Macarons in Singapore: Adding an Asian Edge to a French Confection (Guest Post by Mac Woo of Obolo)

Macarons took the world by storm and it wasn't too long before you could find these delightful French macarons in Singapore. These colorful little confectioneries are a treat to both the eyes and the taste-buds and it's no wonder that they have become the favorites of many Singaporeans.

Not everyone has the patience required to consistently turn out perfectly formed well baked macaron. Many have tried, and given up because of the complexity involved. It is probably the biggest reason why people prefer to buy these confections as opposed to making it themselves. It's also a delicate art to adapt a French delicacy to suit Asian taste buds. The French like their macarons as sweet as they can get. Asians on the other hand prefer an experience that caters to all their taste-buds rather than just their sweet tooth.

It's interesting to see how the macaron has developed in Singapore. Local pastry chefs have realized that traditional macarons may be too sweet for the discerning Singaporean palate and have quickly begun to incorporate local flavors into the macaron to make them more palatable. If you would like to try your hand at making these French delicacies, below is a simple recipe you can try at home.

French Macaron

Ingredients:

3 whites of medium sized eggs
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 2/3 cups castor or powdered sugar
1 cup almond meal (finely ground almonds)

Directions:

1)  Line a silicone mat or a baking sheet with butter paper. For those first timers in baking macarons, draw circles of desired width (usually 1 1/2 inches diameter) onto the butter paper to guide you while you are piping the batter).

2) Beat the egg whites in a large bowl with a stand mixer (using a whisk attachment). You can also beat the whites with a hand held beater, but this will require patience as it will take a while. Beat until whites look foamy and form soft peaks. Slowly add in granulated sugar, a tablespoon at a time and continue to beat until the mixture is glossy and fluffy, and holds soft peaks.

3) In another, separate bowl, sift the powdered sugar with the almond meal. With a spatula, begin to fold the almond mixture into the egg white mixture. Do not beat but use about 30 strokes to blend the almond mixture with the egg mixture.

4) Place a plastic bag or a piping bag into a cup. Spoon a small amount of the prepared into this. If using a plastic bag, cut off a small corner. Using this, pipe disks of the batter onto the butter paper you have prepared. The batter should flatten immediately. If it holds a peak, fold the batter gently with a few more strokes and then try again.

5) Continue to pipe the disks onto the butter paper, making sure you leave enough space in between the disks. Let the piped disks stand out of the oven, at room temperature. Once they have formed a skin on top, they will be ready to be baked. It should take about 1 hour to form a hard skin, depending on the climate.

6) Preheat oven to 140 degrees Celsius or 285 degrees Fahrenheit.

7) Now bake disks until set. Make sure they don't brown. It should take around 10 minutes; let the macarons cool completely before assembling.

8) You can use different fillings for the macarons, including jam, ganache, and buttercream.

9) For colored or flavored macarons, use gel food colors or flavors, and incorporate when folding in almond meal. Make sure you don't use too much or it will upset the balance of ingredients and your macarons will not bake well.

With flavors like Elderflower Blossom, Rose and Durian, it's not difficult to imagine the delight each bite brings. The introduction of macarons in Asia has taken the taste to a whole new level and across Singapore and the rest of Asia, pastry chefs are busy experimenting with local flavours to see which will work. This means that new flavors are regularly being added to recipes and menus, much to the surprise and delight of macaron aficionados.

You can choose from Obolo’s wide variety of macaron flavours for your palette-- Obolo macarons fulfills every taste craving imaginable. From their basic Rose, Raspberry, Pistache, Cassis, Ruby, Sakura, and Fraise, to flavours that chocolate lovers will enjoy like the Bittersweet Chocolate, Salted Caramel Chocolate, Hazelnut Chocolate, Milk Choc Macadamia and Earl Grey Milk Chocolate. For their 2012/2013 collection, Obolo offered Singapore's 1st ever alcoholic macarons with 4 different flavours: The Aged Rum Vanille, Mocha Kahlua, Choc Whiskey, and Orange Cognac. Other flavours are Mango Passion and Champagne.

Macaron flavours from front to back: Rose, Mango Passion, Pistachio, Cassis, Ruby & Bittersweet Chocolate

Macaron flavours from top left: Mocha Kahlua, Aged Rum Vanille, Chocolate Whisky, and Champagne

Many wrote macarons off as a fad but they seem to be growing and thriving. The Singaporeans love for beauty and taste have made these little confections indispensable at high - end parties , birthdays and even weddings. The fact that pastry chefs are making an effort to blend local flavours into this French delight is a clear indication that the macaron is here to stay.

_______________________________________

Author’s Bio:

Mac Woo is the chef-owner of Obolo Bakeshop: one of Singapore’s leading patisseries cafe, handcrafting its award-winning cheesecakes and macarons in Singapore..  Along with June Lee; these two aspiring architects turned self-taught pastry chefs, started this 100% home-grown brand in 2004; infusing their design training into creating exciting and innovative flavors.
 

