Long time, no write. It's been a busy winter, but I have been going to the Union Square Green Market every Saturday. However, pickings are kind of sparse. My usual haul consists of apples or red onion or a similar cold weather storage kind of veg. Despite the hint of spring in the air, there are still few greens to be found (My "ramp watch 2011" has begun).
So to capture a spring-like taste, I have been using a lot of lemons recently, and naturally decided to experiment with lemon flavored macarons. And once again, I learned how important macaron-making technique is.
The batch was pretty much a failure. Oh sure, they formed a foot, were crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside, but too little liquid made the batter stiff, meaning:
1. The shell tops held small peaks, despite my attempts to pipe evenly
2. The shells did not spread at all, meaning my macarons looked more like cylinders than disks
And the worse part is I know what part of the problem was! It was the darn meringue. I ignored my sugar water solution on the stove for a tad too long (it boiled down and began crystalizing again -- something I did not really notice until I pulled it off the burner). So I just threw in some more water without measuring. What I should have done was just started the sugar/water process over again.
Despite my technical gaffes, the batter recipe is a keeper -- the super sweet base was tempered by the sour lemon. And the other good news is that I've learned from my mistake, and now hope you do too!
Lemon Flavored Macarons with Lemon Filling
Ingredients
For the shells:6.5 oz. Almond flour, sifted
6.5 oz. Powdered sugar, sifted
Zest of one lemon
5.3 oz. Granulated sugar
1.75 oz. Water
4 egg whites, separated into 2 containers of 2*
For the filling:2 oz. Butter, softened
2 oz. White almond paste
Juice of half a lemon
Method
A few hours to days ahead of time, separate four eggs, dividing the egg whites into two separate containers of two; store on the counter covered with a paper towel or in the fridge covered in plastic.
Preheat oven to 320 degrees.**
In a large bowl, sift together almond flour and powdered sugar until well incorporated; add lemon zest and two of the egg whites and combine well (at this point, the batter should look like a thick, sandy paste).
In a small sauce pan, bring the granulated sugar and water to a simmer until it reaches the soft ball stage/240 degrees.*** Be careful not to let the solution boil down too much or the sugar will return to a crystallized state.
In a medium bowl, start whipping the remaining two egg whites until frothy/at a soft peak stage; when the sugar water reaches a soft ball stage, remove from heat, pour into the egg whites and continue to whip until the mixture resembles shiny, marshmallow fluff (if beating by hand, you can actually feel the mixture continue to thicken).
Fold the egg white fluff (aka Italian meringue) into the large bowl of almond sugar batter until well incorporated.
Scrape the batter into a pastry bag and pipe out onto a cookie tray lined with parchment, counting “1, 2, 3, pause” to get small, uniform rounds.
Let trays/parchment sit near an open window until a thin skin forms; place the cookie covered tray on top of an empty tray to create double insulation and bake one double-stacked tray at a time for 12-15 minutes.
Remove parchment from trays and cool on a rack.
To make the filling, cream together the almond paste with lemon juice until the paste loosens; add the butter and cream until well incorporated.
Scrape the filling into a pastry bag and pipe onto half of the shells; sandwich together with a similar-sized unfilled shell.
Pop the macarons in the fridge overnight to rest...and then enjoy!
Notes:
*I typically separate my eggs the night before baking and leave them in the fridge.
**All ovens are different. 320 degrees is the sweet spot for mine.
***If you don’t have a candy thermometer and are brave or have asbestos fingers, you can test the solution by dipping your fingers into a small bowl of water, grabbing a pinch of the liquid sugar solution and plunging your fingers back into the bowl of water. If a soft ball forms as you rub your fingers together under water, the sugar water is ready!
The batch was pretty much a failure. Oh sure, they formed a foot, were crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside, but too little liquid made the batter stiff, meaning:
1. The shell tops held small peaks, despite my attempts to pipe evenly
2. The shells did not spread at all, meaning my macarons looked more like cylinders than disks
And the worse part is I know what part of the problem was! It was the darn meringue. I ignored my sugar water solution on the stove for a tad too long (it boiled down and began crystalizing again -- something I did not really notice until I pulled it off the burner). So I just threw in some more water without measuring. What I should have done was just started the sugar/water process over again.
Despite my technical gaffes, the batter recipe is a keeper -- the super sweet base was tempered by the sour lemon. And the other good news is that I've learned from my mistake, and now hope you do too!
Lemon Flavored Macarons with Lemon Filling
Ingredients
For the shells:6.5 oz. Almond flour, sifted
6.5 oz. Powdered sugar, sifted
Zest of one lemon
5.3 oz. Granulated sugar
1.75 oz. Water
4 egg whites, separated into 2 containers of 2*
For the filling:2 oz. Butter, softened
2 oz. White almond paste
Juice of half a lemon
Method
A few hours to days ahead of time, separate four eggs, dividing the egg whites into two separate containers of two; store on the counter covered with a paper towel or in the fridge covered in plastic.
Preheat oven to 320 degrees.**
In a large bowl, sift together almond flour and powdered sugar until well incorporated; add lemon zest and two of the egg whites and combine well (at this point, the batter should look like a thick, sandy paste).
In a small sauce pan, bring the granulated sugar and water to a simmer until it reaches the soft ball stage/240 degrees.*** Be careful not to let the solution boil down too much or the sugar will return to a crystallized state.
In a medium bowl, start whipping the remaining two egg whites until frothy/at a soft peak stage; when the sugar water reaches a soft ball stage, remove from heat, pour into the egg whites and continue to whip until the mixture resembles shiny, marshmallow fluff (if beating by hand, you can actually feel the mixture continue to thicken).
Fold the egg white fluff (aka Italian meringue) into the large bowl of almond sugar batter until well incorporated.
Scrape the batter into a pastry bag and pipe out onto a cookie tray lined with parchment, counting “1, 2, 3, pause” to get small, uniform rounds.
Let trays/parchment sit near an open window until a thin skin forms; place the cookie covered tray on top of an empty tray to create double insulation and bake one double-stacked tray at a time for 12-15 minutes.
Remove parchment from trays and cool on a rack.
To make the filling, cream together the almond paste with lemon juice until the paste loosens; add the butter and cream until well incorporated.
Scrape the filling into a pastry bag and pipe onto half of the shells; sandwich together with a similar-sized unfilled shell.
Pop the macarons in the fridge overnight to rest...and then enjoy!
Notes:
*I typically separate my eggs the night before baking and leave them in the fridge.
**All ovens are different. 320 degrees is the sweet spot for mine.
***If you don’t have a candy thermometer and are brave or have asbestos fingers, you can test the solution by dipping your fingers into a small bowl of water, grabbing a pinch of the liquid sugar solution and plunging your fingers back into the bowl of water. If a soft ball forms as you rub your fingers together under water, the sugar water is ready!
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