founder of the online confectionery Baker-Maker

“Baking macaroons is only easy when you know their basic secrets. The wrong almond flour or your oven can create big problems. You may have to change the recipe or technology for it. I tried to cook this dessert twice at home, and then, faced with "beginner problems", I went to learn how to cook them at a culinary school.
One of the main criteria for success in the preparation of macaroons is their even, smooth surface. To do this, you need to create a dough with the most uniform texture. Another secret - powdered sugar and almond flour should be as finely ground as possible and must be sifted before use! I myself use Borges Extra Fine Almond Flour.”

Alla Komissarova

chocolatier, owner of La Princesse Choco chocolate and confectionery studio

“Macaroons are not the easiest dessert to make, but of course they can be made at home. Very often, the first macarons are wasted ingredients and time. For those who are going to cook them for the first time, I advise you to take a cooking class. But you can just look through various blogs, watch lessons on youtube - all of a sudden you will discover the talent of a confectioner. From my own experience I will say that the easiest way is to go to the appropriate master class. Firstly, there you will find like-minded people with whom you can exchange experiences, recipes or opinions. Secondly, there you will cook under the guidance of the chef, you will be able to follow the whole process, try different ways of coloring macaroons, ask questions and get answers to them. There are a lot of such lessons in Moscow, and they do not last long - 3-4 hours.

My macaroons came out the first time. I decided not to cook them myself, but to do it under the guidance of a pastry chef. I was so inspired that immediately after the master class I baked them at home until four in the morning. It happens that when you don’t get a certain dish, you stop cooking it. And there is some disappointment. But I knew that I would succeed, because everything went just fine at the master class.

Macarons are a French pastry that is distinguished by its small size, delicate crispy dough and creamy filling. To prepare the product, almond flour, granulated sugar, chicken egg protein, powder and food coloring are used.

It is widely believed that it is impossible to create French cakes at home without experience or a confectionery education. This is explained by the fact that you need to bake hats, or lids, separately and according to a special recipe, and then put them together with cream. However, even a novice hostess can cook pasta according to a recipe with a photo step by step.

It is necessary to consider how to cook macaroons, i.e. multi-colored cookies.

How to cook pasta filling: recipe with photo step by step

To make French meringue or Italian pasta, you will need the following ingredients:

• puree from fresh or frozen berries and fruits - 80 g (strawberries, currants, peaches, apricots);
• cream or sour cream with a high fat content - 80 ml;
• white chocolate without additives - 180 g.

The pasta mix is ​​the first thing to prepare as it takes time to thicken.

The filling for French pastries can be created from any berries or fruits. And if there is a ready-made mixture at home, then you can safely replace mashed potatoes with it.

Consider the method of preparing currant mass for pasta at home:

1. Put 200 g of frozen red currant berries in a saucepan with a thick bottom and put on medium heat.
2. Stir the contents in the container for 10-13 minutes. During this time, the currant will secrete liquid and turn into gruel.
3. During cooking, add 2 tbsp. l. clean water so that the currants do not fry and burn.
4. Pass the puree through a sieve to create a homogeneous berry mass.
5. Put 80 g of the mixture in a separate pan or in a deep plate. You can use a measuring cup to measure accurately.

After the puree is ready, you need to start creating the filling for white chocolate-based cakes (you can also use dark chocolate if you wish):

1. Add the required amount of chocolate and cream (sour cream) to a container with a warm berry mixture.
2. Mix the contents thoroughly, the chocolate will melt into a hot puree.
3. After the mixture has reached room temperature, it should be sent to a pastry bag, and then placed in the cold.

How to make pasta hats

Hat Ingredients:

• finely ground almond flour - 150 g (the finer the flour, the neater the hats turn out);
• plain pure water - 100 ml;
• powdered sugar - 150 g;
• egg whites - 50 g or 2 pcs. small size;
• granulated sugar - 150 g;
• gel food coloring - half 1 tsp.

Hat dough is created according to the following recipe:

1. Sift icing sugar and almond flour into a deep bowl, mix.
2. Add egg whites at room temperature and mix thoroughly again.
3. The mixture (marzipan) should be a thick slurry that does not flow, but turns into a lump when lifted on a spoon.
4. Food coloring can be added at this stage or while making the meringue. In the second case, it is easier to dissolve it.

Video: how to cook pasta

Italian meringue for pasta

Macarons on Italian meringue take on a more delicate and airy look than on French.

1. If the liquid swells slowly, forming balls, it should be removed from the heat. For comparison, at the beginning of syrup cooking, the bubbles do not acquire volume, do not stretch, but burst immediately.
2. Add a drop of hot liquid to a mug of cold water. If the syrup has turned into a ball, then it is ready.

Recipe for Italian meringue:

1. Mix sugar (150 g) and water (100 ml) in a saucepan, put on medium heat.
2. Pour in 0.5 tsp. food coloring (if decided to add it at this stage).
3. Wait for the liquid to reach a temperature of 115 ° C, and then proceed to whipping the proteins until a thick and fluffy foam forms (for 8-10 minutes).
4. When the indicator on the thermometer reaches + 118 ... + 120 ° С, pour the syrup into the whipped proteins. During this time, do not stop working with the mixer.
5. If the foam holds its shape and does not fall off, you can stop the process of mixing the sweet mass.