 

 

Yuzu Macarons with Orange Buttercream and Chocolate Ganache

It has been a while since I had made macarons and in fact this is not even a recent baking adventure.  I had made this early this year but had not managed to put up the post until now.  These are yuzu macarons and the flavours were really refreshing.




Yuzu Macarons with Orange Buttercream
and Chocolate Ganache
Makes about 30 filled macarons
Macaron Template

For the Macaron Batter

Ingredients:

98g almond powder or almond meal
98g icing sugar
67g egg whites (aged 2 - 3 days in the refrigerator)
50g caster sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 1/2 tsp egg white powder (dehydrated egg white)
1/2 tsp dried yuzu fruit powder
Food colouring

Method:

1) Combine the icing sugar, yuzu powder and almond flour in a food processor. Pulse until fine and powdery.

2) Remove and then sift into a dry bowl. Set aside.

3) Add the egg white powder to the caster sugar and stir with a spoon until mixed through.

4) Place egg whites into another clean bowl. Beat with mixer on medium. until frothy. Then add in the cream of tartar and beat until it is mixed - about one minute. Then slowly add in the sugar with egg white powder. Switch to high and continue beating until medium peaks.

5) Then add in the food colouring and continue to beat until stiff peaks.

6) Add 1/3 of the almond flour mixture into the meringue and fold to combine. Then add in the rest. Don’t overfold, but fully incorporate your ingredients. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain half-inch tip, pipe 1.5 cm rounds onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

7) Once you have finishing piping all the macarons lift each baking sheet with both hands and then bang it down on the counter (you need to get the air out of the batter).

8) Rest the macarons for an hour to develop a skin on the surface.

9) Preheat oven to 150°C. Bake for about 15 minutes (baking time can be varied, from 12-15 depending on your oven) or until firm to the touch. Mid way through baking, rotate the pans.

10) Remove from oven and cool on trays. Slide a knife under each macaroon to release from paper. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week or until ready to assemble. Once assembled put the macarons into the refrigerator. Best eaten a day later so that the flavours will develop.

Chocolate Ganache:

3/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup bittersweet chocolate (65%)

In a heavy saucepan set over medium heat, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Remove from the stove and add the chocolate to it. Let stand 2 minutes and then stir until fully combined. Let cool in the fridge until firm enough to put in a small piping bag.

Orange Buttercream:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp orange extract
1-2 tbsp milk, if necessary
Pinch of salt
1-2 drops of orange food gel

In a large bowl, cream together butter, salt and powdered sugar. Add orange extract. Stir in milk, one tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Stir in orange food gel. Put in the fridge to set slightly before putting into a small piping bag.

French Macarons with Capuccino Ganache

I have been baking macarons for the last two weeks and have finally achieved zero spoilage.  This is truly a breakthrough and I am really happy about it.   If you have yet to try your hands at making macarons, make sure that you do lots of research first before starting.  Although macarons have no more than five ingredients to making the shells, the methods itself is somewhat tricky.  I would say that they are really fussy cookies! 

I recently came across this Site which gives you a run-down of the "do's" and "don'ts" ... mainly "do's" to having successful macarons.  Hope this helps with your adventure. 





French Macarons with Capuccino Ganache
Makes about 30 filled macarons
Macaron Template

For the Macaron Batter

Ingredients:

98g almond powder or almond meal
98g icing sugar
67g egg whites (aged 2 - 3 days in the refrigerator)
50g caster sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 1/2 tsp egg white powder (dehydrated egg white)
Food colouring

Method:

1) Combine the icing sugar and almond flour in a food processor.  Pulse until fine and powdery.

2) Remove and then sift into a dry bowl.  Set aside.

3) Add the egg white powder to the caster sugar and stir with a spoon until mixed through.

4) Place egg whites into another clean bowl.  Beat with mixer on medium.  until frothy.  Then add in the cream of tartar and beat until it is mixed - about one minute.  Then slowly add in the sugar with egg white powder.  Switch to high and continue beating until medium peaks.

5)  Then add in the food colouring and continue to beat until stiff peaks.

6) Add 1/3 of the almond flour mixture into the meringue and fold to combine. Then add in the rest.  Don’t overfold, but fully incorporate your ingredients. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain half-inch tip, pipe 1.5 cm rounds onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

7) Once you have finishing piping all the macarons lift each baking sheet with both hands and then bang it down on the counter (you need to get the air out of the batter). 

8)  Rest the macarons for an hour to develop a skin on the surface. 

9)  Preheat oven to 150°C. Bake for  about 15 minutes (baking time can be varied, from 12-15 up to your oven) or until firm to the touch. Mid way through baking, rotate the pans.

10) Remove from oven and cool on trays. Slide a knife under each macaroon to release from paper. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week or until ready to assemble. Once assembled put the macarons into the refrigerator.  Best eaten a day later so that the flavours will develop.



