridge.

The are lots of recipes available online. Once you have a good, working shell recipe, the sky's the limit with regards to fillings. Salted Caramel is nice, as well as simple ones such as raspberry, pistachio, hazelnut, dark chocolate, lemon, and cherry, for example. Building on these with other flavours and textures will allow you to create some really interesting and tasty macarons.

mewa

my favourite flavour is vanilla - from a pod in the macaron mix and white chocolate ganache with bit of malibu for the filling

Mrs Fox

OOOOoooh lush I've made Nigella's Pistachio Macarons a few times and I still haven't mastered the art of 'cracking feet' although it does taste delicious.
My god when I think about it again they were just about the ugliest macarons I've seen. But how ugly can taste so good, beats me

loveisdivine

Success! the macarons I made on Saturday had great feet, a smooth top and no air pockets I was so happy when I checked in the oven and saw those feet!
The filling was delicious too, although I think I let the caramel go slightly over but it still tasted lovely when inside the macaron shells.
I have a picture of one, but dont have a photobucket or flickr account to load them on here, so you will just have to believe me!

If anyones interested this is the recipe I used http://www.honeyandsoy.com/fleur-de-sel-salted-caramel-macarons/

I let my eggs age for 2 days, and I did the Italian meringue, which looked so much better than a normal one. Much more glossy. The mixture seemed a little thicker than the Nigella one, I'm not sure if this helped or not.

loveisdivine

Managed to get a picture online!