434 replies to this topic

[AmritaBala]

hey lenny.

awesome explanation...thanks!

Anyway, I tried using french meringue for the 3rd time in 2 days today. Perfect, I must say. I am getting used to this lazy method (less clean up, really!).....

They aren't hollow, though I do find it more difficult to get smooth tops...they also tend to use the same amount of nuts but produce a way smaller amount of macarons than italian meringue....

Also, there seem to be little air bubbles on top of the macaron after they're piped...I don't have this problem with Italian, though. Any solutions ?

Other than that, there aren't any problems. Which brings me to think that the problem with my italian meringue is the sugar's temp? I used 110 celsius for ages and it worked perfectly. Then after things started to go wonky, I tried 120 celsius like pierre herme mentioned in his recipes. Those turned out EVEN worst.

I don't wanna rely on french meringue since results aren't consistent. However, I do find that they dont take as long to soften once filled and dont need to be kept out of the fridge for 5 mins to soften before eating. Not to mention, they take on food coloring very easily and produce vivid colored macarons..

Am I starting to annoy you? =op

[lennyk]

are you tapping the sheet from below after piping ?
Also shake the sheet from side to side and back and forth hard, it will help smoothen a little

I usually hold one baking sheet in each hand and use the corner of one to hit the other from below by holding one above the other and just turning my wrist with the lower one so the corner or edge of it hits the sheet above.
It also helps to whack the bowl on the ground with a carpet or mat to clear some of the bubbles in the batter before filling the bag

btw do you guys use any cream of tartar with the egg whites ?

[AmritaBala]

are you tapping the sheet from below after piping ?
Also shake the sheet from side to side and back and forth hard, it will help smoothen a little

I usually hold one baking sheet in each hand and use the corner of one to hit the other from below by holding one above the other and just turning my wrist with the lower one so the corner or edge of it hits the sheet above.
It also helps to whack the bowl on the ground with a carpet or mat to clear some of the bubbles in the batter before filling the bag

btw do you guys use any cream of tartar with the egg whites ?

Yes, I do bang it voilently on the counter...hehe........I think I need to fold the batter properly...

Also, do you macarons stay "matte'' once out of the fridge? I hate condensation which turns it glossy!!

And when I have tartar on the hand, yes, I do use it. If not, then I just use salt..a large pinch. I find that it stabilizes the meringue a littler (esp. in french)....and cuts the sweetness of the macaron.

[AmritaBala]

Here's my attempt at french meringue


Passiofruit, espresso, salted caramel

[khilde]

Amrita,

First of all, your macaroons are gorgeous!! Second, I think we might be on to something here -- every Italian meringue macaroon recipe I've tried has come out lopsided -- I always use double pans. I've changed the temperature, changed from convection, changed recipes, etc. I've only had luck with the French macaroon recipes -- altough I've had different problems with them as well. But it is always the Italian meringue macaroons that turn out lopsided. So, it must be something about the Italian meringue ... but what??

[schneich]

we freeze the macs to help them GET glossy... also we found out that the result is far far better if you bake em on damp baking paper and not on silpats... :-) perfect result every time, and yes we use a sugar reduced italian meringue...

cheers


t.

[gap]

I'm asking questions of you on multiple threads here schneich, but when you say bake on damp baking paper, do you dampen the baking paper first and then pipe onto the damp paper or do you pipe onto dry paper and then dampen the paper after? Wouldn't mind giving this technique a go

Cheers

[raagamuffin]

we have successfully been doing macaroons on untreated parchements and as long as the recipe is not too we they tend to come out of the sheet well.
In case of chocolate macaroons ,where the italian meringue recipes have and edge,the macaroons tend to be sticky (also,meaning more gooey and fun to eat).

[lennyk]

Amrita,

you macs look really good, in fact I hardly ever get my feet to look like that, my feet always extend a bit outwards unlike yours which have a nice rise and dont stick out much.

[raagamuffin]

Amrita,

you macs look really good, in fact I hardly ever get my feet to look like that, my feet always extend a bit outwards unlike yours which have a nice rise and dont stick out much.

[raagamuffin]

Hallo amrita ,Those mas look heavenly.
Am trying to post a few images hope that it works,

[raagamuffin]

Will try one more time,with another couple of images(realisation that technology has passed me by completely)

[adey73]

fantastic where this taken?

[gfron1]

I love how puffy your macs are. Thanks for posting the pics.

