Mango Macarons!

Success! So after days of research, reading the recipes over and over again, and waiting for my egg whites to age, I have achieved macaron success! There were more than a few hiccups and questions along the way, but I was so excited when I finally bit into that macaron and it was exactly what I was looking for – thin crispy shell, soft fluffy interior, and sweet mango cream. (And no air pockets!)

However, despite my arduous research and prep work, things did not go as smoothly as I hoped.

• Immediately during the first step, I ran into my first question, “Wait, was I suppose to weigh the egg whites before aging them or after they were already aged? Does that make a difference in weight?”
• Then I almost burnt the sugar syrup since my thermometer never reached 245 degrees.
• My batter did not flow like magma or fall from the spatula in thick ribbons, as suggested during my research. The batter was thick and left little pointed tips while piping.
• Half of the shells during the first batch were all cracked!! (I almost admitted defeat)
• And while this doesn’t affect the taste of the macaron, my attempt to make a mango orange color was also a failure. Apparently, liquid yellow food color + red gel food color = neon orange sherbert. Who knew!

Luckily, the macarons still tasted great and while half the shells in the first batch were all cracked, I lowered the temperature and used a sturdier baking sheet and the second batch came out beautifully! I will need to solve the consistency of the batter for my next trial, but I have a feeling I heated the sugar too long and my meringue was slightly on the stiffer side.

I hope you enjoy this week’s illustration. =)

Note: If this is your first time making macarons, refer to my previous post for common questions and answers.

For the Macaron Shells
Source: adapted from the Pierre Herme recipe, as referenced on The Boy Who Bakes and The Wandering Eater
(makes ~24 macarons or 48 macaron shells)

• 150g almond meal or almond flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill Almond Meal/Flour)
• 150g confectioners’ sugar
• 55g ‘liquefied’ or ‘aged’ egg whites (I aged mine for two days in the fridge, covered)
• 4-6 grams food coloring of your choice (if using liquid food coloring only, if gel, add very sparingly)

for the sugar syrup and meringue

• 150g granulated sugar
• 75g water
• 55g ‘liquefied’ or ‘aged’ egg whites (yes, you need two portions of 55g liquified egg whites for a total of 110g)

Sift together the confectioners’ sugar and almond meal/flour. Add the 55g of liquified egg whites and the food color. DO NOT mix at this point and set aside.

In a small pot, bring the water and granulated sugar to a boil at 245 degrees. (I recommend a thermometer, but if you don’t have one, take the syrup off the stove approximately 30 seconds after it starts boiling and bubbling).

While the water and sugar is heating, in the bowl of a stand mixer, start whisking the other 55g of liquified egg whites on medium speed until it forms soft peaks.

When the sugar syrup has reached 245 degrees, or has started boiling, remove from the stove and slowly pour it over the whipped egg whites with the mixer still running. Continue to whisk at low speed and allow the meringue to cool down to 122 degrees (or until the meringue is cool to the touch).

Fold the meringue into the almond flour-sugar-egg white-food coloring mixture. (No need to mix the almond flour mixture before folding the egg whites) The batter will be thick at first, but continue folding and the batter should come together easily. Fold until the mixture resembles flowing “magma” and ribbons of the batters falls off the spatula easily. (My batter was quite thick, so I kept folding until the batter appeared the right consistency but be careful not to over mix)

Spoon the batter into a piping bag with a round tip and pipe 1 inch rounds onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper.  Continue piping the batter onto the baking tray, approximately 1/2 inch apart. If at this point there are pointed tips on your shells (like mine had), slightly wet your fingers and press down on the pointed tips to flat out the shells.

Tap the tray hard on the table 3 times and let it stand for 30 minutes – 1 hour to let the shells form a skin. (When you gently touch the macarons, the batter should not stick to your fingers)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees (Pierre Hermes said 345 degrees, but this caused my first batch to crack, so during the second batch I turned down the oven to 325.) Bake for 12-13 minutes, quickly opening and shutting the oven door twice during cooking time.

Remove the macarons from the oven promptly and slide the shells off the baking sheet onto a cooling rack.

Tagged as: Macaron, Mango