Now you need to thoroughly mix the finished marzipan and protein foam to get pasta, i.e. pasta dough.

It is important to monitor the state of the mass - it should be viscous, without dry formations.

What to bake pasta on: on a silicone mat, parchment or teflon sheet

Experienced confectioners among the baking surfaces are advised to choose a Teflon sheet, which, due to the properties of the material, does not allow the hats to stick during baking.

In addition, unlike baking paper or a silicone mat, Teflon allows you to create even-shaped cakes with a delicate openwork skirt.

Before sending Teflon sheet cakes to the oven, there are a few important things to do:

1. Place the pasta dough in a piping bag fitted with a round tip or in a plastic bag with the corner cut off.
2. Place the lids on the sheet in a checkerboard pattern, while holding the bag perpendicular to the surface - this will create ventilation during baking and get even and fluffy cakes.
3. Dry the confectionery until a matte surface is formed (this will take about 60 minutes), which does not shrink when touched. If the cooked mass is sticky and smeared, then the cakes are not ready for baking.
4. Send frosted pasta to the oven with a temperature set to 160 ° C.
5. Bake cakes for 12-18 minutes (it all depends on the power of the oven). The readiness of the products can be judged by the ease with which they are removed from the sheet (in the case of using a Teflon surface).

Now the resulting parts can be assembled into a whole cake. To do this, the halves of pasta that have cooled to room temperature must be turned over, and then find a suitable pair for each of the hats. Then squeeze the pre-prepared filling using a pastry bag or plastic bag onto one cake lid and connect it with the selected pair.

French macarons are ready. However, in order for the syrup to soak the caps of the cake completely, you need to wait another 1 day.

In order for the products to turn out beautiful and tasty, housewives who first started French pastries should consider a few useful recommendations:

1. Macarons will get the perfect shape if you first draw circles of the same diameter and squeeze the dough into them. When using Teflon, circles should be drawn on a separate sheet of paper, placed under the baking surface and removed after piping. If the cakes are cooked on parchment, then you can draw figures on the back of the paper.
2. Freshly deposited covers have a bumpy surface and "beaks", so it is necessary to get rid of excess air inside the products. To do this, hit the baking sheet on the table several times - so the cakes cannot spread during baking.
3. Hats are best sent to the oven in batches. This will allow you to understand what temperature for baking cakes is optimal. So, if the surface of the products spreads and changes color, then the temperature should be reduced.
4. It is important to watch the baking time as the cakes can become too dry or browned.
5. When using a gas oven, it is recommended to preheat the appliance to 250°C and then turn it off. In this mode, pasta is baked for 20-25 minutes.

What are they, perfect pasta

If you follow all of the above points and know the secrets of cooking pasta with Italian meringue, then the products will turn out smooth and even, with a porous layer and a delicate skirt, which matches the lids of the product in diameter. The surface of such cakes does not have cracks, and the cream is slightly visible from under the dough.

This is the perfect pasta and should be stored in a container with a tightly closed lid. So baking will retain taste, freshness and aroma for several days.

Why pasta doesn't work

Ideal pasta is not always obtained and not for everyone. Most often, housewives encounter one or another failure when making a cake if they do not take into account all the principles when whipping the protein or setting the optimal temperature for baking.

Consider the most common missteps and the reasons for their occurrence when creating French cakes according to a strictly classic recipe.

Why do pasta lids crack?

The caps of the product may blur or crack during baking in the oven. This happens for two reasons:

1. Macarons were not dried before being sent to the oven.
2. Temperature set too high.

If you take into account the above nuances, then the caps will not crack.

Why doesn't macarons have a skirt or is it too small

If the temperature in the oven is lower than necessary, then the cakes can turn out without an openwork skirt. Every housewife needs to be prepared for the fact that the optimal temperature for baking confectionery in a home oven is set only with experience.

At the same time, the power and type of device (gas or electric oven) are of great importance.

Why are pasta inside hollow (empty)

To get dense pasta, you need to get rid of excess air inside the dough. This is done by tapping the baking sheet with the products on the table surface, as noted above.

Why did the halves shrink and settle

Brownie halves may shrink and take on a sagging shape if they are cooked with French meringue but not with Italian meringue.

The French version of the preparation is that granulated sugar is simply whipped with egg whites. Italian, on the other hand, involves the creation of a sweet syrup that is poured into well-whipped egg whites.

That is, in the case when sand is poured in a large amount, it does not whip together with proteins, but floats by itself, caramelizes, becomes heavier, and the meringue settles. Therefore, the hat looks cringed.

When planting, pasta hats have an uneven shape

If the dough for pasta turned out to be too liquid, then it will spread during baking.

The reason for this may be too long mixing the Italian meringue with the dough. It is important to remember that the pasta should flow from a spoon raised above the plate, uninterrupted by a wide stream.

If you create the dough of the desired consistency, then the halves of the cake will have an even round shape.

