Pierre Herme's Macarons
Macarons are a sensitive subject for me. Seemingly simple, this tiny cookie has a tremendous amount of variables. Size, taste, texture, shape, color all come into question when critiquing a macaron, and opinions on what makes a great macaron tend to be very opinionated indeed. I am no exception to this.
For me, It is the balancing of the correct textures between the outside shell of the cookie, the inner "flesh" of the almond cookie, and the filling of the cookie that makes a truely successful macaron. I am looking for a firm, crunchy but giving outer shell which immediately yields to a soft, moist center of the almond cookie. If the outer shell is too hard, the cookie shell crubles too aggressively when you bite into it, spilling crumbs onto you. No good. This is usually due to an airpocket that has formed between the outer shell and the flesh of the cookie, which makes the shell dry out. I find that this happens when either the batter hasn't been mixed quite far enough (the cook playing it safe by trying not to overmix the batter which turns into undermixing the batter) which makes the original pipe is too high on the cookie, or the macaron batter has been dried too long before making (again, another safety move to make sure you get feet on the macaron, which turns into a mistake as well). Worse than a too crunchy shell is an overbaked cookie, when not only is the outer shell too firm, but the flesh is overcooked as well, leaving you with a meringue like, wafery cookie that shatters upon biting into. Garbage. Next, I cannot emphasize enough that the filling needs to be the proper density so that it does not spill out the sides of the cookie as you bite into it. You should be able to see teethmarks through the filling after the bite in the cases of buttercream based fillings and ganache. Nobody likes a sandwich where the middle spills out, this is no exception. Which brings us to size. I am a believer in the two biter macaron size. The first bite lets you analyze the taste and texture, while appreciating the craftsmanship by looking at the remainder. While mini macarons are cute, they tend to be dry, brittle little throwaways. There simply isn't enough mass to dry and bake the batter correctly, and hence to get the correct textures.
I also think that there are enough people out there in the culinary world doing wacky, modern flavors on macarons (sesame seed, saffron, wasabi, white poppyseed) that a return to some classicism was due in regards to our macaron program at L2o. I have a distinct textural memory of a macaron I had in Paris at Laduree. It was with these macarons in mind that we began testing on macarons for our restaurant. We started with trying several different types of almond flour, followed by different meringue variations. Then we tested sizing, coloring, drying, oven temperatures, oven types, oven times, resting times, cooling options. Next, we considered filling taste, texture, correct tempering for piping, piping tip size, lots of options. Eventually, we found a result that we were satisfied with. We went with a pastel color profile, giving us a clear difference between flavors, but homogenizing the overall feeling when they are presented together at the end of the meal.
Laduree's Macarons, my starting point
Our Macarons: Pistachio, Vanilla, Black Cherry, Yuzu
I won't wish the wish you wish to wish.
Posted by: Nike Lebron 10 | 01/28/2013 at 01:08 AM