Chocolate ganache macarons

I: “I want to make macarons.”
Mr P : “Oh good! I love macaroons, those yummy coconut balls.”
I: “Nooo….. those colorful macarons with chocolate fillings.”
Mr P: “Yeah, you can put filling inside and with coconut sprinkle outside.”
I: “……”

Instead of trying to explain to Mr P what the french macaron is, and obviously the conversation is going no where. So among all the cookies and stuff that I made over the Christmas, it is also my first attempted to make those fancy pansy colorful french macarons and imagining myself as the next Pierre Herme.

“voulez-vous ma bosse macarons?”

I am a novice when comes to baking, not only this is my first attempt making macarons, but also my first time using piping bag! Oh how much fun. The idea of making the french macarons is quite daunting. I have seen so many variations and read up so many different recipes on internet until I am confident enough to make them.

They are so fiddly and finicky to make, it cracks if not let it set before baking, it has to have feet, the mixture has to be consistent so it rises like a perky bun, also watch out for those “nipples”. Despite I followed the exact recipes I found on internet, I still came across a few hiccups along the way – some aren’t in round shape (I miss the gentle “lady” touch), some has sticky bottom (not bake long enough), some cracked on top (not set long enough before baking). But after a few attempts, I slowly have the hang of it and I am quite pleased with half of the macarons I made.

Assembling the french macarons is the most fun part of the whole process. Funny thing is, I only pick the good ones out of the batch ready for the assemble. So, the imperfect ones… … “CHOMP!” I think a quarter of the macarons gone by the time I finished sorting them out.

I tried not to make something too complicated for my first batch, so really can’t go wrong with Chocolate ganache. I also added a bit of brandy for that little Chrismassy touch. The macaron has a wafer like shell with soft chewy center. I brought some along to the Boxing Day Party at K’s and found them quickly melted to a hollow hole inside the macarons due to the humidity and the summer heat. No one seems to notice the difference and they were all gone in a flash. I kept a small stash of the macarons at home for my own guilty pleasure and I actually found them taste better if you keep the macarons in the air tight container for few more days. The wafer shell becomes crumbly and less chewy and the ganache also nice and firmer.

I definitely will keep making the macarons till perfecto and come up with few more variations. I truly believe all the hard work and effort will really shown in a good macaron. So next time when you want to tell someone that you care, to say sorry or to mend a broken heart, say it with macarons.

Tagged as: Baking, chocolate ganache, cookie, dessert, I made this, macarons