How to Make Macarons - a compilation of research!

French macarons are a small cookie with a big reputation.  A reputation for being beautiful and delectable, and also a reputation for being incredibly temperamental and finicky to make. 

1.  What is the Perfect Macaron?

The perfect macaron is crisp on the outside, chewy and tender on the inside, and ends with a lush filling.

The macaron shell should

•  be flat, perfectly round, and shiny gloss on the outer skin
•  be chewy
•  have 'feet' or 'skirt' that goes around the circumference of the shell
•  have a generous, rich filling that comes right to the edge and have a rounded effect
  

2.  What is the technique that ensure perfect macaron for every batch?

Using the Italian meringue

The French meringue is best known to home cooks where fine white sugar are added to the beating egg whites.

The Swiss meringue is whisked over a double water bath to warm the egg whites, and then whisked steadily until it cools. This forms a dense, glossy marshmallow-like meringue. It is usually then baked.

The Italian meringue is made with mixing boiling sugar syrup into the 'soft peaked' egg whites while they are being whipped, until a 'stiff peak' is achieved.  This method leads to a more 'stable' soft meringue that will not collapse or deflate.  It also gives a lot of 'rising' power to the mixture.  Many sources says they prefer the Italian meringue method because 1) it gives consistency, 2) mixture allows flexibility in its consistency, 3) more convenient - less time in aging egg whites and less wait before baking, easier to peel from the baking sheet.  

3.  What Equipments are Needed for the Perfect Macaron?

It is absolutely essential to have the right tools to make successful macarons.  There's a saying that "baking is a science", because making macarons requires the precision and attention to detail of a good scientist.  And a good scientist will use the right tools to ensure the precision and accuracy of their experiments.

These are the tools/equipments you will need:

•  Electric stand mixer
  An electric stand mixer is essential to making an Italian meringue because it allows your hands to be free to pour the sugar syrup at the right temperature into the mixing egg whites at the correct consistency.
•  Sugar Thermometer
  It is imperative to have a sugar thermometer to measure the sugar temperature of the sugar syrup at exactly 118oC (244oF) the magic numbers for the Italian meringue.
•  Kitchen Scale
  Since making macaron requires precise measurements, a kitchen scale is essential to measure out all your ingredients with exactness.
•  Piping bags and piping tips, spatula
  You will need piping bags to pipe both the macaron shells and filling with carefulness to ensure a 'round' macaron is produced.  You may get disposable bags or reusable ones.  The piping tip needed is a plain round 1/2 inch diameter tip.

4.  Making the Macaron Shell

 There are 5 steps to making the macaron shells:

•  Making the tant-pour-tant (TPT)
•  Making the Italian meringue
•  Combining the TPT and meringue (verb: macaronner)
•  Piping the shells
•  Baking the shells

• Making the TPT

 Tant-pour-tant roughly translates as "as much as", meaning that we are using equal amounts of almond meal and pure icing sugar.

A very important note about your egg whites: they must be aged.  This means separating the egg yolks from egg whites, and storing the whites in the fridge for at least 12-24 hours (up to 5 days) before you make your macarons.  This reduces the elasticity of the egg whites and is what will contribute to the beautiful 'feet' or 'skirt'.  Must return the egg whites to room temperature before using them. 

Ingredients:
150g almond meal
150g icing sugar
60g egg whites

Measure out the almond meal and icing sugar separately on a kitchen scale. Sift the almond meal and icing sugar together with a sieve into a large bowl.  It is important to sift them together and not one after the other.

Using a whisk, make a well in the TPT, and pour the egg whites into the well.  Using brisk circular movements, incorporate the TPT and egg whites to form a smooth, thick paste.

• Making the Italian meringue

Italian meringue uses cooked sugar.  Here is where the precision is of the utmost importance.  Ensure that your sugar syrup is heated exactly between 116oC and 118oC by using a sugar thermometer before the heated sugar is added to whipped egg whites.

Ingredients:
60g egg whites
sugar syrup:
150g fine white sugar
35g water

Place the aged, room temperature egg whites into the bowl of the electric stand mixer.

Weigh the water into a saucepan, then add the sugar.  Heat the sugar syrup on medium-high heat.  When the syrup reaches 115oC, turn on the electric mixer and start whipping the egg whites on medium speed until it reaches the soft-peak stage.  The trick is getting the timing right to ensure that your egg whites are at the soft peak stage as soon as your sugar syrup is ready. 