Capuccino Ganache

Ingredients:

85g heavy cream or thickened cream
120g mixture of dark and milk chocolate
1/2 tsp instant espresso coffee powder (or instant coffee powder)
15g unsalted butter at room temperature

Method:

1) Place the chocolate into a bowl with the coffee powder.

2) In a saucepan, heat the cream until it comes to a boil.  Remove from heat and pour into the chocolate.  Let sit for a minute before stirrring to mix well.  Add in the butter and continue to stir until mix through.  Leave to cool before refrigerating.  Once the ganache has hardened slightly, you can use to sandwich the macaron shells.

Pandan Flavoured Macarons with Coconut Jam (Kaya)

Macarons are still a mystery to me because I am never consistent whenever I make these french cookies. I could have a good batch one time and a total disaster another time.

I don't purposely plan to make macarons but this particular time I had quite a lot of left over egg whites. So I kept them in a plastic container in the fridge for close to a week before using them. Pandan flavoured macarons had been on my mind when deciding on the flavour. For the filing it was simple - what goes with pandan was so obvious, kaya or coconut jam. It was a breeze where this recipe was concerned as I used bottled jam which is so easily available - buy the best flavoured one in this case! And I was glad that this time round it was not a disaster!





Pandan Flavoured Macarons with Coconut Jam (Kaya)
Adapted from "Ottolenghi - The Cookbook"

Ingredients:

110g icing sugar
60g almondmeal
60g egg whites, (about 2 eggs) aged 3 days in the fridge, then for about 3 hours at room temperature. You can also use 24 hour aged egg whites left open and unrefrigerated.
30g castor sugar (this is reduced from the original recipe)
1 tsp pandan extract or pandan essence
Wilton green colour gel (optional if you want more colour)
Dessicated coconut for sprinkling on top of shells
Store bought coconut jam (kaya) for filing

Method for the Macaron Shells:

1) Line two baking trays with parchment paper.

2) In a large mixing bowl mix the egg whites with an electric hand beater (alternatively you can use a stand mixer with the whisk attachment) until it is frothy. Gradually add the granulated sugar, whisking all the while, until the mixture turns into a thick glossy meringue (soft peak). Then add in the pandan extract and mix until stiff peaks.

3) Sift the almond meal in a clean bowl and measure out the correct weight. Then sift the icing sugar into another bowl and measure out the correct weight. Mix both almong meal and icing sugar together and whisk until mix properly. There should be no lumps

4) Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the meringue. Give the mixture a quick fold to ensure that everything is combined. Add the remaining 2/3 dry ingredients and gently fold the mixture (about 50 folds altogether). Fold a few times to break the air. Continue until you get a smooth and supple mixture, thick in consistency so that when you lift the spatula it flows back in thick ribbons. Test a small amount on a plate – should the tops fall back and flatten by themselves then it is ready, if not give it a few more folds.

5) Fill a large piping bag with a plain tip with the batter and pipe small rounds (2 cm in diameter) on your prepared baking paper. Sprinkle the top of each macaron with the dessicated coconut. Leave the macarons to rest and dry for 45 minutes.

6) Preheat the oven to 160C. When the macarons are ready, bake the shells for about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Use a flat offset spatula to gently remove the shells from the baking paper and allow to cool further on a rack.



To Assemble:

Using a spoon place a small dollop of the coconut jam on one of the shells and gently cover with another shell. Do not press. Continue to do this with the rest of the shells.

Storing Macarons:

If you are not going to be eating them right away you can store the shells in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. Fill the macarons a few hours before consuming.

They freeze well too but it is recommended to freeze them unfilled. To fill them take the shells out of the freezer 48 hours prior to serving and without defrosting fill them. This way the flavors will be allowed to blend as they thaw.

Sencha Flavoured Macarons with White Chocolate

I had extra egg whites remaining from another baking session but honestly I cannot remember what that was. So I decided to make some macarons which I have not done so for a long while now. As I went about measuring my ingredients, I had this phobia at the back of my mind. What happens if the macarons "bomb" out? It has happened in the past before! For such an uncomplicated recipe it really does test one's patience. Luckily this time round it was a success .. yeehah! I made Sencha flavoured macarons. Sencha is actually the other fancy name for Green Tea.



Sencha tea is a popular green tea from Japan made from the top parts of the tea leaf and tea buds. The tea leaves and buds are processed whole.
Japanese plantations produce the sencha leaves, with each region producing a distinct flavor of tea leaves. The leaves are harvested during April and May, and the first new tea leaves are especially sweet.