Macarons are not removed from the pan

Items may stick to the baking surface. As already mentioned, the reason may lie in the fact that the hostess uses parchment or silicone as a substrate on a baking sheet. In this case, the cakes should not be removed immediately, because when they reach room temperature, they can move away from the material on their own.

This classic pasta recipe is based on Italian meringue, therefore it is advisable to purchase a pastry thermometer to prepare this cake, since it is very important to correctly determine the temperature of the syrup being prepared. Italian meringue pasta is more stable. For French meringue, you do not need to boil the syrup, the proteins are simply whipped with sugar.

In the preparation of pasta, accuracy is important, each gram of the product is worth its weight in gold, be meticulous in weighing the ingredients. Accurate kitchen scales are not a whim, but a strict necessity.

In this case, fragrant ganache is used as a filling, it should be prepared the day before so that the ganache has time to settle and acquire the desired consistency.

So, first you need to mix almond flour and powder. Sift, warm for 3 minutes at 120 degrees.

Then add dye and protein No. 1. It is worth noting that to get a good result, you should not take fresh eggs, the protein must be “aged”, let the proteins stand outside the refrigerator for at least a day, be sure to close the container tightly so that a crust does not form. In his book "Macaron", Pierre Herme advises to age proteins in the refrigerator for one week.

Now you need to cook the syrup. To do this, mix sugar and water, put the pan on medium heat.

Heat up to 110-114 degrees.

Separately, start beating whites No. 2 until foam appears.
In a thin stream, start pouring in the syrup, without touching the walls of the bowl and whisks of the mixer, so that the syrup does not splatter. Beat until the meringue cools (7-10 minutes to a temperature of 30-35 degrees).

Mix the almond flour and everything in the bowl. Gradually fold in the meringue. Knead until the state of "heavy tape", clockwise, while twisting the bowl counterclockwise. The measure is important here, the main thing is not to mix, if the ingredients form a homogeneous mass, it flows like a tape, immediately stop kneading.

Fill the pastry bag with a flat round nozzle with a diameter of 8-10 mm. Transfer the dough into a bag. Plant the pasta in a checkerboard pattern (this way air circulation will be better and the pasta will bake evenly). In order for the pasta to turn out the same size, you can draw circles on parchment paper and deposit the dough in them. Now there are special silicone mats for pasta, they immediately outline the boundaries of the cake.

After jigging, be sure to tap each side of the baking sheet on the table several times so that the dough spreads evenly and the resulting tails and excess air are removed. Some masters advise leaving the deposited pasta at room temperature for about an hour to form a crust. In my experiments, this was not required, the cakes rose, the skirt formed, the surface was smooth.

Preheat the oven to 145-150 degrees, convection mode (if any). Of course, here you need to know your oven thoroughly, you need to bake several times to understand which mode is suitable for baking these French pastries. Bake the pasta for twelve to fourteen minutes: first 7 minutes, and then turn the pan 180 degrees and bake the remaining time.

Remove the sheets from the baking sheet after baking, wait for the blanks to cool, and only then remove from the paper (or silicone mat). During baking, you can watch the halves rise and form a skirt. If it is not there, then there may be a number of reasons for this: the ingredients were weighed incorrectly, the dough was not kneaded enough (too tight), the baking temperature was low.

Let's make ganache. Grind raspberries, punch in a blender, rub through a sieve, add sugar to taste. Boil the cream, pour it over the dark chocolate, stir. Gently mix in raspberry puree. Whisk. Cover with cling film and leave for a day, then the ganache will become plastic and will keep its shape well.

Choose the size of pasta halves according to the classic recipe. Fill a pastry bag with ganache, squeeze ganache onto one half, press down with the other half. It is delicious to put a fresh berry in the center of the filling, this will give a bright taste and aroma.

French cuisine is very rich in desserts and sweets. One of them is the famous Le Macarons, whose name can be translated from Italian as “broken” or “crushed”.

Macaroni is a type of cake or cookie that uses a lot of almond powder. The brightness and delicious taste of the dessert will not leave anyone indifferent.

Origin of Macaroni

Cookies have many stories about their origins and first appearance to the general public.

These delicious sweets could have been invented as early as the eighth century, according to one of the old cookbooks of the monastery of France.

Another version of the appearance of cakes in France was the importation of them from Italy by Catherine de Medici. Apparently, it was from that time that cakes entered French cuisine and began to gain popularity in Europe.

Three hundred years ago, there was a whole ceremony of serving cookies on the table. At a social event, a servant carried a tray of Macaroni on a porcelain saucer. The ladies washed down dessert with chocolate. Macarons have achieved such influence and success that even Marie Antoinette's cat was named after these sweets. In fact, Macaroni initially did not look like we are used to: they were not two halves, but a homogeneous single almond mass of a round shape, which was washed down with liquors, smeared with jam, sprinkled with spices.

The cake was cut and stuffed for the first time at the beginning of the 20th century. In Switzerland, Pierre Defontaine purchased a recipe for chocolate buttercream and decided to pair it with his favorite French macaroni. This is how the Macaroni that we can observe now appeared. This gave a big impetus to French culinary specialists, they began to add a layer of berry and fruit creams to the cookies. Later, a whole fashion was formed, what kind of Macaroni will be in a particular season in terms of color, which filling will become dominant.

