Bon Jour Mes Amis!
Back in November we enjoyed making macarons for the first time with my sister-in-law. We had such fun making two very different recipes. Both being avid bakers, this was the first time for both of us venturing down this path! We had different almond flour types and compared and contrasted the two. Mine were whole ground almonds while hers were blanched. The whole ones are great for chocolate macarons as the skin would be camouflaged....for pale macarons the blanched would be better utilized.
We made two different recipes one being a plain and the other being chocolate. There were textural differences. For a first time we did well and they were both very tasty!!! With baking even if things do not turn out well one can eat the mistakes and mishaps - YUM!!!
We found letting the egg whites "age" are key :) Most macaron problems occur from a poor meringue. "Aging" the egg whites is one way to improve the meringue, we separate the egg whites the day before and storing in a sealed container until ready to use. This allows the egg whites to dehydrate and relaxes the egg white proteins which prevents over whipping them while achieving stiff peaks.If you are a baker and have considered making these delicious morsels, I want to encourage you. They really are easy, just time intensive. I would love to hear if you have tried to make macarons, or any issues you have had and/or resolved.
Bon Appétit!!!
