Monday, November 02, 2009

Daring Bakers: French Macarons


HmHmm...sadly, this month's challenge is what I think as a failed mission. My intention was to remake these macaroons, but couldn’t find the time. I have made coconut based macaroons many times, but this is the first time making French macarons and I surely got a 'Ha ha, the joke is on you' slap.

First, even after I left it resting to dry, there was no obvious feet on the macaroons. Room temperature white eggs and I am quite sure I did not mess it up in egg whites beating part. Well..that was that. Then...

I suspect that I didn’t pipe it thick enough, hence the flat disk shape result. Didn’t have hard time in baking it though, came out perfectly fine (to my untrained eyes on macarons), it did not stick to parchment paper.

I made it with three different flavors; cardamom and cinnamon, chocolate and pandan. Pandan one tasted the best I think. Sprinkle a tad too much cardamom to first batch - and it was way infused with it! Though Vik found it to be a perfect match with chai and ice cream!

As for filling, I went on simple route - just made simple chocolate cream (sour cream, confectioner sugar, dash of rum, powdered cocoa; all whipped together until fluffy) and equally simple raspberry and cherry cream (whipped double cream, added with raspberry puree and cherry liquor).


I liked it better with filling. Vik, not so much. He dipped his to tea, coffee and crumbled it to ice cream.

This is one of those recipes that I made a note on, will get back to it one of these days and get those 'feet' on them!!

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.