Macaron Piece Montee

[schneich]

we want to do a macaron piece montee, just like laduree. but i really wonder how these guys fix their macaorns to the cone any ideas ??

cheers + happy new year

t.

[Kerry Beal]

How do you attach the puffs to a croquembouche? Would you use the same technique?

The strange thing is - I know I've seen this somewhere - but where??? Would a dab of royal icing work?

[JeanneCake]

Going only on previous experience with croquembouche, which would use caramel; and suspecting that caramel would drip/cause the macaron to come apart, I wonder if they use toothpicks or very short skewers. Those could be pushed in enough to be secured to the foam cone, but not so much to damage the macaron shell that shows......

Just a thought...

[tmriga]

Those pics are posted in this thread -

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=24767&st=0

Cookieboy has two pics posted on page 3.

Raggamuffin has one pic posted on page 5.

Theresa

[theabroma]

There was a Brit press interview with a Laduree patissier putting one together at, I believe, Harrods. He was using some sort of peg or pushpin, which he positioned in the styro cone and then pushed the macaron onto it. I found the link. At the beginning of the interview you will notice the chef sticking the pegs into the styro cone. It is not clear to me what he's using, but segments of hard-paper lollipop sticks come to mind, etc. .....

I believe that you will want to avoid any edible 'glue' with a sugar base - its contact point with the styro will not be firm and its contact with the macaron will turn the contact point gummy due to the hygroscopic nature of sugar.

I think the peg is the way to go, but you will need to submerge at least 2/3 of the length of the peg into the styro to reduce the chance that it will come off the cone, stuck into the macaron.

You will post photos, yes?

Regards,

Theabrom

Edited January 2, 2009 by theabroma (log)

[schneich]

do you think the upper cone was completely pure styrofoam without covering.. i believe the lower cakelike part is inedible made out of plaster or something.... does anyone know if laduree takes the bases back from the customer after they have been used, to reuse them again ??

cheers and thanks

t.

[alanamoana]

do you think the upper cone was completely pure styrofoam without covering.. i believe the lower cakelike part is inedible made out of plaster or something.... does anyone know if laduree takes the bases back from the customer after they have been used, to reuse them again ??

cheers and thanks

t.

←

looks to me like it just might be a custom white (hollow) box-like thing (you know, with shiny paper) at the base (like a cake base for a wedding cake or something) and then the styrofoam cone on top. i wouldn't think they'd do anything as heavy as plaster or anything that would cost too much to make. but i don't know, i'm just guessing.

[theabroma]

Are you familiar with the 'stuff' known as florist's clay? It is mossy green, comes in blocks, and is like finely textured, supple styro. I could be that he was using something like that for the cone (only white), or else the cone is covered with fabric or something else.

All this talk of macarons made me crazy, so I ran up to a little French bakery near me to grab one. They usually only have chocolate, they are 2.5" across, and have too much (in my opinion) ganache sandwiching them ... it is good ganache, but is not made with bittersweet choc ... I have gotten way sensitive to sugar content of chocolate .... Anyway, whining aside, I gobbled that sucker right up. O god, I love those things!

Cheers,

Theabroma

[papalolo]

They use chocolate to keep the macaron stuck on a piece montee. You make the stucture out of foam and cover it in tempered chocolate and stick the pieces on with a good ganache. The piece montee looks like it held together with hopes and daydreams but it just good old chocolate. If you want to try on a smaller scale just use a mixing bowl as a demo...