So, we offer you to choose which pasta filling you like and learn how to make pasta cake.

I. Chocolate Macaroni

• grind about 100 g of almonds in a coffee grinder, sift;
• 220 g of powdered sugar or the same amount of sugar ground in a coffee grinder;
• natural cocoa powder, 20 g is enough;
• egg whites (4 pieces);
• about 45 g of granulated sugar;
• for ganache you will need at your discretion:
• B) white chocolate 150 g + 50 ml cream from 35% fat;
• C) a can of Nutella.

So, we heat the oven to the optimum temperature of 150 °. We combine almond flour with powder and cocoa, mix thoroughly, and then add whipped proteins to the dry mixture, after gradually mixing them with sugar.

We cover the baking sheet with two layers of parchment paper, lightly oiling the top one so that the cookies can be removed more easily. Pour the egg mixture into a pastry bag, with a round nozzle we form portioned circles on parchment from the viscous mixture. We leave the baking sheet with test mugs for forty minutes until a characteristic crust forms, which will protect the cakes from cracks. Crust can be considered the state of the dough when it does not stick to the hand when pressed on the confectionery.

We send the baking sheet to the oven for ten to fifteen minutes. After 5-7 minutes from the start of baking, the baking sheet should be turned over so that the cookies are baked evenly on all sides. After the cakes are baked, we immediately remove them from the paper so that they do not dry out, and we are engaged in coating. After the cookies are combined with the filling, we send the dessert to the refrigerator. In the morning we get delicious food!

II. Lemon Macaroni

Sweet and sour Macaroni is a special delicacy. They are good to serve with tea, as a main dessert or just to have a snack with them in the afternoon.

Ingredients:

• egg whites (5 pieces);
• about 210 g of powdered sugar;
• almonds, ground in a coffee grinder, you should get about 125 g of almond powder;
• sugar 35 g;
• ½ teaspoon salt and a whole tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice;
• also, for the brightness of the dessert, it is necessary to purchase yellow food coloring (liquid), twenty drops of such a dye will be enough;
• for the filling (ganache) it is necessary to prepare: egg yolks - a couple, starch - 40 g, butter - 30 g, lemon - a couple, granulated sugar - 40 g.

Mix sugar and almond powder in one bowl. We sift the dry mass.

Beat the whites strongly into an airy foam, slowly combining with salt and lemon juice, then gradually adding sugar to get a homogeneous elastic mass. Add drops of food coloring. Then pour the dry mixture of powders into the liquid mass. Mix everything together until smooth.

Pour the resulting mixture into a pastry bag, using a round nozzle, squeeze out the viscous mixture in portions in small circles onto a baking sheet, with two layers of parchment. We leave the baking sheet with test mugs for forty minutes until a characteristic crust forms, which will protect the cakes from cracks. Crust can be considered the state of the dough when it does not stick to the hand when pressed on the confectionery. Sometimes it may turn out that the crust will form for quite some time, then leave the cakes to lie on the baking sheet all night.

We put the cakes in the oven preheated to 150 °. Pre-parchment is better to grease with oil. Once after 8 minutes, you can open the oven and turn the baking sheet over so that the cookies bake evenly.

The filling or ganache is prepared as follows:

• starch is diluted in water, about 200 ml + add oil;
• put the starch mixture on the fire and bring to a boil, and then cool;
• we turn the lemons in a blender into a zest mass, combine with sugar and egg yolks, using a mixer, mix everything together with the starch mixture until a thick cream is obtained;
• spread the resulting lemon curd on one half of the cake, cover with the other half;
• it would be ideal to send the cookies to the refrigerator for a few hours!

III. Strawberry Macaroni

Another type of French macaroni is strawberry. Professionals use Fraises tagada sweets to prepare the filling. These desserts are the most popular in France, sold in the amount of 1 billion a year. The taste of sweets resemble light marshmallows, sweets are sprinkled with sugar on top.

To prepare Strawberry Macaroni, we need:

• prepare 250 g of ground almonds (you can grind in a coffee grinder);
• buy 250 delicious powdered sugar (it matters what the taste of the powder should be sweet), if there is none, then put the sugar in a coffee grinder and get homemade powder;
• egg whites (six pieces);
• 225 g sugar, a little salt, gelatin;
• pink food coloring
• for the filling, you can take fresh strawberries - 250 g, powdered sugar and a little heavy cream.

Mix sugar and almond powder in one container, sift. Pour the egg whites (3 pieces) into the same bowl, beat vigorously until a strong foam is formed, knead the result with your hands and set aside. Pour sugar into a saucepan and fill with water (75 ml). Bring to a boil. The remaining proteins (3 pieces) begin to slowly beat with salt until foam is formed, while adding boiled sugar syrup. The resulting mixture is cooled to room temperature and in 3 steps we combine with the almond mixture. Next, you need to apply pink food coloring of your choice.