[AmritaBala]

Amrita,

First of all, your macaroons are gorgeous!!  Second, I think we might be on to something here -- every Italian meringue macaroon recipe I've tried has come out lopsided -- I always use double pans.  I've changed the temperature, changed from convection, changed recipes, etc.  I've only had luck with the French macaroon recipes -- altough I've had different problems with them as well.  But it is always the Italian meringue macaroons that turn out lopsided.  So, it must be something about the Italian meringue ... but what??

First of all, thanks LennyK!!!! The feet of my french meringue macs don't stick out. Its the italian ones that look horrid.

Khlide, I suspect it has something to do with the boiling of the syrup and beating of the meringue, So weird since they were perfect for a year and suddenly they're turning out lop sided now, even though Im doing the same things I always do.

Raggamuffin, i LOVEEEEEE that macaron tower!

[schneich]

what you do is to wet your baking sheet and then put the baking paper on. this is important to get nice feet, and a nice flat base (important for filling)


cheers

t.

[raagamuffin]

fantastic where this taken?

Hi,Adey,
This is at one of the hotels ,I worked for last year in India.
Regards,

[Lisa2k]

what you do is to wet your baking sheet and then put the baking paper on. this is important to get nice feet, and a nice flat base (important for filling)


cheers

t.

This is a method I've never tried, and as you can see below, I need to!

I've also been getting a myriad of results from my macarons as of late. Like Amrita, using the italian meringue method, they suddenly come out lopsided. When using the french meringue method, I get a variety of results, which you can see below.,.from raggedy tops, to 'feet' that put on a pair of high heels, to high domes, bumpy surfaces, jutting irregular feet, and cracks. These are a few macarons from some batches I've made in the past week, all with their own 'imperfections' *sigh*.



Lemon meringue - Flat, lopsided, lumpy top. Could be due to the lemon zest in the cookie itself.
Chocolate - Puffy domes



Plain with chocolate ganache - The feet put on a pair of high heels, plus more puffy dome syndrome.



Whipped white chocolate-black cherry ganache - Feet taking a 'walk' away from the macaron, kind of lopsided and flat dome.

Edited by Lisa2k, 12 April 2008 - 05:27 PM.

[AmritaBala]

Lisa2K, did you try slightly OVERmixing them? That's what I have to do with french meringue macarons. I think I will leave my italian meringue recipe to rebel on its own in a corner for a couple of months.

....and Lisa, in case you would like to try the recipe that works for me,

2 large egg whites (65-70grams in total?)
100 grams ground almonds
120 grams icing sugar
2 tbsp sugar

Combine almonds and icing sugar in a food processor. Whizz and then sieve. Set aside.

In a Kitchen Aid bowl, whisk egg whites with a pinch of tartar till foamy. Gradually add in sugar and whisk till stiff. Add any coloring/flavoring at this point.

Using a large spatula, deflate meringue slightly. I do this cos I find that french meringue macarons tend to have bubble tops filled with too much air sometimes.

Dump TPT in and fold till the batter looks like it has almost reduced to half its volume and flows well. Pipe 1 1/2 inch circles onto a silpat/ baking tray lined with silicone paper.

Let these dry in a cool place till a skin forms. Bake at 155 for 6 minutes and then 145 centigrade for another 7 minutes. (Depends on your oven)

My oven @ work takes a total of 13 mins, while my oven at home only takes 10.

[Lisa2k]

Lisa2K, did you try slightly OVERmixing them? That's what I have to do with french meringue macarons. I think I will leave my italian meringue recipe to rebel on its own in a corner for a couple of months.

....and Lisa, in case you would like to try the recipe that works for me,

2 large egg whites (65-70grams in total?)
100 grams ground almonds
120 grams icing sugar
2 tbsp sugar

Combine almonds and icing sugar in a food processor. Whizz and then sieve. Set aside.

In a Kitchen Aid bowl, whisk egg whites with a pinch of tartar till foamy. Gradually add in sugar and whisk till stiff. Add any coloring/flavoring at this point.

Using a large spatula, deflate meringue slightly. I do this cos I find that french meringue macarons tend to have bubble tops filled with too much air sometimes.

Dump TPT  in and fold till the batter looks like it has almost reduced to half its volume and flows well. Pipe 1 1/2 inch circles onto a silpat/ baking tray lined with silicone paper.

Let these dry in a cool place till a skin forms. Bake at 155 for 6 minutes and then 145 centigrade for another 7 minutes. (Depends on your oven)

My oven @ work takes a total of 13 mins, while my oven at home only takes 10.

Thank you so much, Amrita! I am definitely going to try your recipe tomorrow or Monday, and report back with photos.

