my French Macaron journey, and the inspiration behind it (^_^)

le Macaron.

kenangan entah kali ke 3 dengan kali ke 4 buat kut, out of entire batch tu yang ada rupa sebanyak atas piring tu je la haha sedehhhh... ;P tapiii...shell chocolate tu addictive woi sangat sedap dikunyah begitu sahaja

*sigh*

macam susah je, macam leceh je...haha nak jugekk ber'macam..macam..' mula tu ingat kan apa ke benda la macam comel macam kiut ni...rupanya wabak video baru, almaklumlah duk benua lain lambat sikit nak catch up naik ketapi ;P

anyway, macaron.

dulu memang tak suka pun nak makan, tapi anak bertuah saya ni la suka bebeno.

dia memang. benda kiut, colorful, pastu manis harus la suka. semua orang tau la kut bila cakap pasal macarn je seram sejuk nak buat. memang leceh. they are really cerewet, finicky little cutie.

lepas tu siap challenge mama lagi;

mama....buat la macaron lagiii...mya sukeee....seddapp sangat!
mama dah buat la mya tapi tak jadii....huhu...
mama, take ipad...kan? mama bukak la video dekat youtube tu..then mama learn la dengan anty tu. learn sampai pandai okey mama?

erk. betul jugak tu kan. awat la mama ni sengal sangat ek? tak terfikir lak nak belajar betul2 dengan acik youtube (-_-')

lantas dengan papa yang out of town ada course kat London for 3 days, terus ting! datang idea nak spend masa lapang yang tak payah masak dengan register kelas macaron one-to-one dengan acik youtube.

semangat prepare bahan sume. papa belum masuk teksi dah kuarkan bahan. teksi gerak je terus trrrrrrr....on mixer membancuh. haha macam tu la penangan ketagihan macaron ni, berhantu sungguh. malam sebelum tu siap bersengkang mata stadi banyak2 video tau. tengah tido mimpi pun nampak gula dengan almond. ;P

untuk kelas pertama;
guna resepi Beth's Foolproof Macaron, full recipe kena klik 'Show More' dekat 'About' okey.

hasil eksperimen adalah seperti berikut:

rupa ada tapi tak perfect, sebab batter agak kering, dry ingredients punya sukatan sangat banyak okeh. 2 cawan icing sugar kau...pastu telur putih 2 biji, ahkak pulak main ambik je telur tak check saiz large ke free range punya. rasakan la sampai lenguh nak mengacau sebab berat. kesimpulannya, secara teori mungkin tak jadi sebab pakai telur saiz medium, plus suhu oven yang tinggi. tapi nak try pakai telur besar with the same recipe dah tak boleh sebab icing sugar dah nak habis. so kita teruskan uji kaji dengan resepi ke-2 okey.

sangat tak cantik, naik menggelembung and over baked.

kelas kedua dengan acik youtube and resepi baru:
kali ni guna resepi lain, as noted below from yumsugar.com. kali ni guna egg whites from large eggs, tak sempat nak aged ka putih telur tu pun, habis cuci mixing bowl from the first batch terus start resepi ni, again suka sebab pakai sukatan cawan. dasarrrr...hahaha...

hasilnyaa....

the moment where saya terjoget2

sekarang cuaca sangat sejuk, walaupun sejuk kering tapi kalau nak bukak tingkap untuk salai cik macs ni mau beku dengan tuan dia sekali. so beginilah ye panaskan oven kejap, tutup thenletak di jemuran cam ni.

esok bangun pagi terus mula projek lagi, 3rd batch guna resepi yang sama (^_^)

this time buat a hint of yellow for lemon curd macaron. err...nak cakap guna coloring apa untuk dapat kaler kuning cair tu pun sogan, pendek kata kalau org french tau ni mau amukan, offended terus bahaha..dah itu je yang den ado dik non..belasahhh...

still sukses! yeayy...suka suka..

ada a few steps yang penting to get perfect tau, the meringue and proses kacau batter to get the right consistency (macaronage - you just have to know when to stop beating), then the drying process and finally suhu oven aka the baking.

for the first two key points above, I found another video that can be helpful =)

check it out okeh, how stiff to beat the egg whites and the perfect consistency for the batter. dah la suara comel. bukti kalau takde gadget or flashy mixer bukan alasan untuk tidak membaking sebab adik suara comel ni pakai hand whisk old skool je ;)

once you got the hang of it, given trusted recipes and reliable oven, insya Allah jadi.

and mannn, it is addictive to bake this thing! ketagihan makin menebal the moment macaron menjadi dengan comelnya, terjoget-joget sengsorang tak sedar jiran ada kat luar, which happen memang kenal sebab anak dia satu sekolah dengan mya. cis..nasib baik ko jiran jauh sikit.

ah lantak, macaron dah jadi! yippiee!!

but harus diingat, with macaron beginners luck is almost impossible. it took me about 6 to 7 attempts (first time buat kt msia failed miserably, buat kelam kabut and nak cepat) to get it right. pastu bila buat tak jadi bukan nak buat notes ke apa kan. merasa la kau membazir ground almond dengan icing sugar. nasib baik la ground almond tu tak mahal kat sini, kalau kt msia tu tercekik gak la nak bayau...
bila tak jadi lagi la sakit hati kan.

kadang tu batter consistency dah okey, tapi suhu oven lak buat hal. ikut jenis oven masing-masing la kan, with mine guna suhu 140C around 14-16 minutes baking will be perfect.

kesimpulannya, kena rajin buat research and tengok vidoe kat youtube.
although you might end up feeling more confuse lepas dah baca banyak2 resepi. confusing confusing...

