I love macarons, they are one of the most beautiful baked french creations and they come in so many different colours & flavours the choices are endless!
Over the last couple of years, I've been flicking through a countless number of magazines, watching numerous cooking shows and looking at an abundance of internet websites that detail the process and details of a perfect macaron. I think I may have collected about 10-15 different recipes over this time, but I have never actually attempted them once.
My introduction to the taste of these pretty confections was back in May 2009, on a trip to Sydney when I attended a Planet Cake course and visited a little patisserie shop nearby called Adriano Zumbo. I was so happy to see them as I had never come across them in Perth. When I bit into one, they had an amazing crispy exterior and a chewy flavoursome interior that was a completely new taste experience I will never forget.
Just two days after my 26th birthday (22nd of October 2010) I decided I would attempt to make these for the very first time.
I decided on a recipe by Martha Stewart as this recipe has been used by many and seemed to have success in most cases. I was planning to try Adriano Zumbo's recipe but after seeing the attempts on Masterchef Australia, I decided against it for my first. I followed Martha's recipe exactly, and even weighed my egg whites (35g whites per large egg). After folding through the whites mixture with the almond/icing sugar mix, my mixture looked more like a solid grainy mound, than a mixture that could be piped. I imagined what the macarons would turn out like (little grainy rock mounds) and decided to modify the recipe before transferring it in the piping bag. I whipped up more egg whites with cream of tartar and sugar and folded it through. There was a lovely ribbon texture when I tested it, so I put it the piping bag and away we went. I got my little sister in law, Raychel to help me pipe the first few and I finished piping the rest. Our first batch was undercooked (first picture on the left) but after changing the cooking time they started growing beautiful feet and holding their shape! I made raspberry and white chocolate ganache as filling and got friends to help sandwich them together. These are the results. Enjoy!