You know, macarons contain such simple ingredients, but technique wise, one extra or not enough folds of the tant pour tant into the whites, too much/too little beating of the whites, or the weather outside/temp in your kitchen, and they're pretty much ruined, at least aesthetically! It's amazing how simple they seem, but how incredibly finicky they can be!

[AmritaBala]

No prob lisa

Today I made 3 batches...Rose, Saffron and plain purple shells..All in french meringue

However, only the pink ones turned out. Just when I thought I had it going great with french meringue, this has to happen. I feel like banging my head against a wall till it bleeds vivid red beetroot juice :o(

[Lisa2k]

No prob lisa

Today I made 3 batches...Rose, Saffron and plain purple shells..All in french meringue

However, only the pink ones turned out. Just when I thought I had it going great with french meringue, this has to happen. I feel like banging my head against a wall till it bleeds vivid red beetroot juice :o(

Amrita,

First off, I'm sorry your macarons are acting up again. Like I said, finicky little suckers!!

I read somewhere that Pierre Herme NEVER lets any macarom, even with the slightest imperfection..probably not noticable by the average human eye..get through to sell, so they just eat those. My first thought was, these cookies are so finicky and inconsistent, depending on so many facets, that many pastry chefs groan at the thought of having to make them. I guess certain pastry chefs, especially in France and Asian countries, are just so adept at making them, that imperfections rarely occur. Not to mention, I'm sure their kitchens are perfectly conditioned temperature wise and their ovens always perfectly calibrated, for daily macaron preparation and baking. Buying macarons at bakeries here in the US, you always get a couple imperfect ones, which is perfectly ok with me, as long as they taste good! :) It's good to know that even they have the occasional 'bad' macaron day!

Anyway..I used your recipe to make chocolate macs, and they came out wonderful. Of course they're not as pretty as yours, as I can never get those circles perfect, even by piping them. Some of them always spread just a tad on one edge, giving it a little bit of 'leg' or 'stump', which I smooth back to a circle with a damp cloth wrapped around my fingertip.

This brings something to mind. Whenever the circle is smoothed out like that, that part of the cookie remains someone flat, leaving me with one perfect side with great feet, and a downward slope on the other side with barely or no feet. It's obvious I have to perfect my circles, as that 'smoothing' method is obviously adhering the batter to the parchment, resulting in the 'smoothed' side not rising properly and lopsided macarons.

Regardless, they still came out much better than my previous batches. However, 'stupid me' just HAD to try the italian meringue again on a batch of cinnamon macs, and once again...lopsided with big feet. Oh well, they tasted great, but I really want to nail the aesthetic part down so I can eventually sell them, since I've received many requests, especially from friends and family.

I'll upload the photos when I get home later. :)

Having said all that, I finally read through the whole thread, and the first 8-10 pages were about achieving 'puffy' domes, and those were considered the perfect macarons. Some of them were ultra puffy, and most wanted to achieve macs of that nature. I guess it's a matter of preference, as they still look cute, but at this time, I think we all want our macs to look like Pierre Herme's! Slight puff, ruffly, even feet, that aren't too thick..like yours!

[AmritaBala]

Hey Lisa!

I'm so glad they turned out so well for you!!! :oD When I made them yesterday, it was humid since it had been raining all day. I guess that could have affected it slightly. (Thats why italian meringue is so great! It doesn't matter what the weather is!)

Lisa, what temp do you boil your sugar syrup to? I've been getting the lop sided cum big feet syndrome as well!!!! It looks horrible, like a baseball cap.

I've tried 110, which gave me the above result, 121, like PH, which gave me crusty and hollow macarons. Will try 118 next. Silly, cos 110 worked for me for months!!!!

Also, do you have a problem with *crunchy* macarons?
Ever since I've had all of these problems, my macarons seem to be crunchy and don't soften unless I take them out of the fridge for 15 minutes or so...sigh. I think I will leave these little buggers alone for a couple of months. Maybe I am just way too drained out!!!!!

[Lisa2k]

Hey Lisa!

I'm so glad they turned out so well for you!!! :oD When I made them yesterday, it was humid since it had been raining all day. I guess that could have affected it slightly. (Thats why italian meringue is so great! It doesn't matter what the weather is!)

Lisa, what temp do you boil your sugar syrup to? I've been getting the lop sided cum big feet syndrome as well!!!! It looks horrible, like a baseball cap.

I've tried 110, which gave me the above result, 121, like PH, which gave me crusty and hollow macarons. Will try 118 next. Silly, cos 110 worked for me for months!!!!

Also, do you have a problem with *crunchy* macarons?
Ever since I've had all of these problems, my macarons seem to be crunchy and don't soften unless I take them out of the fridge for 15 minutes or so...sigh. I think I will leave these little buggers alone for a couple of months. Maybe I am just way too drained out!!!!!