Pour the resulting mixture into a pastry bag, using a round nozzle, squeeze out the viscous mixture in portions in circles onto a baking sheet covered with parchment. We leave the baking sheet with test mugs for forty minutes until a characteristic crust forms, which will protect the cakes from cracks. Crust can be considered the state of the dough when it does not stick to the hand when pressed on the confectionery. Sometimes it may turn out that the crust will form for quite some time, then leave the cakes to lie on the baking sheet all night.

We put the cakes in the oven preheated to 160 °. Pre-parchment is better to grease with oil. Baking time: 10 minutes.

To prepare the filling:

• gelatin should be put in cool water and wait until it swells;
• heat the cream, make mashed strawberries, combine them with powdered sugar;
• put gelatin in strawberry cream and mix very carefully;
• We keep the whole mass in a bowl in the refrigerator for at least a night.

In the morning you can combine the filling with cookies and you will get wonderful macaroni with strawberries. Beautiful and delicious!

IV. Macaroni with coconut

To prepare 35 Macaroni, we need the following:

• grind about 80 g of almonds in a coffee grinder, sift;
• coconut flakes 80 g;
• 225 g of powdered sugar or the same amount of sugar ground in a coffee grinder;
• 4 egg whites;
• 50 g of granulated sugar;
• for the filling you will need at your discretion:
• A) dark chocolate 100 g + 50 ml cream from 35% fat;
• B) white chocolate 100 g + 50 ml cream from 35% fat;
• C) a can of Nutella
• D) ready-made coconut cream.

So, we heat the oven to 150 °. We combine almond flour and coconut flakes with powder and cocoa, mix thoroughly, and then add whipped proteins to the dry mixture, after gradually mixing them with sugar.

We cover the baking sheet with parchment paper in two layers, so that the cookies are easier to remove. The mixture is completely poured into a pastry bag, with a round nozzle we form portioned circles on parchment from a viscous one. We leave the baking sheet with test mugs for forty minutes until a characteristic crust forms, which will protect the cakes from cracks. Crust can be considered the state of the dough when it does not stick to the hand when pressed on the confectionery.

We put the baking sheet in the oven for ten to fifteen minutes. After 5-7 minutes from the start of baking, the baking sheet should be turned over so that the cookies are baked evenly on all sides.

For the filling, use chocolate to taste, chop it into pieces. Bring the cream to a boil, then set aside. We combine both ingredients, wait until the mass thickens. Then, using a pastry bag, you can fill the Macaroni - squeeze the cream on one half, lightly press the other half. We put it in the refrigerator for a day, the next morning we get a great treat!

V. Macaroni with other fillings

Macaroni cakes are so popular that every chef brings something different to them. Of course, the dough recipe should remain unchanged, but no one forbade anyone to experiment with the filling. In your home kitchen, you can cook any kind of Macaroni.

For vibrant colors, purchase a variety of food colorings, this will surprise your guests and family. For the filling, you can use any berries from which mashed potatoes, fruits and creams are obtained. You can add fruit and cream liqueurs to ganache, use different types of chocolate and coffee. Vanilla, mint, banana, blueberry or exotic Macaroni will definitely become your signature dish, and you will be known as a creative and original hostess.

At first, a barely audible crunch, then a sugar explosion, fragments of which settle in the corners of the lips, while the sweet taste of the filling is already spreading in the mouth ...
Macaroons, a piece of heavenly delight that fits between index finger and thumb, is the most modern of French pastry classics.

Small round cream-filled cakes, multi-colored confetti with original flavors have become a favorite treat all over the world - from the banks of the Seine to the Hudson and Tokyo Bay. (c) Pascale Bernard

Everything you need to know about macaroons: composition, rules for choosing ingredients, what are the “right” macaroons, how to serve and how to give. And also: two basic recipes - in French and Italian meringue and 9 delicious fillings - ganaches, curds, creams. And one more thing: about macaroon fashion, facts and legends, and even a little bit of linguistics…

The main thing about macaroons

Macaroons - a small cake (or complex cookie) made from crushed almonds and meringue - are firmly gaining ground on our table, becoming more and more desired dessert at the holidays.

At first glance, it seems that cooking macaroons is very simple: beat the whites with powdered sugar, mix with almond flour, put them in circles on a baking sheet - and you're done. However, this is not the case. Almond cookies with a characteristic “skirt” are a thing, although not oriental, but very thin, and they will turn out only if you strictly follow all the instructions and strictly follow the recipe.

Almond flour should be fine and dry. The success of cookies depends on its quality. If it is impossible to buy the mentioned component in your area, this is not a reason to despair and close the page - you can cook flour yourself, you only need almonds. Of course, this greatly complicates the already difficult process of baking macaroons, but the result is worth it, believe me!

Proteins for macaroons must be aged. Ganache and cream - aged. Ingredients are measured to the nearest gram, the temperature regime of the oven is monitored strictly and closely. Baking cookies is a lot of work that requires concentration, physical effort and a huge contribution of mental strength. If you violate at least one point of the requirements, macaroons will not work - it has been checked more than once!

