The Big Macaron Cookbook

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academy

Photography by Natalia Khoroshaieva and Dmytro Khoroshaiev

Step into a world of delicate sweetness and culinary perfection with The Big Macaron Cookbook. I’m  excited to invite you to discover 21 macaron recipes that will guide you to macaron mastery. I’ve carefully curated a collection of macarons that embrace a multitude of flavors and textures. From  fragrant and fruity concoctions to rich and indulgent delights, there is a macaron for every palate. Each recipe has been meticulously tested to ensure that your macaron adventures are met with success and satisfaction. Within the pages of this book, you will discover a harmonious blend of new creative recipes and cherished old favorites. Learn how to prepare our Earl Grey Macarons, a pastry that embodies elegance and sophistication. This recipe marries the floral notes of Earl Grey tea with the airy crispness of the macaron shell. Prepare to be seduced by the divine combination of flavors in our Raspberry Caramel Macarons. These little gems capture the perfect balance between tangy raspberry and luscious caramel. With every bite, you’ll discover a symphony of tastes, as the sweet and tart notes intertwine harmoniously. And I can’t not mention our Vanilla Cheesecake Macarons, a heavenly creation celebrating classic pastry flavors. The delicate shells give way to a velvety vanilla cheesecake ganache that melts in your mouth, transporting you to a world of pure dessert decadence. All recipes in The Big Macaron Cookbook are accompanied by clear and easy-to-follow instructions. Whether you’re a pastry expert or a novice in the kitchen, you’ll find the guidance you need to achieve macaron perfection in our foolproof recipes. These recipes are not only a feast for the taste buds but also a  delight for the eyes. With their vibrant colors and delicate designs, each  macaron is a work of edible art. So, let yourself be inspired and get ready to embark on a delightful macaron adventure with The Big Macaron Cookbook.

Tetyana Verbytska Founder of KICA Academy

CONTENTS Theory. The anatomy of a perfect macaron

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Apple & Walnut Macarons Banana & Milk Chocolate Macarons Cappuccino Macarons Caramel Popcorn Macarons Chocolate Macarons with Tonka Beans Earl Grey Macarons Honey Macarons Lemon & Basil Macarons Lemon & Poppy Seed Macarons Macaron Heart Cake Matcha Macarons Milk Chocolate Gianduja Macarons Milk Slice Macarons Mojito Macarons Pecan & Chocolate Macarons Pumpkin Macarons Raspberry and Mint Macarons Raspberry Caramel Macarons Tiramisu Macarons Vanilla Cheesecake Macarons Yuzu Macarons

12 18 24 31 37 42 48 53 60 66 73 79 84 91 96 101 108 114 119 125 130

Macaron Troubleshooting Guide

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THEORY. THE ANATOMY OF A PERFECT MACARON

The Anatomy of a Perfect Macaron THE ANATOMY OF A PERFECT MACARON Macarons are meringue–based cookies that have a smooth, light and crispy shell with perfectly formed feet that are even, well shaped and have perfect ruffles. The macarons are soft and chewy on the inside and are complemented with different types of fillings. Although macarons are considered to be of Italian origin, this delicacy has become an integral part of French pastry. While macarons may be made of simple ingredients, they are well–known for challenging even the most advanced pastry chefs. To make successful macarons, you should pay special attention during all the stages of preparation: making the macaron batter, piping, drying and baking the macarons. This article aims to guide you through each of these steps and to help you achieve a successful end result. There are two methods for making macarons: the French meringue method and the Italian meringue method. The French meringue method uses uncooked egg whites, while Italian meringues are made by pouring hot syrup over the egg whites and whipping the mixture. In terms of appearance, Italian macaron shells have a shinier appearance, while the French macaron shells have a more matte finish. Italian meringue macarons are usually full and compact on the inside, while French macaron shells are lighter and more airy. However, the texture of French macarons can vary a lot depending on the recipe. This recipe book provides recipes using both methods, so you will be able to practice both of them.

ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS The key ingredients found in most macaron batter recipes are almond powder, icing sugar, sugar, egg whites, egg white powder and citric acid. Before baking, make sure that the almond powder you use is as high quality as possible. It shouldn’t have any impurities, it should be homogeneous and have a pleasant aroma. Don’t forget to read the contents well and choose a reliable supplier. The quality of the icing sugar is also important. We do not recommend using home–made icing sugar as it is generally not as homogeneous as commercial icing sugar which will affect the final appearance of the macaron shells. Commercially produced icing sugar will work just fine, providing it does not have a flavor and the powder is even. As for the sugar, go for fine granulated sugar. This size of sugar granule is the best to give your meringue the optimal structure — they are not too coarse, and don’t dissolve too quickly in the egg whites. 8

The Anatomy of a Perfect Macaron ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS For best and most consistent results, it is best to use fresh egg whites, however, liquid pasteurized egg whites from a carton can also work. The only thing is that it’s better to test several different brands of pasteurized egg whites, because they react differently to being whipped. Make sure the egg whites are at room temperature to get a more stable and fluffy foam. Egg white powder is the pure egg white protein which helps achieve stronger, more stable meringues. As you whip, air is added to the meringue and you want that air to stay trapped inside the foam. The egg white powder is able to keep the protein network perfectly solid. Citric acid also adds to the meringue’s stability by increasing the acidity of the egg whites. With the help of the citric acid, the egg whites are less vulnerable to overwhipping or damaging the texture, and the meringue will generally turn out to be more stable and flexible. If citric acid is not available, you can also use cream of tartar, but you will need to use roughly twice as much cream of tartar as citric acid. Some recipes also call for the use of food coloring. We recommend using professional powdered food–grade water–soluble coloring. Some gel colorings discolor during baking and result in unattractive macaron shells.

HOW TO GET THE RIGHT TEXTURE FOR YOUR MACARON BATTER The next crucial step in making the perfect macaron shells, after choosing high quality ingredients, is achieving the right texture for your macaron batter. If you are making French meringue macarons, the dry ingredients should be added to the meringue in the following three steps: 1. Add one portion of the dry ingredients and fold them into the meringue, starting from the center and rotating the mixing bowl, using a stiff spatula. Then smear the batter against the sides of the mixing bowl to ensure there are no large air bubbles in the mixture. This will help to avoid air bubbles forming on the surface of the macaron shells after piping. 2. When the first portion of the dry ingredients has been mixed in properly, add the second portion. This time, be extremely careful while incorporating the dry ingredients because the idea is to make sure the macaron batter is neither too liquid, nor too stiff. 3. The last portion of the dry ingredients should be mixed in with extreme care. Use the same technique, mix extremely gently and slowly, until everything has been combined properly. 9

The Anatomy of a Perfect Macaron HOW TO GET THE RIGHT TEXTURE FOR YOUR MACARON BATTER As for the Italian macarons, the process of making the batter is similar, the only difference is that you gradually add the whipped meringue into the egg whites and dry ingredients, not the other way around, and fold in several steps as described above. Regardless of the method you choose to follow, it’s better to make the macaron batter slightly stiffer in the beginning, because when you have a stiffer batter, you can always mix it more to balance out the texture. If you mix too much in the beginning, you will end up with a liquid batter, which is quite difficult to work with and most probably the macarons will be flat and some may end up cracked or even burst. So, we recommend a thicker texture in the beginning, which you can then mix until you reach the ribbon stage (when you lift your spatula with lots of macaron batter on it, it should flow back down into the bowl in a steady and slow stream).

HOW TO PIPE PERFECTLY ROUND MACARON SHELLS It is better to use a large piping bag (around 55–60 cm long) and a round pastry tip, which is 8–9 mm in diameter. Fill the bag halfway with the macaron batter, don’t add too much otherwise it will be difficult to pipe out and the warmth of your hands will lead the batter to liquefy during the piping process, and it will affect the final texture and appearance of your macaron shells. There are different types of sheets that can be used for piping and baking the macarons. These include: a silicone mat, parchment paper and a Teflon sheet. You’re free to choose, as all of these sheets provide good results, but we recommend using the Teflon sheet as it transfers heat to the macarons very quickly. There is almost no barrier between the tray and the macarons. What is more, it is not sticky which means the macarons can be removed very easily. This material is relatively cheap compared to silicone mats and it will last for a long time. To end up with same-sized macaron shells, it’s a good idea to use a stencil. You can make it yourself by drawing circles with a pencil and a round cutter on the surface that you are going to bake on, or alternatively you could also use ready made sheets with the stencils printed on them directly. Stencils will help you keep the right distance between the macaron shells and pipe them out to the same size. To have perfectly round macarons, pipe them in the following way: hold the bag straight and vertical, leaving some distance between the piping tip and the tray (around 0.5–1 cm maximum). Start piping, and when you are happy with the size, stop pushing out the batter and twist the piping bag to create a neat surface on top. If the macaron batter is properly shaped and its texture is correct, then after a while the macaron shell will become perfectly smooth.