Amrita,

Here's the photos of my latest attempts to get pretty macarons. The chocolate ones are your recipe using the french meringue method, except I subtracted 1 T of confectioner's sugar and added a T of dutch process cocoa. They came out much better than my previous ones, though still not as gorgeous as yours! Practice makes perfect, so I'm going to keep trying. That said, with the french meringue method, my macs were perfectly textured, slight, tender crunch on the outside and a soft, chewy middle. I had to put a lot of filling in these, as my sig other LOVES bittersweet chocolate ganache, and these are just test runs, so he's been loving it..LOL



..on the flip side, the cinnamon macarons below (I should have colored them a darker red with a little brown and added more cinnamon), were made using the italian meringue method, and YIKES..call the Discovery channel.. I think I found BIG FOOT! Lopsided, giant feet, and much more *ugh* crunchy than the french meringue macs, even though I baked them at 325 F for only 10 minutes. I let the sugar syrup go to about 240 F, which I always do for my italian meringue buttercreams. Maybe it should be less..like 230 F? Regardless, I overfilled these with cinnamon buttercream to make them look more even. Well, at least the flavor was nice. :P

The end results with the cinnamon macs really surprised me, as the batter was perfect - flowed like 'magma', and gave me perfect circles that just barely spread, and settled into nice smooth tops without my having to dab at them with a little water. I was honestly expecting some close to perfect macarons! Weird!



Anyway..your macarons are so perfect, I wouldn't worry about a few setbacks. I have no doubt even the best macaron bakers in France go through loads of batches that don't turn out consistently, whether it be the look, texture, taste etc. :) Like I keep saying, they really are finicky little suckers!

[AmritaBala]

Oh, Lisa! Those look really good! Even the cinnamon ones look better than before!

I am now having problems with both french and italian. They are as hard as rock and almost cut your gums :oO

230 is 110 celsius, right? Well, I used to use 244 and it worked really well before suddenly giving me lop sided feet and crusty macarons. Then I switched to 230 and it worked, and as u know, it suddenly went crazy.

I also dont like ther distinct line and seperation between the feet and the shell of italian meringue macarons. A lot of people don't get that, but I do. Strange :o(

[lennyk]

regarding the lopsided macarons,
do you guys use double sheets ?
I did 2 sets in the oven today,
however I only have 3 same size sheets so I doubled up on 1 set and on the other used a smaller sheet below, the one with the smaller sheet had lopsided ones presumably due to the uneven heat causing uneven expansion which is what forms the feet

also do you have a convection oven or regular ?
I did some tests with my oven and thermostat was all over the place
and there were big differences between the upper and lower racks

I also find that heating the sugar syrup to 245 makes for safer since it will have less water and the sugar will be easier to crust

Edited by lennyk, 17 April 2008 - 07:28 PM.

[AmritaBala]

Lenny, I don't use double sheets.

I use a metal cookie sheet with a silpat..I have 5 siplats and 5 cookie sheets...and most of the time I use all sheets cos I always do large batches of macarons, so doubling up is a problem.

I use fan mode, which I found gave much nicer looking feet which didn't collapse...When baked in regular mode, my macarons kept on collapsing.

245 is 118 centigrade, isn't it ?

What doesnt make sense is that I used to use single sheets and they came out fine...:o(

[lennyk]

you must really do lots of them :)
I use half sheets, 2 in the oven and always have to watch the top rack as it can be much hotter than below
yeah its 118

Lenny, I don't use double sheets.

I use a metal cookie sheet with a silpat..I have 5 siplats and 5 cookie sheets...and most of the time I use all sheets cos I always do large batches of macarons, so doubling up is a problem.

I use fan mode, which I found gave much nicer looking feet which didn't collapse...When baked in regular mode,  my macarons kept on collapsing.

245 is 118 centigrade, isn't it ?

What doesnt make sense is that I used to use single sheets and they came out fine...:o(

Edited by lennyk, 18 April 2008 - 04:56 AM.

[lennyk]

Lisa,

those macs look pretty good, what kind of filling are you using ?
Is it firm or soft ? I see you really packed them with filling :)

[AmritaBala]

Thanks for the tips, lenny.

Bad news : the owner of the Rez that I am working at for a month tried to force me to hand my macaron recipe over to her own pastry chefs so that they could go on making money off me long after i'm gone.

After I refused, she stopped talking to me and purposely got her pastry chefs to make mini macarons for their tea menu. They even copied my flavors! How un-professional can some people get?