As soon as the sugar reaches 118oC, take the saucepan off the stove immediately and pour the syrup slowly onto the still-mixing egg whites that should be at soft-peak stage.  If soft peaks achieved before it reaches the target temperature, reduce the speed to low to keep the whites moving. *egg whites must be moving*

Once you have poured all the syrup on the egg whites, turn the mixer on maximum and beat for 1 minute.  Lower the speed to medium and beat for another 2 minutes.  This will cool down the mixture while strengthening the meringue.  If you are coloring your shells, add the coloring at this stage (use powder or gel food coloring should be used, not liquid food coloring).  Your final meringue should be around 50oC. A 'stiff-peak' consistency is formed.

• Combining the TPT and Italian meringue

Using a spatula, mix 1/3 of the meringue with the TPT mixture to loosen it up. Then fold the remaining meringue and TPT mixture. (You may not need all the meringue).  Use a folding technique, moving the bowl a quarter of a turn with each fold, and using brisk movements.

You want the consistency of the macaron batter to resemble a soft cake batter.  Another way to check the consistency is to fold a small amount of batter over the rest of the mixture.  The small amount of batter should flatten out and incorporate back into the mixture in about 12 seconds. The batter should smooth and runs in thick ribbons off of the spatula. 

• Piping the shells

Create a piping template with a 1.5 inch diameter circles with 1 inch separating space.  Line baking sheets with piping template and top with parchment paper. 

Piping is one of the more challenging techniques but with time and practice, you will be able to produce perfectly round, even shells.

Prepare your piping bags and piping tips.  Place your plain round 1/2 inch diameter piping tip inside the piping bag.  Using a spatula, scoop the macaron batter into the piping bag, filling only half way.

To pipe, hold your piping bag vertically and about 1/2 inch above the surface of the pan.  With hand holding the piping bag, press the mixture with uniform pressure.  Use your other hand to control the distance between the tip and the baking tray.  Pipe each shell by squeezing the batter in one spot i.e. don't pipe by making circular movements.  Once you have piped the desired size, 'cut' the mixture using a quick motion so that you won't get a peak.  The batter may create small peaks immediately after piping, but if it is the correct texture these will smooth themselves in a minute or two.  If the batter is too stiff, the peaks will remain and the tops of the shells may not be totally smooth.  If the batter is too thin, the rounds will spread further.

• Baking the shells

 Leave the piped shells to dry and form a crust at room temperature before baking (about 15 min - 1 hour depending on humidity).  Touch the batter with your finger, the batter should not stick to your finger and a thin film forms.  In this time, the piped shells will flatten and smooth out.

Baking temperature depends on the type of oven you are using.  Whichever oven you use, you need to let the steam escape while the shells are baking by placing a wooden spatula or wooden chopsticks in between the oven and the door.

Here is a general cooking guide:

Convection (fan-forced): Preheat oven to 150oC and bake shells for 25 minutes, while leaving a gap for steam to escape.

Static oven: Preheat oven to 170oC and bake shells for 25 minutes while leaving a gap for steam to escape.

Bake until the surface is smooth and set and 'feet' have formed around the bottom.  Once the shells are cooked, slide the baking paper off the baking tray and let the shells to cool (about 5-10 minutes).  They should come off the parchment paper easily and fully intact. Match the shells up in pairs and sandwich with the filling of your choice.

5.  Making the Macaron Filling

Macaron fillings are limited only by your imagination! The main macaron fillings fall into 3 broad categories

•  Ganache
•  Buttercream
•  Fruit Preserve

Chocolate Ganache Ingredients:
225g cream
200g dark chocolate
75g butter

Chop the chocolate until you get flakes. Chop the butter into small cubes.

Boil the cream. Pour a third of the boiled cream into the grated chocolate and let sit for a few minutes to commence melting the chocolate.

Mix the cream and chocolate in a slow circular motion taking care not to incorporate any air.

Once you have a shiny and homogenous mixture, pour the remaining cream over the chocolate and repeat the mixing process.  The temperature of the chocolate should be about 55oC.

Add the butter and mix until the butter has completely absorbed into the chocolate.  Cover your ganache with clingfilm and leave in the fridge to set.

Pipe the ganache onto half the shells and sandwich with the remaining shells.



Sources:
Annie's Eats and Honey & Soy