The leaves are steamed for less than a minute to stop oxidation. The whole leaves are then rolled into long cylinders and dried. The last step is to fire the leaves to preserve them and ensure that its flavour is locked in. Steaming makes Japanese teas quite distinct from Chinese green teas, and it gives the Japanese teas a grassier, vegetable flavor. (Guess you either love it or hate it!) Steamed tea leaves make a greener tea than leaves that are roasted, as with teas. The steaming process also helps to prevent oxidation and gives the tea a longer shelf life. Sencha tea accounts for about 80% of the tea consumed in Japan. It is usually served hot in the winter and chilled in warmer weather.



Sencha Flavoured Macarons with White Chocolate
Makes about 15 macarons
Recipe adapted from The Sweet Life in Paris (Broadway) by David Lebovitz

Ingredients for Macaron Batter:

110g icing sugar
1/2 cup powdered almonds (about 2 ounces, 50 gr, sliced almonds, pulverized)
1 tsp sencha dried tea leaves (you can use any other tea leaves)
2 large egg whites (about 60g), aged for 24 hours at room temperature
4 Tbsp granulated sugar

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 160C.

2) Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and have a pastry bag with a plain tip (about 1/2-inch, 2 cm) ready.

3) Grind together the icing sugar with the almond powder and sench tea leaves in a food processor for about 10 - 15 seconds. Remove and sieve through a fine siever and set aside.

4) Place egg whites into a clean dry mixing bowl. Beat the egg whites until almost soft peaks, about 2 minutes or so. Then slowly add in the granulated sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks. Do not overbeat.

5) Carefully fold the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is just smooth and there are no streaks of egg white, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag (standing the bag in a tall glass helps if you’re alone).

6) Pipe the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheets in 1-inch (3 cm) circles (about 1 tablespoon each of batter), evenly spaced one-inch (3 cm) apart.

7) Rap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the counter top to flatten the macarons. Leave the macarons aside for about 40 minutes. After that bake them for 15-18 minutes. Let cool completely then remove from baking sheet.

White Chocolate Buttercream
(Makes about 6 cups)

Ingredients:

10oz good quality white Chocolate
4 Egg whites
1 cup granulated Sugar
1 lb Butter, at room temperature

Method:

1) Place the chocolate and into a bowl and place the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Be careful not to let any water get into the chocolate or it will bind up. You may also place the chocolate into a microwave safe bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and microwave for 10 seconds at a time in order not to burn the chocolate. Removing it after each 10 seconds and stir.

2) Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Now start to gradually add the sugar a little at a time. When all the sugar has been incorporated beat on high till stiff peaks form.

3) Add the butter a little at a time.

4) Now add the melted white chocolate while beating slowly and then beat till smooth. The buttercream can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator. To use, let it thaw and then rewhip it again to smooth consistency. Left over buttercream can be frozen for up to a month.

Matcha Macarons with Sour Cream Chocolate Ganache

It has been ages since I have made any french macarons. Not because I have been lazy but the last few times (which was more than half a year ago) I had tried making some, they have all failed. I had cracked and shapeless macarons, and all without "feet". Not that they lacked in taste, they were simply ugly!

So when my niece, Caitlin, from Melbourne came to visit me before Christmas, one of the things she wanted to learn to bake was french macarons. She is 11 years old and quite a little budding baker I must say. She recently baked a whole black forest cake including decorating it with icing for my brother's birthday last November. She even ventured into making her own fondant using a recipe I had posted in my blog and made little figurines out of them. So enthusiastic was she in this, that she sent me photos of them to comment. So how could I disappoint her by denying her wish. I did however warn her of my past failures and not to keep her hopes too high on seeing "feet" on these macarons.

When I first tried my hand at french macarons, one of the "safe" recipes that I had used was from David Lebowitz's blog. So I decided to fall back on this recipe again and it worked like a charm. Caitlin helped me to pipe the chocolate macarons onto the baking trays and she was extremely excited when "feet" eventually appeared.

A couple of weeks later I decided to make another batch of macarons on my own and I adapted the same recipe for matcha flavour instead of chocolate. I think I am going to stick to this recipe in the future since it has worked twice for me in less than a month.





Matcha Macarons with Sour Cream Chocolate Ganache
Makes about 15 macarons
Recipe adapted from The Sweet Life in Paris (Broadway) by David Lebovitz

Ingredients for Macaron Batter:

110g icing sugar
1/2 cup powdered almonds (about 2 ounces, 50 gr, sliced almonds, pulverized)
2 Tbsp matcha powder
2 large egg whites (about 60g), at room temperature
4 Tbsp granulated sugar

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 160C.

2) Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and have a pastry bag with a plain tip (about 1/2-inch, 2 cm) ready.

3) Grind together the icing sugar with the almond powder and matcha in a food processor for about 10 seconds. Remove and sieve through a fine siever and set aside.

4) Place the egg whites in a microwave bowl and microwave it for 10 seconds. Remove and place egg whites into a mixing bowl. Beat the egg whites until they begin to be frothy, about 1 minute. Then slowly add in the granulated sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks. Do not overbeat.

5) Carefully fold the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is just smooth and there are no streaks of egg white, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag (standing the bag in a tall glass helps if you’re alone).

