Currently reading Mad about Macarons and Teatime in Paris

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anna_x

Well-known member
We were in Paris for our 45th anniversary last year and thought it might be nice to recreate the raspberry, chocolate, and pistachio ones we tried there.

I read Mad about Macarons first and thought, "I might be able to do these."

Then, I got into Teatime in Paris and it's scaring me: not having the right kind of sweet butter, not using superfine sugar, and particularly not having special colorings and flavorings. Are they really as fussy as they sound? I hate to go buy rosewater, powdered colorings, and dusting powders in case they are ugly tasteless things.

 
I make hundreds of them each week for my business - i have detailed instructions on my blog>>

I use gel paste colouring, I just don't use a whole lot. I use regular unsalted butter for my buttercream. It really is more about the technique than specific ingredients. I have many French ex-patriots and well-traveled customers who absolutely adore mine, and swear they are just as good if not better any they had in France. smileys/smile.gif

http://wildserendipityfoods.blogspot.ca/

 
Your site is gorgeous! Thank you for pointing it out.

If we stop having such humid weather soon, I may give them a try after all. Meanwhile I could gather the supplies. Your blog is very encouraging!

 
michelle's blog is brilliant. My first attempt used Francois Payard's method. I noticed

that it was radically different from other versions I had read, but hey...the guy is a french pastry icon.

They looked beautiful, but were a complete disaster. Perfect HOLLOW mounds. His oven temperature was off. His timing was off. He didn't leave the blobs sit long enough to crust (THIS IS IMPORTANT). I think he was trying to make the method more accessible to home bakers since this cookie is so popular now, but really, his method may work in a commercial kitchen with trained pastry chefs, but not for the novice.

Next I followed michelle's detailed instruction, which track traditional steps. Anna, these cookeis are not difficult at all. They take time and you need to follow the meticulous steps....but they are there for good physics reasons.

This batch worked perfectly. I got the little "feet" and the rounded surface and they lifted off and WEREN'T HOLLOW! I noticed a difference in the color when I baked on my commercial grade cookie sheets (12x17) versus a smaller batch using my cheap thin grocery store ones (10x15). The heavier pans held the tinted color of the batter while the thin sheet browned the color.
I have photos here somewhere and will dig them up.

That said, Payard did provide a very tasty raspberry filling that I will use again. I'll link that as wll.

 
Here is my write-up with photos (good/bad) and recipe for raspberry filling.

Raspberry filling:

2 oz (62 grams) quality white chocolate
1/4 C + 1 tsp (56 grams) white sugar
1 heaping TBL (10 grams) cornstarch
2 TBL (30 grams) heavy cream
7 TBL (100 grams) quality fruit puree
5 1/2 TBL (75 grams) unsalted butter, soft

Break up chocolate and put it in bowl.
Whisk sugar and cornstarch together
Bring cream and puree to boil, slowly add cornstarch and boil for 2-3 minutes.
Pour over chocolate. Let sit and then stir smooth.
Whisk in butter.
Chill for 1 hour, stir every 15 minutes. Put plastic wrap on surface to keep skin from developing.

I didn't have processed fruit puree, so I made some with the standard proportion of fruit to 10% sugar.

Example , if I had 200 grams of fresh raspberry, I pureed that with 20 grams of sugar and then strained the mixture through a chinois to remove all seeds.

http://eat.at/swap/forum1/245849_If_this_is_your_first_macaron_attempt_ever_you_get_hollow_footless_macarons

 
Thank you Marilyn! You used MY method & didn't get hollow macarons?? WTH am I doing wrong?! lol

I can come to accept that my macarons are hollow. Because I no longer have time for experimentation, that's just my reality. My customers truly love them, and I think the fact that they are hollow keeps the shell crisp, which gives more texture contrast. That's what I tell myself smileys/wink.gif

 
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