European Macarons /Macarons Européens

Photos by Mamatkamal 

For recipe, I always use my usual recipe adapted from La cuisine de Mercotte...
The first time I tasted macaroons, I was in USA, visiting my sister. They are very delicious cookies, known as American coconut macaroon.  Then a few years ago, I went to France, it was my first trip to Paris.  Ohhhhhh dear, I still remember all those oh-la-la-so-French, exceptionally delicate almond meringue sandwich cookies in many Patisseries windows. I literally gasped when I saw those incredible macarons and I couldn't resist them! So creative, stunning and fashionable. Everything about them sounded perfect : the colour, taste, flavour, filling, etc ........

I seemed to have bought everything they have in those Patisserie. I started to buy a tin of macarons from here and from there. The pistachio macarons were delicious, I loved their taste and colour, but I will never forget those red-chocolate chili macarons! How could I?

Later back home, an Italian friend told me that in fact, they are ITALIAN MACARONS!  Well, since I know nothing about European Food History, I will call them EUROPEAN MACARONS to please both our European Neighbours.

Last week, the "Défi culinaire du mois de novembre 2009" was hosted by Nadia73 of Thé à la menthe du Maroc: http://thealamenthedumaroc.over-blog.fr/.   We were given one month to make perfect macarons. Everyone at  Cuisine entre nous femmes  is hooked on "MACARONS". All members agreed to focus on those lovely almond bites during the whole month of November of this year, and there is still a lot of discussion going on about MACARONS: the how, the why, etc...

These are the  equipments I use to make macarons

Je vous montre ce que j'utilise pour réaliser les macarons

My electric mixer, bowl, silicone spatula and pastry bag

Mon batteur electrique, bol,  poche à douille et spatule en silicone

My food processor

Mon robot culinaire

My weigher

Ma balance

Parchment paper et silicone baking mat

Papier parchemin  et tapis de silicone 

 2 Baking Sheet 
2 Plaque à pâtisserie 

N.B.: To bake the macarons, you're going to put one on top of the other so they need to be roughly the same size. / Pour cuire les macarsons, vous aurez besoin de doubler les plaques.  Il vous faudrait 2 plaques de même taille. 

For help how to fold in / Besoin d'aide comment macaronner

Special thanks go to

Chef Nini

Mettre un peu de pâte sur les coins des plaques et couvrir avec du papier parchemin, bien presser pour faire coller le papier.  Si vous utilisez  le tapis de silicone, pas besoin de cette étape / Dab a little of the mixture in the corners of each sheet to secure paper. Should you use a silicone baking mat, no need to secure the edges.

Versez dans une poche à douille et pochez des petits cercles bien espacés. Claquez doucement la plaque sur le plan de travail pour que les coques prennent formes / Scrape the batter into the pastry bag and pipe the batter into circles, evenly spaced. Rap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the counter top to flatten the macarons.

Laisser les macarons crouter pendant 1heure ou plus. / Leave the macarons sit for 1 hour or more to develop a shell. .

Préchauffer le four à 150°C, équipé de système de ventilation / ou 170°C / ou 325 °F / ou 3 th ./ Preheat oven at 150°C fan  / or 170°C / or 325°F / or gas mark 3.

N.B.: Après 45 minutes, allumer votre four entre 140 à 150˚C (Il faut connaître son propre four.  Le mien est electrique ventilateur, trop puissant.  Je n'aurais jamais pu cuire mes macarons à 180˚C, tel indiqué dans certaines recettes de macarons.  Si j'avais cuit les miens à 180˚C , ils seraient brulés). / After 45 minutes, turn the oven on at between 140 and 150˚C (It is very important that you find the right temperature for your oven. I have a fan assisted oven and it is too powerful.  I could never ever bake my macarons at 180˚C as instructed in some macarons recipes.  If I did, my macarons would have totally burned).

Cuire au milieu du four pendant 9 à 11 minutes / Bake in the middle of the oven for 9-11 minutes.

Laisser refroidir et décoller du papier / Let cool completely then remove from baking sheet.

Bssa7a w ra7a! / Enjoy!