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The Anatomy of a Perfect Macaron HOW TO PIPE PERFECTLY ROUND MACARON SHELLS However, if it doesn’t happen, you can tap your tray slightly on the work surface, and your shells should become smoother. Remove the stencil after piping and leave the macarons to dry for about 30–60 minutes until they form a slight skin on the surface. It is important that the room temperature is above 20 °С / 68 °F and that the level of humidity is not too high. Otherwise the skin will not form and it will be very difficult to bake the macarons perfectly.

BAKING THE MACARONS It is important to keep in mind that the baking time and the baking temperature will differ, depending on your oven and the country you live in. But baking macarons is no different to baking cakes. When you bake a cake it has to rise first. The same goes for macarons as they have to rise and develop their feet. Then the cake has to stabilize; it should set and not collapse. And again, the same goes for macarons. We recommend baking macarons at a relatively high temperature about 160 °C­ / 320 °F so that they have enough heat to rise properly. And then, depending on your oven, you might need to reduce the temperature at some point so that the macarons do not discolor during baking. Another trick to achieving perfectly baked macaron shells is to preheat the oven to 165 °C / 329 °F for about 10 minutes so that it heats up nicely. Then, when you put the tray of macarons into the oven, reduce the temperature to 140 °C / 284 °F. This means that the temperature drops gradually during baking so the macarons have enough temperature to rise and then set properly. So, they will have risen enough and have a well developed interior. But again, this tip is not universal and will depend on the type of oven you use. You can achieve good results both in convection ovens and nonconvection ovens. We suggest baking at lower temperatures (140–150 °C / 284–302 °F) in convection ovens, because the airflow produces lots of heat and this heat is distributed evenly throughout the baking chamber, while in conventional, fanless ovens you should bake at a higher temperature, so that the macarons have enough heat to rise and set while baking. The baking time will also vary, but in general, macarons should be ready in about 10–15 minutes. Again, it will depend on the type of oven you use. If the oven is powerful and heats up fast, then the macarons will be ready faster. If it is a home oven with no convection, then the baking time might be longer, up to 20 minutes. And if you fill the oven, using up all available space, then, again, the baking may take up to 25–30 minutes.

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APPLE & WALNUT MACARONS for 20 macarons d=4 cm

Apple and Walnut Macarons for 20 macarons d=4 cm

GELATIN MASS Ingredients

• Powdered gelatin 200 Bloom • Cold water

Total weight: ~ 21 g

100%

3g

14%

18 g

86%

1. Add the powdered gelatin and cold water to a clean container. Gently stir with a spoon. 2. Place the mixture in the fridge and let it sit there for 10–15 minutes to allow the gelatin to swell and bloom. Then it’s ready for use. 3. You can make the gelatin mass in advance and store it in the fridge for up to 2 days. TIP • If you have no powdered gelatin on hands, you can use gelatin leaves instead. Simply use the same weight of gelatin leaves as you would powdered gelatin and soak them in cold water. Make sure the leaves are fully covered with water. • Leave the gelatin leaves to soak for 15 minutes – during this time, the leaves should absorb exactly the right amount of water needed. Then squeeze the leaves to remove excess water and use immediately.

APPLE CARAMEL Ingredients

• • • • • • • • •

Total weight: ~ 414 g

100%

Glucose/corn syrup

67 g

16%

Sugar

67 g

16%

Whipping cream 35%

172 g

42%

Butter 82%

52 g

13%

Sea salt or Fleur de sel

3g