So, the "correct" macarons should:

- be even, strictly round and appetizingly neat;
- to be the owner of a flawless surface without "tails" and, of course, cracks;
- be glossy, gently shiny and not stick to the skin when pressed with a finger;
- have a crispy crust; if there is no such crust, in front of you is anything, but not macaroons;
- have 4-4.5 cm in diameter (today there are still fashionable mini-macaroons, they do not exceed 3 cm in diameter, and maxi-macaroons, more like almond cakes);
- to hide under the crispy crust a delicate texture, sweet and moist;
- demonstrate a flirty “skirt” (La collerette), the thickness of which should be approximately equal to the thickness of the top of the cookie;
- brag about the delicate filling, the thickness of which is again equal to the thickness of the cookie;
- to have a filling that goes a little, quite a bit beyond the "skirt", teasing the eyes and mouth.

How to serve macaroons?

A special kind of art is the ability to beautifully serve macaroons. Designers come up with special coasters, confectioners compete in unusual ideas, and numerous coffee houses “play” with dishes and napkins. Once I happened to eat macaroons on a stick - it would seem that they are completely incompatible things, however, someone came up with such pampering!

At home, for macarons, it is better to choose plates of an unusual shape - carefully spreading the cakes on a dish, try to give a bizarre bend, a non-standard line to a row of cookies, experiment with "towers" and "floors".

Packing macaroons - a separate conversation. Try ordering these cakes to take away at any pastry shop in Paris - I guarantee you will get untold pleasure admiring the box, untying numerous ribbons and bows, touching textured paper, rustling napkins. If you are baking macaroons to take home with you or give a good friend to the hospital, think about the packaging - this is important, this is an integral part of the cakes, this is the general essence of the grand show called "Macaroons!".

2 basic macaroon recipes and a scattering of macaroon toppings

Today, the legendary almond cakes are baked according to two basic recipes. Or rather, there are, of course, hundreds of recipes, but they can all be conditionally reduced to two types: macaroons based on regular French meringue and macaroons based on custard Italian meringue.

Everything else is variations on a given theme and games with additives. French meringue is easier in cooking instructions, but very unstable - without experience, the chance of spoiling macaroons is quite high. Italian meringue is certainly a little more difficult to prepare, and there are a lot of pitfalls in it, but the dough mixed with it is much easier to work with. The choice is yours, and I suggest starting with a simpler, but at the same time more capricious option.

French meringue macaroons

Ingredients:

• 165 g white almond flour;
• 165 g of powdered sugar;
• 150 g of sugar;
• 115 g of proteins.

French Macaroon Recipe

1. Mix powder and almond flour several times sift through a sieve. Twice 165 g each is the output of a ready-made product, so I recommend initially taking a little more powder and flour, and sifting on the scales in order to clearly know when to stop.2. Whip the whites first at a slow speed, then we increase the speed and continue to soft peaks - at this stage, add sugar a little bit, in a thin stream and, if necessary, a couple of drops (no more!) Of helium dye (a pinch of dry). Beat until sugar dissolves and stiff peaks form.

3. Spatula and very gently mix the meringue with the almond-sugar mixture This step is called "maccaroniage". It is important to find the right moment to stop: the mixture should already be homogeneous, but not runny, the proteins should already combine with the almond flour, but still hold a sufficient amount of air bubbles. Different sources indicate a different number of movements with a spatula - from 10 to 50. I think it’s obvious that you shouldn’t focus on this moment, it’s better to intuitively understand when to stop: the dough should flow from the spatula in a continuous ribbon.

4. Transfer the finished dough to a pastry bag. and plant on a sheet of parchment paper in circles with a diameter of 2-3 cm. There should be a distance of about 2 cm between them, you need to plant it strictly vertically, “cutting off” the dough with a sharp movement to the side. On a properly mixed mass, the “tail” will disperse in a few seconds.

5. After that, you need to raise the baking sheet several times and knock it well on the table surface - so future macaroons will take on a more regular shape, extra dough bubbles will come out of the cookies, the last memories of the “tails” will go down in history.

6. We leave the baking sheet with cookies on the table - the dough should be airy so that the resulting crust does not allow air to escape during the baking process. After 15-20 minutes, gently touch the surface of the macaroon with your finger - if the finger remains clean, you can put the cookies in the oven. If the dough sticks, leave for another 10-15 minutes.

7. Bake at a temperature of 150 degrees for 14 minutes. Depending on the characteristics of your oven, the time may be slightly longer or slightly shorter.

Transfer the finished macaroons to the wire rack directly with the paper, leave to cool completely, and then remove from the parchment.

Macaroons on Italian meringue

Ingredients:

• 300 g of powdered sugar;
• 300 g almond flour;
• 110 g of protein;
• 110 g of protein;
• 50 g of sugar;
• 250 g sugar;
• 75 g of water.

Italian Macaroon Recipe

1. Sifting powdered sugar with flour(again we strictly monitor that the output is 600 g), add the protein (the first 110 g) and mix. Without subtleties and tricks - we just follow the weight, remembering that when baking macaroons, correctly measured components are half the battle.

If necessary, add powder or gel dye.

