First of all i have to say that i missed sitting down and writing recipes but for the last 5 months a lot was going on , we moved to a new appartment been traveling and working as well , beside i had a creative blockage that lasted as a result of many factors in a long blogging break. Now that this is over here i am again trying to re-integrate blogging into my routine and taking it easy and slowly.
Now let's get serious and talk "Macarons", and when i said serious i really mean it because macarons are all about precision and details. It took me more than 8 failed macaron batches to find the perfect recipe and execute it right .The key rule about making macarons is definetly :
Follow every word of the recipe , do not improvise !
Disclaimer : This is not my recipe i only modified it by adding matcha to the batter . I took this recipe from a french baking book "Le grand manuel du patissier" which is a great book to have if you are learning your way through the french patisserie and desserts art making .
Matcha macaron
INGREDIENTS
For the Italian meringue:
- 80 gr water
- 250 gr sugar
- 100 gr egg whites ( 3 to 4 egg whites it depends on the size of the eggs)
For the macaron batter:
- 250 gr sifted almond flour
- 250 gr icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla powder
- 100 gr egg whites
- 20 gr matcha tea
For the ganache:
- 300 gr white chocolate
- 180 gr heavy cream (30% fat)
- 15 gr matcha tea
fresh raspberries for decoration
INSTRUCTIONS
- First, start by preparing the sugar sirop for the italian meringue by cooking the sugar and water in a sauce pan on medium heat while gently stirring the sugar to prevent it from cristalizing and watching the sirop temperature .
- When the sirop reaches 80 C switch your mixer with the egg whites on medium speed and keep it on while watching your sirop temperature, once the sirop reaches 110 C set it aside for 1 minute then pour it slowly on the edge of your mixers bowl while wisking the egg whites on medium speed until it becomes shiny and forms a firm peak.
- In a seperate bowl place the sifted dry ingredients and the egg whites , then start mixing them with a spatula until having a homogenous paste like mixture that you should keep mixing against the bowl edges for at least two minutes , this is what we call "macaronage" in French which litterally means making macarons at the end add the matcha tea and mix until fully integrated in the almond paste.
- Add third of the italian meringue to the almond mixture and continue mixing with the spatula while then add the rest of the meringue and integrate it in the mixture as well. To know that your macaron batter is ready you should have a continuous batter rubbon when lifting the spatula .
- Line your baking sheet with parshment paper, then using a piping bag pipe 3 cm diameter circles for a bite sized macaron , you should have 80 to 84 circles. Smack the baking sheet on your table to get rid of the air bubbles in the macaron shells then let them rest for at least 15 min until they form a fine film on top .
- Bake the macaron shells in a 120 C ventilated oven for 15 min, then set them aside to cool down while preparing the ganache.
- On a bain marie melt the white chocolate and set is aside, add in the cream while mixing it to get a shiny smooth mixture then add in the matcha tea and mix. Set in the fridge for 2 to 3 hours after that wisk it on high speed until getting a fluffy white chocolate matcha ganache .
- Release your macaron shells , they should be easy to pull out of the baking sheet if baked well , then fill them with the ganache using a piping bag and add in some fresh raspberries slices to add a pop of freshness to the macarons.
and voila enjoy it !
Amal Nasri
A full time sweet tooth foodie , foodphotographer and recipe developer who is always on the hunt of new flavor combinations and food discoveries to re-create sweet delicacies and fresh dessert recipes .