Macarons: what I've learnt

I have made a few batches of macarons (almond, chocolate, raspberry) and though I manage to get pretty good results, I am still not 100% there. I have been reading a lot on the subject: I've researched books, I've gone through troubleshooting posts, and I have tried both the Italian meringue technique (used at Pierre Hermé) and the French meringue technique. Italian meringue is more stable than French, as the sugar syrup is cooked, and leads to smoother, shinier, chewier macarons. To achieve perfect results you really need to know your oven, as the little crunchy, melt-in-your-mouth cookies are very sensitive to temperature. There should not be any currents / drafts in your oven, or you might get cracks. An oven thermometer might be a good investment.

For the French meringue macarons I used Brave Tart's recipe. For the Italian meringue macarons I used  Jose Marechal's basic recipe. If, like me, you are eager to know  the scientific explanation behind baking, his little book is worth every penny (and not so expensive either). It has a lot of photos and detailed reasoning behind the steps that are important in the process of macaron making. I promise to share the specific recipe soon. If you are a visual person though, you can see the process (at Pierre Hermé's kitchen, nonetheless)  here and below.

So here are a few tips I have learnt, tested and gathered from all over the place:

-Macarons need precision. A scale to weigh your ingredients (from the egg whites, to the icing sugar and ground almonds) is necessary. Changes in proportion (even minimal) can cause changes in texture.  I normally grind the almonds with the sugar together to make sure they are fine enough.

-It is very important to mix the icing sugar and ground almonds (le “tant pour tant”) until they are homogenous and  then sieve the mix several times. There should not be any big pieces left (or they will cause your macarons to be grainy, or worse, to crack whilst baking). A processor is a big help here. I don't have one, so I use a blender and a coffee grinder for the harder pieces.

-Your mix has to have the right consistency. When you make the batter, le macaronage, you are actually trying to beat the air out of the meringue, so circular and rubbing movements are needed. Your batter should pour in a ribbon-like manner (it's  often described as molten, or lava-like) and join the rest of the batter after a few seconds.

-Tapping the trays after piping your macarons is important not only to flatten them, but to break any bubbles of air. Air bubbles trapped during baking will find it’s way up and crack the shells.

-Having fully dried shells, letting a film or crust form (call this: “le croûtage” if you’re feeling fancy) is crucial. It allows macarons to stretch sideways while they are still out of the oven. If you omit this step the macarons will grow sideways AND upwards while baking, causing them to crack*. The air should escape only through the “feet” forming the ruffles on the bottom (instead of through the top of the shell which would cause them to break), hence the crust also prevents cracks. You should let your macarons rest after piping from 20 min to 1 hour (depending on the air humidity). When you touch them, they should not stick to your fingers.

-I used a silicon mat only once and it was disastrous. I've had a much better experience with waxed paper.  The macarons stuck to the silicon and it seemed that they did not cook properly even after more than half an hour (unusual). My guess is the silicon does not get as hot as the (thinner) paper.

-For the filling, ganaches are delicious. I used 200 ml whipping cream + 200 gr dark chocolate + 50 gr butter. Just warm up the cream until it is just about to boil (but it shouldn’t), pour it over the chopped chocolate and stir so it melts, then add the butter. Let it cool to form a cream. You can even make a fruit-ganache (replacing the cream with juices / jam). I have also used lemon curd and homemade jams. Buttercream, cream-cheese frosting, nutella can also work. Oh and don't eat them right away, macarons taste way better one or two days after resting in the fridge. The flavors blend and the crusts become moist in the interior.

Finally here are some pretty useful posts I  found:

-Marcela's take on macaron making.(I lost my fear because of her, and her post is full of pictures of each step, so you get an idea of how things should look);

-Brave Tart has a few interesting articles: first of all, read the Macaron Mythbusters (anyone who references Heisenberg's uncertainty principle has my trust), secondly, just to clarify, Macarons are for eating (even if your macarons don't look as if they should be showcased in a light-green French pâtisserie, they will still be delicious) and finally her Macaron's Ten commandments were very helpful and straight-forward. *She does say that for her, "le croûtage" (letting your macarons form a crust before baking) is not necessary, as she pops her macarons straight to the oven right after piping (and tapping the pans). I did that, and it didn't work for me. Moreover, the longer the macarons rested, the better they looked. So in my humble home-experience drying helps a lot.

Try this at home! Worst case scenario you'll have a bunch of crunchy almond cookies to munch on!  (And by the way, today I am over at Any Other Woman... talking about eating macarons (and ice-cream) at our wedding, do visit!)