Recette des Macarons

Macaroons recipe:

Ingredients :
-125 gr almond powder
-225 gr confectioner sugar
-20g cocoa powder (facultatif)
-3 egg whites
-30 gr sugar
-coloring (powder only)


Beat confectioners' sugar and almond flour in a food processor until combined. Sift mixture 2 times.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Whisk whites with a mixer on medium speed until foamy. Add sugar and whisk until soft peaks form. With a spatula add the almond powder and the confectioner sugar in 3 or 4 doses.
Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round nozzle, and pipe 3/4-inch rounds 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets, dragging pastry tip to the side of
rounds rather than forming peaks.
Tap bottom of each sheet on work surface to release trapped air.
Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake 1 sheet at a time, rotating halfway through, until
macaroons are crisp and firm, about 15 minutes.
Let macaroons cool on sheets for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. (If macaroons stick, spray water underneath parchment on hot sheet. The steam will help release macaroons.)

Suggested fillings:

Chocolat ganache:
-250g chocolate
-250g heavy cream
Pour cream over chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Let stand for 2 minutes. Whisk mixture until smooth. Let cool, stirring often.

Mascarpone cream:
-200g whipping cream
-100g mascarpone
-30g sugar
-Several drops of speculoos or jam, for flavoring
In a mixer, place the cream, the mascarpone and the sugar and whisk until picks form. Place in
the refrigerator until use.

Sauce au caramel beurre salé
-80 g sugar
-40 g salted butter
-10 cl heavy cream
In a medium saucepan, bring the sugar to a boil. Using a wet pastry brush, wash down any crystals on the side of the pan. Boil over high heat until a deep amber caramel forms, about 6
minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and carefully whisk in the cream and butter. Let the caramel cool to room temperature.

~JD

"Sous Louis XIV, etre intellectuel devient une situation non seulement honorable mais anoblissante" [Under Louis XIV, being intellectual became a situation not only honorable, but ennobling] (Jean-Marie Apostolides, Le roi-machine, 37).