2. From sugar (250 g) and water we cook syrup up to 120 degrees. If you do not have a cooking thermometer, focus on the string of syrup - it should stretch well between two fingers, not tear (not overcooked) and not break (overcooked).

3. At the same time, egg whites are whipped. with sugar (50 g) - to soft peaks. Ready syrup, hot and scalding, is poured into the protein mass in a thin stream, while the mixer is not turned off. The mass will increase very much in volume, and then become shiny and smooth.

4. We connect the two masses, we make a macronage(in this version, not very almond-shaped, the meringue is stable and strong, so we knead it intensively, the mass should be glossy and fall off the shoulder blade with a ribbon), after which we transfer the finished dough into a pastry bag and put it on a baking sheet in the form of circles with a diameter of 2-3 cm We cut off the “tail” with a sharp movement to the side, we leave a distance of 2 cm between the cookies.

Grasping the two edges of the baking sheet, knock them on the edge of the table several times.

5. Leave for 15-30 minutes to air, after which baked at 150 degrees about 14 minutes (we look at the features of the oven).

6. When the pasta blanks are baked, you can connect the cookies in pairs. The filling is transferred to a pastry bag, squeezed out onto half of the baked cookies, after which it is covered with the second half. By the way, for this it is convenient to immediately lay out two rows of blanks on a baking sheet - half “head” down, the second half - vice versa. So it is more convenient to deposit the cream on the first part of the cookie and quickly close the second.

Recipes for fillings for almond cakes

Well, let's dwell a little on the fillings. Jams, Kurds, ganaches, creams, chocolate spreads - there are a lot of options, and new ones are constantly being invented, unusual and original ones are being created. Try, create, experiment - and you will definitely find your perfect combination.

Classic chocolate ganache

Ingredients: 100 g dark chocolate, 100 ml heavy cream.

Break the chocolate into pieces and pour over the warmed cream. Knead with a spatula until a homogeneous, smooth mass, cover with cling film and leave in the refrigerator for at least 10 hours.

coffee ganache

Ingredients: 200 g dark chocolate, 100 ml heavy cream, 30 g coffee beans.

Mix cream with coffee beans, bring to a boil, leave to brew. Melt the chocolate in a water bath, strain the cooled cream into it. Stir until smooth, cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 10 hours.

Ganache on white chocolate

Ingredients: 200 g good quality white chocolate, 150 ml heavy cream.

Break the chocolate into pieces, put in a bowl, pour the cream brought to a boil, knead a smooth homogeneous mass. Cover with cling film and put in the refrigerator for 10 hours.

Raspberry ganache

Ingredients: 50 ml heavy cream, 200 g white chocolate, 100 g raspberry puree.

Mix the cream with mashed potatoes, bring to a boil, pour in the chocolate broken into pieces and stir well. The mass should be smooth and glossy.
Cover with cling film and put in the refrigerator for at least 10 hours.

lemon curd

Ingredients: 115 g egg mixture, 120 g sugar, 80 ml lemon juice, zest of 1 lemon, 125 g butter.

Mix freshly squeezed juice with sugar, add zest, stir in the eggs and put the mixture in a water bath. Stirring constantly, cook until thickened (15-30 minutes). Cool, then add butter at room temperature and beat. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.

Raspberry cream

Ingredients: 300 g grated raspberry puree, 100 g sugar, 1 tbsp. l. with a "hill" of starch, 1 tsp. gelatin.

Pour gelatin with a small amount of water, leave to swell.
Mix raspberry puree with starch and sugar, bring to a boil, but do not boil. Stirring, cook until thickened. Add gelatin, cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.

Ganache "Green Tea"

Ingredients: 100 ml heavy cream, 200 g white chocolate, 1 tsp. green tea.

Mix the cream with tea, bring to a boil and let it brew. We filter, pour through a sieve on the chocolate melted in a water bath. Stir and let stand under cling film for at least 12 hours.

pistachio ganache

Ingredients: 200 g milk chocolate, 100 ml heavy cream, 15 g pistachio paste.

Bring the cream to a boil, pour over the chocolate broken into pieces, knead until a smooth homogeneous mass, then add the pistachio paste and mix. Cover with cling film and keep in the refrigerator for at least 10 hours.

mint ganache

Ingredients: 100 g good quality white chocolate, 40 ml heavy cream, 2 tsp. mint liqueur, green dye if desired.

Pour the chocolate broken into pieces with the cream brought to a boil, knead until smooth, add liquor and dye, mix again and, covering with cling film, put in the refrigerator for 10 hours.

Saffron and orange, licorice, rose, pralines and chestnuts, nuts and coconut flakes, champagne and liqueurs, all kinds of berries and fruits, vanilla and cinnamon, lilies of the valley and violets - there are many additives to creams and ganaches, try and create! By the way, depending on the filling, macaroons are also colored - traditionally, cookies with lemon curd are prepared in yellow, and raspberry jam “asks” for adding red dye to the almond mass.

Baking macaroons at home is not easy, however, if you try to create this magic with your own hands at least once, conjure something amazingly tender and unusual for yourself, you won’t be able to just forget about macaroons. Difficult, time-consuming, not fast, but worth it!

