very berry macaron

Very Berry Macaron

Published on 13/01/2017 | In By
    • Prep Time
    • Minutes
    • Cook Time
    • Minutes
    • Yield
    • 2025
    • 20-25 pieces

It’s so cute, it’s so lovely. To make French macarons (might be macaroons in English, but not coconuts macaroon) is not easy for me. How many very sweet, almond, pasty, failed macaron shells have I eaten?! It’s so simple, but, actually very difficult. Honestly, I never failed so often to bake anything else, except maybe choux pastry. If I follow the recipe exactly, it may be ok. But I wanted to create a macaron that I like: not too sweet, not too chewy, and a lovely shape with a pied (fringe). For me a lovely appearance is one of the most important elements. However it should also taste good. You may prefer them much sweeter and chewier , but this is my favourite recipe.

very berry macaron

< The tips >

  • Freeze the egg white and then bring it back to room temperature just before use.
  • Please do the stage of “macaronage” (read the method) very carefully.
  • Make sure the macaron surface has dried enough before baking.
  • Never open the oven until the pied (fringe) appears and is set.
  • The butter cream recipe is Basic Butter Cream Recipe.

Enjoy making colourful, precious macarons!

Ingredients

  • < Macaron >
  • Freez 70g of egg white (about 2eggs), defrost before use
  • 60g fine caster sugar
  • 1/4tsp white vinegar
  • 80g sifted ground almonds (white, without shells)
  • 100g icing sugar
  • A couple of dots of your favourite food colouring
  • A pinch of fine salt
  • < Berry cream >
  • 100g butter cream
  • 100g frozen mixed berries
  • 2tbsp caster sugar

Instructions

  1. < Macaron > : Sift the icing sugar and the ground almond, then mix together in a big mixing bowl with a spatula. Prepare a large piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle, dimension 1cm. Set a baking sheet on a flat baking tray.
  2. Whisk the egg white, salt and vinegar in a large bowl until soft peaks form, then add the fine caster sugar in three separate portions. Continue to whisk until it becomes shinny and harder, thick peaks form. At this point you can add your chosen dots of food colouring (I use liquid pink and purple).
  3. Tip this meringue mixture into the almond paste and stir roughly with a spatula. Then start the crucial part of process, the "macaronage", which gives macarons their shiny, smooth skin. Not enough macaronage is the cause of cracks in the surface, and too much is a cause of flat and chewy macarons. Stir the mix with a spatula and smooth it against the side of the bowl to deflate some of the air from the meringue. Keep mixing until it becomes smooth and shiny. After 30 turns around the bowl with the spatula, check the mix. Scoop some up with the spatula and then let it slide off. It should form a slow ribbon, but not run too quickly. If it does it's too "macaronised" and, sorry, its too late. You will need to do it again from the beginning.
  4. Fill a piping bag with the mixture and pipe a 3cm circle (it becomes about 4cm round) onto the baking paper. Carefully break the air bubbles with a toothpick, then leave for 60-90 minutes to firm up and the surface becomes slightly silky. To check, gently touch the surface with a finger. When it's no longer sticky, it's ready to bake. If it's not dry enough, the "pied" doesn't appear (the fringe part).
  5. Bake in a preheated oven at 150 degrees for 15-18 minutes (depends on an oven) Let them cool before you remove them from the baking sheet.
  6. Match two halves of macaron of the same size, pipe your cream and sandwich together. Keep in a freezer at overnight, then defrost before you enjoy! (You can keep them about a month)
  7. < Berry cream > : Add the frozen beries to the sugar and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cook until it thickens slightly. Cool it down, then mix well with butter cream (see the recipe "Basic butter cream").