Cooking & Conversation: Fanciful French Macaroons

Last year in August, my niece, Sarah, and I were in France. We explored places in Paris and Northern France including the Normandy beaches, Brittany, and the Loire Valley. We saw castles, the Gothic cathedral at Chartres, Mont St. Michel, and many other sites in France. It proved to be an adventure of a lifetime. Since then, I have wanted to make this macaroon recipe that I found from HomeMadeSimple.com. The anniversary of our trip will be a great time to bake these cookies, and savor not only these cookies, but all the great times we had together.

Sarah and I in front of the Eiffel Tower..

This is the Gallerie de Lafayette.

Sarah and I had our first macaroons in France at the McDonald's in the Gallerie de Lafayette.

Very delicious!

Fanciful French Macaroons

Happy Macaron Day!!!

March 20th is le Jour du Macaron (Macaron Day) in France. It was created seven years ago through a collaboration between renowned pastry chef Pierre Hermé and other members of the prestigious Association Relais Desserts, le Jour du Macaron raises money and awareness for the Federation des Maladies Orphelines children’s charity. (from Le Pastie de la Bourgeoisie on Pinterest)

The Original Macaroons

The first macaroons were almond meringue cookies similar to today’s amaretti, with a crisp crust and a soft interior. They were made from egg whites and almond paste (a combination of equal parts of ground blanched almonds and sugar, mixed with egg whites—today glucose or corn syrup can be substituted). The name of the cookie comes from the Italian word for paste, maccarone (mah-kah-ROW-nay), and is also the word for pasta/macaroni and dumplings.

While origins can be murky, some culinary historians claim that that macaroons can be traced to an Italian monastery—where they were modeled after the monks’ belly buttons!

Macaroons came to France in 1533 with the pastry chefs of Catherine de Medici, wife of King Henri II. Two Benedictine nuns, Sister Marguerite and Sister Marie-Elisabeth, seeking asylum in the town of Nancy during the French Revolution (1789-1799), paid for their housing by baking and selling the macaroon cookies, and thus became known as the “Macaroon Sisters” (the French word is macaron, pronounced mah-kah-RONE).

French-Style Macaroons

French macarons can be spectacularly colored and flavored meringue “sandwiches.”

The concept was invented by Pierre Desfontaines Ladurée, who, at the beginning of the 20th century, had the idea to join two meringues and fill them with ganache. The “originals” combined two plain almond meringues with a filling of [chocolate] ganache; but today, ganache, buttercream or jam is sandwiched between meringues of seemingly limitless colors and flavors.

The Parisian bakery Ladurée is now known for its dozens of exciting flavors. Some include Blackcurrant Violet and Salted Butter Caramel, and of course, the basics—Chocolate, Vanilla, Raspberry, and Pistachio—plus special seasonal flavors like Anise (shown at right), Chestnut, Basil Lime, Orange Blossom, Rose and White chocolate.. Every trip to Paris must include a visit!

(from the History of Macaroons, thenibble.com)

With our history lesson over, I will share the recipe I found. This is my first attempt, and I really enjoyed preparing them. There are quite a few steps, but I was happy with the texture and the flavor. I will probably periodically try to make a better macaroon, and share them with my friends. It will make for great tasting and conversation!

Ingredients:

1 cup slivered almonds
2 cups confectioner's sugar, divided
3 large egg whites
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Food coloring of your choice
Filling of your choice

Gather all the ingredients.

Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

Pour 1 cup slivered almonds into a food processor.

Measure and add 1 cup confectioner's sugar.

Pulse nuts and sugar together about 5-6 times, then process until
mixture is finely ground.

Mixture will look like this. Set aside.

Separate 3 eggs. We will use the egg whites.
The yolks can be saved for another dish.

Add egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer.

Add a pinch of salt.

Measure 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Add to bowl.

Measure and add 1/2 teaspoon almond extract and add.

Beat on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes.

On high speed gradually add the remaining cup of powdered sugar,
1 tablespoon at a time.

Beat until stiff peaks form.

Separate into different bowls to add food color.

Add to to achieve desired shade.

Pour 1/4 of the nut mixture over the egg mixture.
If you separated the mixture, then use 1/8 for each bowl.

Fold the nuts and egg mixture together .

Repeat process adding nut mixture one fourth at a time.
The folding process is repeated until all of the nut mixture
is folded into the egg mixture.

Stand a large plastic food storage bag on its base.
Put it into a large glass cup. I used my liquid measuring cup.
Fold back the top about 4" to create a cuff.

Spoon mixture into the bag.

Unfold the cuff and twist the bag shut. Use scissors to snip off
one of the bottom corners of the bag, creating a piping tool.

Use separate bags for each color you use.

Holding the bag upright, about 1" above the cookie sheet,
gently squeeze the batter into 1" mounds. Like anything else,
it will take practice to get them uniform.

Let cookies stand at room temperature for 30-45 minutes.
While you wait, preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Bake 10 minutes.

Put filling of your choice into a small plastic sandwich bag.
You can cut the corner of the bag to pipe it onto the cookies.
I used raspberry and strawberry.