 

but when you get right, its worth it kan? Lemon Curd and Raspberry Macaron =)

sumber inspirasi mama untuk bermacaron, tapi dia cakap lepas ni mama have to go to the baking shop, to learn some more. haiya this cinonet customer ah....

NOTA PENTING:
1. use LARGE EGGS with this recipe okey dahlings, it work for me and trust me you dont want to end up with dry mixture, I've been there. not good.

2. For first timer, use powdered food coloring if you want to add color. Letak sekali masa ayak together icing sugar dengan almond meal ye.


BASIC FRENCH MACARON
Source: www.yumsugar.com

INGREDIENTS

2/3 cup almond meal or ground almonds
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 large egg whites at room temperature and preferably aged up to 3 days (i dont aged mine, egg whites are easier to be separated when its still cold, then just leave the whites to room temperature)
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (yang ni saya tak letak)

1/4 teaspoon serbuk pewarna merah (yang ni tambah sendiri, ayak sekali dengan icing sugar dan ground almond tu)

DIRECTIONS

The basic meringue-style French macaron is merely the springboard for your wildest color and flavor combinations. Try adding a teaspoon of Dutch-process cocoa and red gel food coloring for a red velvet macaron, or a 1/4 teaspoon rose extract and pink gel food coloring for rose. Always add the dry flavorings to the almond meal/powdered sugar mixture and the extracts/gel color to the meringue.

1. Preheat the oven to 280º and position two racks in the lower section of the oven. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. If you have time, draw 1-inch circles on the back of each sheet, spacing the circles at least 1/2-inch apart. (I just start to preheat the oven lepas dah siap pipe semua shells and sementara tunggu shell kering, kalau nak cepat letak dalam oven suam dengan pintu oven terbuka atau salai bawah kipas, kat sini kipas nan ado)
2. If your almond meal is very coarse, grind it with the powdered sugar in a food processor until fine. Sift the almond meal-powdered sugar mixture twice through a mesh sieve.
3. Place egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand mixer) and begin to beat on medium-high. When the eggs are frothy, gradually add granulated sugar one tablespoon at a time until fully incorporated. Continue to beat the egg white mixture until glossy and stiff peaks form when you lift the beaters. (kalau terbalikkan mangkuk meringue tak jatuh and puncak meringue tu elok terpacak tak bengkok, get it? haha kalau tak faham refer video okey ;P )
4. Gently stir in the vanilla extract. Be careful to not overbeat the meringue (e.g., the meringue takes on a clumpy texture).
5. Add half of the sifted almond mixture and gently fold it into the meringue using a flexible silicone spatula. Lift from the bottom, up around the sides, and toward the middle, being careful to not overagitate the meringue and lose too much air. Once the almond mixture is predominantly incorporated, add the second half and repeat the folding motion.
6. When the almond mixture is just incorporated, you will need to transform the batter into the appropriate texture. Using the flat of the spatula, "punch" down into the center of the batter, then scrape more batter from the sides to the center, and punch again. You will need to repeat this 10-15 times (or more, depending on your arm strength and the beginning texture of your batter) until the batter slowly and continuously drips back into the bowl when you scoop it up with the spatula. Think of the consistency of molten lava. (refer to the youtube video for the right consistency okey, this process is called 'macaronage', undermixed - cracked macaron; overmixed - no feet and spreading macaron). For the best results, punch the batter a few times, check the consistency, then punch a few more times, etc. Do not make the batter too runny or the macarons won't rise as they should, and you could end up with oil stains on the surface.
7. Pour batter into a pastry bag fitted with a 0.4-inch tip. In a pinch, you can also use a gallon size Ziploc bag: just snip a teeny bit from one of the bottom corners. Twist and clip the top of the bag to avoid overflow. On your prepared baking sheets, pipe out 1-inch rounds in the circles you drew (remember to draw the circles on the back side of your parchment to avoid ink or pencil stains on your macarons!).
8. Holding the baking sheet in both hands, rap each baking sheet firmly on the counter two or three times. This smooths out the tops and helps form the "pied" or frilly foot on the bottoms of the macarons. Allow the piped macarons to dry, uncovered, for at least 15 minutes. The macarons should form a very thin, smooth crust where, if you tap it lightly with your finger, the batter will not stick to your finger. If after 15 minutes, the batter is still sticky, let it dry longer. This may take up to an hour on humid days.
9. Place both baking sheets in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes. After the first 2 minutes, open the oven to allow any excess humidity to escape. Halfway through, swap oven racks and rotate the sheets for even baking. (yang ni saya tak buat, just bake one tray each even though my oven is fan assisted, 140C for up to 10 minutes, kalau still underdone tapak macaron melekat baru lah tukar position tray, rotate depan ke belakang then tambah lagi masa baking for another five minutes. Nak senang pakai silicone baking mat like Silpat)
10. The macarons are done when they are baked all the way through and the shells are just hard. Take care to not underbake (insides will still be mushy) or overbake (tops will begin to brown). Remove them from the oven, and cool on baking sheet placed on a wire rack.
11. When fully cooled, assemble the macarons with your choice of filling. The assembled macarons can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Makes about 4 dozen macaron halves (about 2 dozen complete macarons).