Macaroons. Or (in French) Macarons. They are so pretty. And sophisticated. And delicious. Customers have been asking us to make them for ages, but they have a reputation for being tricky and time-consuming. And, even after seven years at the bakery, I find it hard to make time to experiment with new recipes. Especially tricky ones.
But we have an intern for a few weeks. And he's a great help with stuff like this because, like the rest of us at the bakery, he's passionate about baking. And eager to try things in a "real" bakery after several months in culinary school. Plus, since he is not a permanent employee, he doesn't have permanent responsibilities -- he can help out wherever we need him.
Fast forward about fifteen batches of 'practice' macarons (that would be several hundred macarons) that were undercooked, overcooked, too wrinkly, cracked on top, without the frilly 'foot' or otherwise unacceptable. Followed by at least fifteen batches of pretty good macarons, and, finally, many batches of macaron bliss.
Two completely different recipes and several variations of each. Tens of dozens of eggs, separated. At least ten pounds of almond flour; even more pounds of confectioners' and granulated sugar. Plus cocoa. Coffee beans. Lavender. Raspberry powder. Green tea. Earl Grey tea. Lemon zest. Orange zest. Ginger. Heavy cream. Chocolate. Food colors in almost every hue. And so many other ingredients that I don't even remember.
All worthwhile because we've come up with a formula that works in our mixers and our ovens, and produces a perfect little macaron, perfectly smooth on top, almost shiny, with a frilly little foot around the bottom.
Did I mention that we had to calibrate our oven because (apparently) the temperature was off by 50-75 degrees? The oven was purchased new about five years ago, but all ovens need to be calibrated from time to time, especially when they get heavy use -- as in a bakery.
The basic recipe itself is very simple, with only four ingredients:
3/4 cup of almond flour
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 egg whites
1/4 cup granulated sugar
That's it, but the mixing, the timing, and the baking are very precise and matter very much. Overmixing and undermixing produce equally horrid results. The type and amount of flavor and color also matter. The more you add, the more you must adjust the basic ingredients. The texture must be just right for the shiny skin to form on top, and the frilly foot to form on the bottom. We have had our share of dull, footless macarons (if you can even call them that).
After piping perfect little circles, all EXACTLY the same size (a feat in itself), on a parchment lined baking sheet, you bang the tray on the work surface to release any air bubbles, then let them dry and form a skin before baking.
Shall we talk about the oven temperature?Too hot and they crack on top, too cool and they brown before being fully cooked.
And the timing? They form a frilly foot around the bottom the surface hardens long before they are done. Many times we have taken a tray out before they are fully cooked. Fourteen minutes works most of the time, but I'm constantly reminding people that time is only a guide. You must "bake until done" which is easier said than done.
Add-ins, especially flavors and dry ingredients such as coconut, cocoa, coffee and powders (we use some freeze-dried raspberry powder) add a whole other dimension to the formula. Some bakers avoid this complication entirely by adding only color to the shells, and flavoring the fillings. Playing it safe has never been the way we roll, at least not at first.
Check in often to see what flavors we have mastered. There is always something new (like red velvet for tailgate macarons). We especially like herbs and teas and fruits, and can hardly wait to try different nuts (pistachios, hazelnuts and peanuts). It's going to be a long journey, but one we're most excited to take.