6) Pipe the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheets in 1-inch (3 cm) circles (about 1 tablespoon each of batter), evenly spaced one-inch (3 cm) apart.

7) Rap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the counter top to flatten the macarons. Leave the macarons aside for about 40 minutes. After that bake them for 15-18 minutes. Let cool completely then remove from baking sheet.

Sour Cream Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients:

12 ounces bittersweet or semi sweet chocolate, chopped
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
2 tbsp light corn syrup
¼ cup half-and-half at room temperature
½ cup sour cream, at room temperature

1) Melt the chocolate with the butter and corn syrup in a double boiler over barly simmering water. Remove from the heat and whisk until smooth.

2) Whisk in the half-and-half and sour cream. Refrigerate the ganache for about an hour before using to sandwhich the macarons.

Rosewater Macarons with White Chocolate Buttercream

After a week and a half of baking pineapple tarts I was left with a fair amount of egg whites. I had managed to freeze some of them and honestely have no clue as to what to do with this batch. The rest I had just thrown them into a container, put the lid on and placed them into the refrigerator.

I contemplated between baking an Angel Food Cake which would be a first for me or a batch of macarons. I finally settled on macarons. It has been a long while since I made these delicate french cookies - the last time round was for a Daring Bakers challenge.

This recipe has been somewhat tweaked from the original one. I decided on using an unopened bottle of rosewater extract which I had purchased about a year ago. Okey I confess ... I have food stuff that are unopened for this long! In addition I also had some white chocolate buttercream which I had made using more left over egg whites. The macarons came out great - zero spoilage. The only thing that was really off was that after baking, the macarons turned a shade darker with the end result colour being rose pink rather than a baby pink. I'm not complaining though!



Rosewater Macarons with White Chocolae Buttercream
Adapted from "Ottolenghi - The Cookbook"

Ingredients:

110g icing sugar
60g hazelnut, very finely ground (you can also use almond)
60g egg whites, (about 2 eggs) aged 3 days in the fridge, then for about 3 hours at room temperature. You can also use 24 hour aged egg whites left open and unrefrigerated.
30g castor sugar (this is reduced from the original recipe)
1/2 teaspoon rosewater extract
Black sesame seeds, dried lavender flowers and pink sugar crystals for sprinkling on top of shells
Wilton pink gel colouring

Method for the Macaron Shells:

1) Line two baking trays with parchment paper.

2) In a large mixing bowl mix the egg whites with an electric hand beater (alternatively you can use a stand mixer with the whisk attachment) until it is frothy. Gradually add the granulated sugar, whisking all the while, until the mixture turns into a thick glossy meringue (soft peak). Then add in 1/2 teaspoon of rosewater and pink gel colour and mix a couple of times. Make sure the meringue is not over-beaten or else it will be too dry.

3) In a food processor pulse together icing sugar and hazelnut until finely ground and powdery. Sift the mixture to make sure there are no lumps.

4) Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the meringue. Give the mixture a quick fold to ensure that everything is combined. Add the remaining 2/3 dry ingredients and gently fold the mixture (about 50 folds altogether). Fold a few times to break the air. Continue until you get a smooth and supple mixture, thick in consistency so that when you lift the spatula it flows back in thick ribbons. Test a small amount on a plate – should the tops fall back and flatten by themselves then it is ready, if not give it a few more folds.

5) Fill a large piping bag with a plain tip with the batter and pipe small rounds (2 cm in diameter) on your prepared baking paper. Sprinkle the top of each macaron with the black sesame seeds, dried lavendar flowers and crystal sugar. Leave the macarons to rest and dry for 30 minutes.

6) Preheat the oven to 160C. When the macarons are ready, bake the shells for 12-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Use a flat offset spatula to gently remove the shells from the baking paper and allow to cool further on a rack.



To Assemble:

Using a spoon place a small dollop of the buttercream on one of the shells and gently cover with another shell. Do not press. Continue to do this with the rest of the shells.

Storing Macarons:

If you are not going to be eating them right away you can store the shells in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. Fill the macarons just before serving.

They freeze well too but it is recommended to freeze them unfilled. To fill them take the shells out of the freezer 48 hours prior to serving and without defrosting fill them. This way the flavors will be allowed to blend as they thaw.

White Chocolate Buttercream
(Makes about 6 cups)

Ingredients:

10oz good quality white Chocolate
4 Egg whites
1 cup granulated Sugar
1 lb Butter, at room temperature

Method:

1) Place the chocolate and into a bowl and place the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Be careful not to let any water get into the chocolate or it will bind up. You may also place the chocolate into a microwave safe bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and microwave for 10 seconds at a time in order not to burn the chocolate. Removing it after each 10 seconds and stir.

2) Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Now start to gradually add the sugar a little at a time. When all the sugar has been incorporated beat on high till stiff peaks form.

