Pistachio and raspberry macaroons (Christophe Felder)
Mar 27, 2013 in food, paris, recipes, macaroon, paris, pastry, recipe. Read the original on: Be Miam !
Until last weekend, I’ve been deeply convinced macaroons and I would stay the greatest enemies forever. Taking a path full of pitfalls, I failed many (many) times. First, I thought of a conspiracy. But that wasn’t. Macaroons recipe is a difficult one. Just be aware of this before starting. However, one main reasons helps keep trying: even a macaroon that looks awful taste great (or you missed part of the recipe).
From my personal experience, I’ll share with you few tips that helped me cracked the code for making good & beautiful macaroons.
1. The oven temperature is key to succeed. I’ve read many things about what was the right temperature and how long you should bake macaroons. And there is no right answer to that question. That really depends on your oven. Usually you’ll be recommended to bake macaroons for 13 to 15 minutes at 150°C to 160°C (302°F-320°F). But this might not feet your oven. For mine, I had to lower the temperature to 140°C to achieve a good result.
2. Two methods might be used to make macaroons. One is using Italian meringue and the other not. I feel more comfortable with the first option but some makes no differences between the two. Choosing Italian meringue requires a 10€ investment in a thermometer to make the sugar syrup. If you like baking pastries & sweets, it is really worth it.
3. Use first class ingredients. Choose a fine almond powder that would help you have great results in terms of taste and look.
4. Many chefs use two baking sheets – that is awesome but also very expensive. So no need to get into debt if you don’t plan to open a bakery. You can make beautiful macaroons without it. I uses a silicon baking sheets so macaroons are easy to take off.
5. Use “aged†eggs whites – that means separate whites and yolks at least 2-3 days before - or use dehydrated egg whites that you will find in specialized shops.
6. Pastry/piping bag is a must have accessory. You might use a reusable or a one-use plastic one.
Well that said, I’m not going to leave you without sharing the fantastic recipe that I tried last Sunday. This one comes from Christophe Felder’s cook book - a well-known French pastry chef and brighten up with C’est ma fournée idea of adding raspberry.
For 15-20 macaroons
Pistachio puffs :
Ingredients :
- 100 g Butter (3,5 oz)
- 65 g Icing sugar (2,3 oz)
- 40 g Almond powder (1,4 oz)
- 25 g Blanched salt free pistachio (0,88 oz)
- 20 g Pistachio paste (70 oz)
Directions :
Roast pistachios in the oven for 15 minutes (150°C). Mix or crush. Reserve.
In a robot or with a strong hand, whip the softened butter and icing sugar. Add the pistachio paste and almond and pistachio powders.
Put the mixture in a pastry bag and reserve at room temperature until making the macaroon shells.
Plus reserve 15 to 20 raspberries for the filling.
Macaroon shells :
Ingredients :
- 75g Almond powder (2,65 oz)
- 75g Icing Sugar (2,65 oz)
- 75g Sugar (2,65 oz)
- 18g Water (0,64 oz)
- 2 Egg whites
- 1 point of knife of green coloring powder
- 1 point of knife of yellow coloring powder
Directions :
Mix together the almond powder and icing sugar.
In a pan, put the sugar and water and heat the syrup to 118°C (245°F).
Start to beat one egg white and trickle the sugar syrup over it on the side. Continue beating until the mixture becomes stiff and shiny. That is your Italian meringue. Add the coloring powders.
In a large bowl, mix the almond powder with the other egg white to get an almond paste. Add the Italian meringue in 2 times and mix gently with a spatula in a circular movement from the center to the edge for 1 to 2 minutes (also called ’macaroner’). When the mixture is glossy and firm put it in a piping bag.
On the baking sheet, pipe 3 to 4 cm flat circles and leave 1 to 2 cm between each. A few tips to pipe nice circles : put your piping bag vertically and always push the mixture from the top ; while piping keep your piping bag in the center of your circle and let the mixture spread around ; when your circles are the size you want, finish with a snap. The idea is to prevent air to merge with the mixture.
You’ll probably have to make 2 baking sheets. Chefs cook both at once. But I recommend you to bake them one by one.
Bake the macaroon shells for 13 to 15 minutes in the oven (140-150°C). It should start making a collar after 6 minutes.
Finishing :
Push slightly in the interior of the macaroon shells with your thumb to make a small hollow. Be careful not to damage the exterior of the shells.
Place the pistachio puffs on macaroon shells. Place a raspberry (or a half depending on your macaroon size) on one shell and close the macaroon with another shell. Put in the fridge for 24 hours (or at least 2-3 hours if you’re in rush).
Enjoy 
!!!!
Filed under: Food, Paris, Recipes Tagged: Food, Macaroon, paris, pastry, Recipe 
Read the original on: Be Miam !
Be Miam !, Cecile K.
Passionate about cooking and good food, I love to try new recipes and prefer organic products. Be miam features French recipes & more, restaurants and foodie places in Paris.
Latest Posts
