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| A love affair with a French Macaron... |
Just the sight of these brightly colored, beautiful light treats is enough to make your mouth water. Salted caramel, blueberry, pistachio, vanilla, chocolate, raspberry, oh the varieties are endless. Have you ever wondered about their history? Let me share what I have learned.
First, let’s discuss some confusion about their pronunciation and spelling. Macaron or macaroon .. While some experts say that they are interchangeable, most seem to agree that an extra “o” makes all the difference! Both macarons and macaroons are confections, and both names are derived from ammaccare, which is Italian for "to crush" — but that's where the similarities end.
The macaroon (rhymes with “soon”) is a dense shredded coconut biscuit while the macaron (rhymes with “ron – or drop the “n” for the French pronunciation) is the wonderful light French confection created by sandwiching two meringue based biscuits together with jam, buttercream or ganache filling.
While the macaron is accepted as an iconic French treat, there has been some debate about its origins. Larousse Gastronomique cites the macaron as being created in 1791 in a convent near Cormery in the centre of France. Some have traced its French debut to the arrival of Catherine de Medici. Upon marrying Henry II of France in 1533, she brought her Italian pastry chefs and the early form of macarons with her.
In 1792, macarons began to gain fame when two Carmelite nuns, seeking asylum in Nancy during the French Revolution, baked and sold the macaron cookies in order to pay for their housing. These nuns became known as the "Macaron Sisters". In these early stages, macarons were served without special flavors or fillings.
It was not until the 1830s that macarons began to be served two-by-two with the addition of jams, liqueurs, and spices. The macaron as it is known today, composed of two almond meringue discs filled with a layer of buttercream, jam, or ganache filling, was originally called the "Gerbet" or the "Paris macaron." Pierre Desfontaines of the French pâtisserie Ladurée has sometimes been credited with its creation in the early part of the 20th century, but another baker, Claude Gerbet, also claims to have invented it.
Either way, they are very very good!!! It was my cute Granddaughters who turned me on to this sweet love affair with the French Macaron. For that matter any kind of Macaron. I love them so much I am going to make a hamburger one for my Husband, Yes, I found a video and recipe....I'm excited to try them. But back to this French Macaron.
The colors remind me of Spring, Easter, and that's what I am going to do this Easter Holiday is make some....
The French Macaron
Prep Time: 2 hour
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 3 hour
Ingredients
1 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup almond flour
2 egg whites
1/4 cup granulated sugar
drop of food coloring paste of your choice
1/2 cup filling of your choice
Instructions
1. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Put a master template under the parchment paper or draw about 12 1 1/2-inch circles in rows on the paper, about 1 inch apart.
2. Process powdered sugar and almond flour in a food processor until finely ground. Sift the mixture through a sieve. If there are more than 2 tablespoons of large chunks left in the sieve, grind them and sift again. Set the mixture aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitter with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites at medium speed until frothy. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Increase the speed to high and beat until very stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.
4. Sift the almond flour mixture over the egg whites. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the almond flour mixture into the egg whites until the ingredients are just combined. Add a drop or two of food coloring to tint the batter. Continue to fold the mixture until it has loosened and falls in a ribbon from the spatula.
5. Fit a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch round tip and fill the bag with the batter. Using the template as a guide, pipe circles onto the parchment papers.
6. Tap the bottom of each sheet on the work surface to release trapped air bubbles. Let the cookies stand at room temperature for at least 30 - 45 minutes. This allows the cookies to develop their crusts.
7. Preheat oven to 325F. Bake the macarons for 10 to 12 minutes, until set but not browned.
8. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and let the macarons to cool completely on the pans. Once cooled, gently lift half of the cookies from the parchment paper and turn them upside down.
9. Spoon or pipe a teaspoon of filling onto each of the upside-down cookies. Top with the remaining cookies.
So you want to see the Hamburger Macaron...
and here's the video...
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