3) Add the butter a little at a time.

4) Now add the melted white chocolate while beating slowly and then beat till smooth. The buttercream can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator. To use, let it thaw and then rewhip it again to smooth consistency. Left over buttercream can be frozen for up to a month.

How about some French Macarons?

The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.

Oh wow! Macarons! For the life of me, I did not expect this. To be frank I'm really not that much into macarons (I think they are a bit too sweet) which is probably why you only see them making a rare appearance in this blog. I remembered the very first time I made macarons. Of course prior to actually venturing into it, I did a whole lot of research and finally picked a recipe posted by none other than the Queen of Macarons - Helen of Tartelette. I used the Italian method which is suppose to give a more stable macaron. Not sure what I did wrong but every single one cracked, even though the tops were shiny! It took a long while before I dared to try again! The next time round I used David Lebowitz's recipe and I didn't even age the egg whites, which is suppose to be a "no-no". Lo and behold, my macarons developed feet and they didn't crack. I was so excited. I remember running out from the kitchen, exclaiming, feet - feet! Any one other than my hubby would have certainly thought that a mad woman had ascended upon them. I guess only bakers can appreciate the excitment of seeing "feet". Would you believe me if I told you I still get this excitment plus the fact that I will stare ardently into my oven for the first 10 minutes just to see the macarons rise up.



For this particular challenge, I made two different batches over separate weekends. The first was a Hazelnut Espresso Chocolate Macaron sandwiched with a bittersweet chocolate ganache which had been flavoured with orange liquor. I sprinkled the top of each macaron with cocoa nibs. Huh - talk about chocolate overdose and it does sounds delish right?? Well they were! The espresso and bitterness of the chocolate counter-balanced the sugar just nicely! Pair these with a cup of espresso coffee and you'll be in 7th heaven!

The next batch was Almond Lemon-Mint Macaron sandwiched with chai flavoured chocolate ganache. I coloured the macarons in baby blue and even did some swirls on some of them, just for the sake of experimenting. These were delicious as well and the lemon-mint paired quite well with the chai flavour. I wasn't sure at first!

In all, this month's challenge has been another fun adventure. To check out other beautiful creations, go visit my fellow bakers at Daring Bakers .



Equipment required:

• Electric mixer, preferably a stand mixer with a whisk attachment
• Rubber spatula
• Baking sheets
• Parchment paper or nonstick liners
• Pastry bag (can be disposable)
• Plain half-inch pastry bag tip
• Sifter or sieve
• If you don’t have a pastry bag and/or tips, you can use a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off
• Oven
• Cooling rack
• Thin-bladed spatula for removing the macaroons from the baking sheets
• Food processor or nut grinder, if grinding your own nuts





French Macarons

Ingredients

Confectioners’ (Icing) sugar: 2 ¼ cups (225 g, 8 oz.)
Almond flour: 2 cups (190 g, 6.7 oz.)
Granulated sugar: 2 tablespoons (25 g , .88 oz.)
Egg whites: 5 (Have at room temperature)



Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 200°F (93°C). Combine the confectioners’ sugar and almond flour in a medium bowl. If grinding your own nuts, combine nuts and a cup of confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of a food processor and grind until nuts are very fine and powdery.

2) Beat the egg whites in the clean dry bowl of a stand mixer until they hold soft peaks. Slowly add the granulated sugar and beat until the mixture holds stiff peaks.

3) Sift a third of the almond flour mixture into the meringue and fold gently to combine. If you are planning on adding zest or other flavorings to the batter, now is the time. Sift in the remaining almond flour in two batches. Be gentle! Don’t overfold, but fully incorporate your ingredients.

4) Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain half-inch tip (Ateco #806). You can also use a Ziploc bag with a corner cut off. It’s easiest to fill your bag if you stand it up in a tall glass and fold the top down before spooning in the batter.

5) Pipe one-inch-sized (2.5 cm) mounds of batter onto baking sheets lined with nonstick liners (or parchment paper).

6) Bake the macaroon for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and raise the temperature to 375°F (190°C). Once the oven is up to temperature, put the pans back in the oven and bake for an additional 7 to 8 minutes, or lightly colored.

7) Cool on a rack before filling.

Yield: About two dozen filled macarons

Macarons with Earl Grey Chocolate Ganache

I was in the mood of making some macarons as I had some stale egg whites in the fridge. It's been a while since I made these little treats. Although they are really sweet, it's nice to have a few with a cup of hot tea. I decided this time round to add a variety of colours for a change and sandwich them with a chocolate ganache that is infused with earl grey tea leaves. In fact you can use other types of tea leaves such as lavendar, chai or mint if you don't fancy earl grey.



Macaroons with Earl Grey Chocolate Ganache
(makes about 60 shells)

Ingredients:

90g egg whites, about 3 eggs
70g fine castor sugar
120g icing sugar
90g finely ground almonds

Method:

1) For the whites: the day before (24hrs), separate your eggs and store the whites at room temperature in a covered container. If you want to use 48hrs (or more) egg whites, you can store them in the fridge. Bring egg whites to room temperature before using.