Macarons: facts, legends, investigations

Having been born, macaroons quickly became popular - so much so that several regions of the Mediterranean began to challenge the right to be called the birthplace of cookies. It is clear that everyone tried to come up with something special, trying to stake out the right to be a parent, however, to this day it is impossible to reliably state that France is the region where the popular delicacy took its roots.

According to one legend, macaroons were invented by Carmelite sisters in one of the monasteries of the Nancy district - trying to diversify meager food, they were guided by Teresa of Avila's instruction: "Almonds are good for girls who do not eat meat." The recipe was born within the walls of the monastery, and during the French Revolution, the nuns, who hid from the outraged people in the house of the local doctor Gormand, baked cookies for sale, earning their living - and it was then that macaroons became incredibly popular. There is a street in Nancy that bears the names of the Carmelite sisters, and besides, the Maison des Soeurs Macarons house-cafe still exists - the owners consider themselves to be the bearers of the original recipe by which its creator baked pasta.

However, there are other versions of the origin of macaroons - many believe that macaroons were brought by Italian chefs, whom Catherine de Medici took with her when she married Henry II and moved to France.

How macaroons became world famous. "Macaroon" fashion

Be that as it may, in fact, the fact remains: almond cookies, having been born, very quickly became popular. First, the macaroons were glued together with hot steam - a two-sided almond cake was obtained. Delicious, crumbly, crispy, but still slightly dry. But at the beginning of the twentieth century, confectioner Pierre Defontaine, owner of the famous Laduree confectionery house, traveling around Europe, tried a delicate chocolate cream in some cafe - and it was he who came up with the idea of ​​gluing macaroons with a great filling. Absolutely incredible, but until 1930 no one had the idea that dry macaroons could be ennobled with cream. Hooray for Pierre Defontaine!

And from this moment, the real flowering and rapid rise of macaroons begins. Experiments with fillings, games with additives, fantasies with flavors and, of course, all kinds of dyes - this is the way the development of macaroons has gone. Paris officially becomes the capital of macaroons and the trendsetter of "macaroon" fashion. Today, Pierre Defontaine's Laduree pastry shops sell at least 15,000 macaroons daily, and for some reason I'm sure that this is far from the limit. And if you figure out how many cafes and coffee shops there are in the world in general and in Paris in particular, which cook and serve almond delicacy, the figure turns out to be breathtaking.

Every self-respecting confectionery house is simply obliged to have a dozen or two of its own, branded recipes for making almond desserts. What's more, once a year, Paris celebrates Macaroon Day, invented by Pierre Herme, a French pastry chef. This is a special holiday, for which it is customary to prepare ... with a new collection of macaroons! The most famous confectionery houses in France, famous culinary specialists from Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, the USA, Japan strive to take part in the annual event, and by this day every culinary name is simply obliged to come up with and demonstrate something completely new, unusual, non-standard.

The latest trend is savory macaroons with olive and cheese flavors, chili and gherkins, capers and goose liver, white truffles and basil. Of course, this is a special kind of cooking, which is more associated with art than family tea drinking with homemade cakes, but even at home, in an ordinary 12-meter kitchen with a standard set of dishes, you can dream and learn, grow and strive for something new, unknown, interesting.

By the way, in France, macaroons are sold even in McDonald's - and, in my opinion, this is another undeniable proof of the popularity of this dessert.

And one more thing: macaroons, pasta and cooking for philologists

How, after all, is it correct to say - “pasta”, “macaroons”, “pasta”, “macaroons” or something else? Let's dig into history.

Of course, now you can hardly prove what was at the beginning - a chicken or an egg, however, the facts exist: in one form or another, cookies based on whipped proteins and almond flour exist in many cuisines of the world. The luxury that we are used to, which is found on the beautiful covers of glossy culinary magazines, which adorn the windows of pastry shops, comes from France.

In the original language, the name sounds like "macaroon" (French macaron), although a simple transliteration gives "macaron". Both words are so common that, if it depended on me, I would have said a long time ago: say whatever you want! Alas, this is not in my power, so I will whisper softly: as you feel comfortable, pronounce it, the main thing is confidently and authoritatively!

“Macarons” and “macaroons” may sound beautiful, but definitely not correct: the ending “s” in the original language speaks of the plural, which in Russian is formed completely differently.

In addition to the French gourmet comrade, there is also a popular American: the same whipped proteins, powdered sugar and coconut flakes. In English, cakes are called macaroons, and here there can’t be two options - they are pronounced exactly like “macaroon”. Or rather, “macaroons”, but we have already decided that we will not say that, right?

Apparently, in order not to confuse similar names (and cookies are somewhat similar, you must agree!), And two pronunciations were popularized - macaroon and macaron.

The “macaroon” option is closer to me - after all, the word “pasta” is associated with pasta, but I don’t want to mix God’s gift and scrambled eggs in one cutlet. Although ... according to one version of the origin of the name of the cakes, they are not so far from pasta. They say that earlier in Italy there was a dessert soup - pieces of dough mixed with almond flour floated in it. Over time, almonds went their own way, pasta went their own, but the common name (pasta) stuck to each dish.