Macaron Fetish Fanciful Shapes, Flavors, and Colors to Take Macarons to the Next Level

 Basic Macarons

(Christmas) Cinnamon Anise Chocolate & Wine Jelly Macarons

 

 

Basic Macarons

1 large egg white (40g)

2 1/2 tbsp (30g) superfine sugar

1/3 cup (30g) ground almonds

1/3 cup + 4 tsp (50g) powdered sugar

1/2 tsp powdered food coloring (to add to dry ingredients) or

1/4 tsp gel/paste food coloring (to add to stiffened egg white)

 

Get your tools ready. Put the tip in the piping bag, and stuff a part of the bag into it.

 

Beginners should place the bag over a container and secure the opening. This makes pouring the mixture into the bag easier.

 

Finely blend the almond flour, powdered sugar, and food coloring. Shift into a bowl and set aside.

 

With a hand beater, beat the egg white until frothy. Slowly incorporate half of the superfine sugar. Beat until the egg white forms soft peaks.

 

Add in the other half of the sugar, and continue beating until the egg white forms stiff peaks. The egg white should hold up like a bird’s beak.

 

Add the dry ingredients and start folding gently. This should take 50–60 strokes, using the “lift-turn-fold-press” motion.

 

The mixture is ready when it flows like lava, and makes a thick ribbon when lifted. It should also sink back slowly.

 

The mixture should be smooth and shiny. Any lines created when lifting it should disappear within 30 seconds.

 

Pour the mixture into the prepared piping bag. Pull out the tip, and slowly press down the bag. Twist the top of the bag, and start piping onto parchment paper lined over a baking tray.

 

Gently press the piping bag. Then, release the pressure and make a quick swirl to finish. Repeat until all of the mixture is used up. Tap the bottom of the baking tray to release any large air pockets in the macarons.

 

Let the piped shells sit for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 300 °F (150 °C). Put the macarons in the oven and bake for 10–15 minutes. Let the shells cool off before removing them from the paper.

 

(Christmas) Cinnamon Anise Chocolate & Wine Jelly Macarons

 

Ingredients

 

For the shells:

 

1 egg white (40g)

2 1/2 tbsp (30g) superfine sugar

1/3 cup + 4 tsp (50g) powdered sugar

1/3 cup (30g) almond flour

1/4 tsp blue food coloring powder

black icing pen

 

For the filling:

 

3 1/2 tbsp (50g) heavy cream

(35% fat)

1.75 oz (50g) dark chocolate (finely chopped)

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground anise

1/4 tsp anise (powder)

3 1/2 tbsp (50mL) red wine

1/4 tsp agar-agar powder

 

Methods

 

For the shells:

 

Follow the basic macaron baking methods on pages 8–11.

 

Scoop out 2 tbsp of the mixture into a separate bowl, and add in the blue coloring powder. Mix well and set aside.

 

To make the snowman shape, pipe a circle of about 3/4 inch (2cm), and add a circle of about 1 1/2 inches (4cm) connected to the first circle. Repeat until the mixture is used up. Dip a chopstick in the blue mixture prepared earlier, and drag it between the two circles to make the scarf.

 

Bake at 300 °F (150 °C) for 12 minutes. Let the macaron shells cool down before removing them from the baking sheet.

 

For the filling:

 

Mix the red wine and agar-agar powder in a small pot, and bring it to a boil for 2 minutes. Pour over a flat plate, and let it cool before refrigerating.

 

Melt the dark chocolate in a heat-proof bowl over a water bath.

 

In another pot, heat until just boiling the cream with cinnamon and anise powder. Remove from the heat, and infuse for 10 minutes.

 

Rewarm the mixture, and pour it over the chocolate. Incorporate the mixture, and let it cool before refrigerating.

 

Cut the jelly into small squares. Fill up one macaron shell with the chocolate ganache, top up with the jelly, and put a pea-size chocolate ganache on it. Close it up with another shell.