2) Sift icing sugar and ground almonds into a bowl.

3) In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, place egg whites into the bowl and whisk until frothy (about 1 minute).

4) Add half the sugar and continue to whisk on medium speed for another minute.

5) Add the remaining sugar and whisk on medium speed until it resembles soft peak meringue peaks. The meringue should have a glossy look to it. Add in the food colouring of your choice and whisk briefly to blend in the colours. Detach mixing bowl from machine.

6) Fold in half the dry ingredients using a spatula. Fold from below of the bowl to upwards in an 8 shape formation.

7) Add in the remaining dry ingredients and fold until mixed. Do not over-mix your batter.

8) Put mixture into a piping bag and pipe big rounds of about 1 1/2" circles onto parchment lined baking trays. Make sure that you leave sufficient space in-between each.

9) Bake for about 10 mins in a pre-heated oven of 160C.

10) Once baked and if you are not using them right away, store them in an airtight container out of the fridge for a couple of days or in the freezer. To fill: pipe or spoon about 1 tablespoon of ganache in the center of one shell and top with another one.

Earl Grey Chocolate Ganache

275g thickened cream
45g glucose (can be omitted)
250g Pur Caribe chocolate 66%
12g earl grey tea leaves
50g unsalted cold butter

Method:

1) Place chocolate in a metal bowl and place it over a saucepan of simmering water. Ensure that the base of the bowl does not touch the water. Stir the chocolate until it has melted.

2) In the meantime place thickened cream in a saucepan and place over a medium heat. Once it starts to simmer remove from fire. Pour cream over the tea leaves and glucose. Cover the bowl with a plate to insure the mixture for about a minute.

3) Strain the thickened cream and pour a bit over the chocolate. Stir the chocolate mixture and then slowly pour in the remaining cream.

4) Add in the butter and using a hand-held blender, blend the chocolate mixture until it becomes a smooth and glossy ganache.

5) Place mixture in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes until it is easy to pipe.

Lemon Macarons with White Chocolate Buttercream

It has been ages since my first attempt at making macarons and as I had some left-over egg whites, I decided to bake up a batch. Macarons are such a treat even though they can be a bit finicky to make. This is really my second attempt and I am still getting some cracked tops and "feet" which seem to extend a lot more than required. Even though they don't really look like the smooth, well rounded and neat macarons I've seen on many blogs, these still taste great.




Lemon Macarons with White Chocolate Buttercream
Recipe Adapted from Tartelette
Makes between 30 to 40 macarons

For the macarons shells:

90 gr egg whites (from about 3 egg)
30 gr granulated sugar
200 gr powdered sugar
110 gr almonds
2 tablespoons lemon zest

Method:

1) For the whites: the day before (24hrs), separate your eggs and store the whites at room temperature in a covered container. If you want to use 48hrs (or more) egg whites, you can store them in the fridge.

2) In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites to a foam, gradually add the sugar until you obtain a glossy meringue. Do not overbeat your meringue or it will be too dry.

3) Combine the almonds and powdered sugar in a food processor and give them a good pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Add them to the meringue, give it a quick fold to break some of the air and then fold the mass carefully until you obtain a batter that flows like lava or a thick ribbon.

4) Give quick strokes at first to break the mass and slow down. The whole process should not take more than 50 strokes. Test a small amount on a plate: if the tops flattens on its own you are good to go. If there is a small beak, give the batter a couple of turns.

5) Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip (Ateco #807 or #809) with the batter and pipe small rounds (1.5 inches in diameter) onto parchment paper or silicone mats lined baking sheets.

6) Sprinkle with the lemon zest. Preheat the oven to 280F. Let the macarons sit out for 30 minutes to an hour to harden their shells a bit and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on their size.

7) Let cool. If you have trouble removing the shells, pour a couple of drops of water under the parchment paper while the sheet is still a bit warm and the macarons will lift up more easily do to the moisture. Don't let them sit there in it too long or they will become soggy.

8) Once baked and if you are not using them right away, store them in an airtight container out of the fridge for a couple of days or in the freezer. To fill: pipe or spoon about 1 big tablespoon of butterceam in the center of one shell and top with another one.

White Chocolate Buttercream

226g unsalted butter, softened
2 cups icing sugar
170g white chocolate (I used valhora white chocolate)
3-5 tablespoons whipping cream or half-and-half

In a large bowl, beat the butter and confectioners sugar at low speed until fluffy.
Add in melted and cooled white chocolate and whipping cream (start with 3 tablespoons and add in more to achieve desired consistancy). Beat on high speed for 3-4 minutes, scraping the bowl with a spatula.

