One partly-cloudy Sunday morning, I rolled out of bed at my friend's apartment in Brooklyn and walked the two blocks to (first the bagel store and then) the Center for Kosher Culinary Arts.
A few weeks ago, I had registered for a French Macaron class taught in the CKCA's industrial kitchen by a professional chef. There were 13 people in the class, so we worked in teams of two or three. We gathered the ingredients - egg whites, icing sugar, salt, and almond flour - to weigh on the scale.
We sifted the almond flour and icing sugar through a sifter into a bowl and put it off to the side. Then we mixed the egg whites, sugar, and salt (for stability) in the mixer for a few minutes on medium until foamy. Then we folded in the flour/icing sugar mixture. My partner and I shared one recipe, so we split the batter into two pastry bags. I drizzled mine with a few drops of orange gel food coloring. We piped out the batter into tiny circles, aiming for smooth tops (meaning no "nipple" or peak). Here's the tip our instructor gave us (one that I already knew): Keep the tip of the pastry bag at about 45 degrees and keep the tip still when piping - don't lift up as you squeeze the bag - the batter will settle into a smooth top.
I piped out 31 macarons:
We had to let the cookies sit for an hour before baking so they would develop a "skin":
In the meantime, we made the buttercream:
We had to whisk the egg whites over boiling water (mixing bowl on top of a pot of boiling water) until the egg whites reached 140°. This stabilizes the egg whites so the icing can sit out on the counter for a day or two, or in the freezer.
Next we took the egg whites and whisked them in the mixer until the bowl was cool and we achieved soft peaks. At this point, we mixed in the remaining sugar and tiny chunks of margarine (could be butter if making it dairy) so the buttercream would blend well without breaking the egg whites. When that reached a good point in the mixing stage, we were told to choose a flavoring and color.
We added in 1 3/4 tsp of orange triple sec for flavor and two drops of orange food coloring. Delicious!
I checked on the oven to see if ours were finished:
According to our instructor, the cookies are done if you can "jiggle" them without them moving around too much. They should feel firm, and you'll see shiny tops and a "foot" (the ring around the bottom of the cookie). They only should be in the oven for between 12-15 minutes. And there we go!
Once out of the oven, we let them cool for 15 minutes before removing them from the parchment paper.
Then I matched them up in best-fit pairs and piped out some filling!
Since that one was my first cookie, I learned later to add more buttercream! The filling should extend all the way to the edges of the sandwich.
Here's my set!
Of course, I had to try one, and it was heavenly... The cookie light and fluffy and the buttercream was airy, tangy, and soft!
This recipe is great to make if you have a few dishes to prepare because there is 1-2 hours of waiting time for the cookies before they go in the oven. The longer they sit, the better.
French Macaron Recipe:
Buttercream Recipe (with notes):
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