Macarons with Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache

I’ve never had a macaron before in my life and you could say that I was somewhat intrigued by the beautiful pictures that I’ve seen posted on a number of blogs I’ve visited. Especially so are the delicious looking pictures that seem to reach out to me from Helen of Tartelette. Her pictures are amazing as well as the perfection she has created!

It was this intrigue that led me to research further on these French desserts. From what I’ve read there are 2 methods of making macarons i.e. the Italian or the French method. However the few rules of thumb that keep surfacing was: use day old egg whites, process the almonds or any other nuts and powdered sugar finely, do not overbeat, do not under-beat, sit the macaroons before baking, oven cannot be too hot, temperature must be right, must have feet. For someone who has never made macarons before, let alone eaten one, you can imagine what I was thinking by then. The more I read, the more confused I was! And what the hell is feet ….??? Why is there so much DO’s and DON’Ts for a recipe that calls for only 4 ingredients? I decided that I’d shelf the idea of journeying down macaron- land, it was too troublesome. But somehow the macaron genie doesn’t want to go away, it keeps taunting back at me. It’s exactly like telling someone not to touch something, and lo and behold what do they do, they go ahead and touch. Well, that’s exactly what happened and how I got sucked in!

My first attempt was using the Italian method. This method calls for a hot syrup that’s slowly poured into stiff egg whites being beaten on medium speed. One thing that I didn’t do (and I’ve learnt from this) in my first attempt was to process the almonds and powdered sugar. I did a “lazy man” trick by just shifting ground almonds and powdered sugar two times – I thought this would suffice at that time. I even went as far as drawing circles on the parchment paper just to ensure uniformity in each piped macaron. The macarons were sat for about 20 minutes and by this time, they had spread further into bigger blobs. (2nd mistake which I now know is attributed to over-mixing the batter). I placed the tray into a pre-heated oven of 180C for about 15 minutes (3rd mistake here, as the oven should preferably be 160C and should be baked for about 10 minutes). I eagerly peered through the oven window as the macarons baked. I was excited when I saw the little feet forming but that excitement was short-lived as the tops of the macarons started to crack. By the time they had done their turn in the oven, majority had cracked tops and crevices. But they tasted great though! I made a simple lemon curd which was used to sandwich my somewhat dejected looking macarons. Here’s what my 1st attempt looked like.


It was about a month and half before I decided to attempt macarons again. This time round I deligently processed my ground almonds with the powdered sugar. I sat the macarons for an hour plus baked them in a preheated oven of 160C. Again the little feet started appearing and this time, yeah no cracks! However I should have piped my macarons a bit smaller … (next time). Being somewhat of a slight perfectionist, I am still not satisfied and I do understand that it takes lots of practice to come out with perfectly round and smooth macarons. I sandwiched these little creations with a bittersweet chocolate ganache.

If you are planning to add this to your list of “to do’s”, check out "Making French Macarons - Instructions and Recipes" (with links to other blogs) by David Lebovitz.



Macarons With Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache:
(Recipe from Tartellete)

For the Macarons:

3 egg whites (use 1 day old egg white)
50g granulated sugar
200g powdered sugar
110g ground almonds
2 Tb powdered food coloring

For the whites: the day before (24hrs), separate your eggs and store the whites at room temperature on a covered container.

Method:

1) In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites to a foam, gradually add the sugar until you obtain a glossy meringue. Do not overbeat your meringue or it will be too dry and your macaroons won't work.

2) Combine the ground almonds and powdered sugar in a food processor and give them a quick pulse. It will break the powdered sugar lumps and combine your almonds with it evenly.

3) Add them to the meringue in 2 batches, give it a quick fold after each addition. Add 2 Tb food coloring and fold the mass carefully until you obtain a batter that flows like magma or a thick ribbon.

4) Give quick strokes at first to break the mass and slow down. The whole process should not take more than 50 strokes. Test a small amount on a plate: if the tops flattens on its own you are good to go. If there is a small beak, give the batter a couple of turns.

5) Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip with the batter and pipe small rounds (about 1" to 1.5" in diameter depending on your size preference) onto parchment paper baking sheets.

6) Preheat the oven to 160C. Let the macarons sit out for an hour to harden their shells a bit and bake for 8-10 minutes, depending on their size. Let cool.

7) If you have trouble removing the shells, pour a couple of drops of water under the parchment paper while the sheet is still a bit warm and the macarons will lift up more easily do to the moisture. Don't let them sit there in it too long or they will become soggy. Pipe or spoon some ganache on one shell and sandwich with another one. (If you are using silicon paper, I've noticed that the macaroons can be easily removed without using any moisture at all)

Note: If you use fresh whites, zap them up in the microwave on medium high for 20 seconds.

Bittersweet Ganache:

3/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup bittersweet chocolate

In a heavy saucepan set over medium heat, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Remove from the stove and add the chocolate to it. Let stand 2 minutes and then stir until fully combined. Let cool in the fridge until firm enough to put in a small piping bag.