Here is one of my favourites, the vanilla macaron! The one my sister prefers and therefore the one I love to make. I’m even starting to enjoy it myself, as until now I didn’t eat them. I think it’s just lovely, with its beautiful white shell and the vanilla seeds showing on the cut edge of the macaron. I still have a few left in my freezer ???? Next time, I’ll pair the vanilla with tonka bean — I’ve already tried it and these two flavours go together wonderfully.
Ingredients & preparation
3 components · Complete recipe
Shells
Ingredients
- 70 g (2.5 oz) egg whites
- 140 g (4.9 oz) icing sugar
- 80 g (2.8 oz) ground almonds
- 20 g (0.7 oz) caster sugar
- white food colouring
Instructions
1
Blitz the icing sugar and ground almonds together, then sift the mixture.
2
Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks, adding the caster sugar in 2 stages and whisking at maximum speed to achieve the “bird’s beak” consistency. Add a touch of white food colouring and mix a little more. I use powder food colouring and add just the tip of a knife. Gradually fold in the almond/icing sugar mixture using a rubber spatula. The batter should be shiny, smooth and fall back in a ribbon. Once the right consistency is reached, transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle. Don’t hesitate to use a large glass to prop up your piping bag — that way you can use both hands.
3
Pipe small domes of approximately 3.5 cm (1.4 in) in a staggered pattern onto a sheet of parchment paper. To get even macarons, I use a template downloaded from Pure Gourmandise. Leave to form a skin for around 20 minutes. If after an hour the surface of your macarons is still not dry, there’s a good chance they won’t form a skin at all. Several possible reasons for this… in any case, there’s no point waiting any longer. Bake them anyway, but be prepared for the possibility that they won’t have a foot 😊
4
Bake at 120°C / 250°F for 20–22 minutes. Once out of the oven, leave to cool before lifting the shells off the parchment. The shells are done when they come off very easily.
Step by step
Not quite comfortable with macaron shells yet? I’ve put together two full step-by-step picture guides to help you get it right every time:
Whipped Vanilla Ganache
Ingredients
- 80 g (2.8 oz) white couverture chocolate
- 50 g (1.8 oz) double cream
- 85 g (3 oz) well-chilled double cream
- 1 teaspoon neutral honey (acacia honey, for example)
- 1 vanilla pod
Instructions
1
Break the white chocolate into small pieces in a bowl.
2
Place the 50 g (1.8 oz) of cream, the honey and the split and scraped vanilla pod in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and leave to infuse for 15 minutes.
3
Remove the vanilla pod, then heat the cream again.
4
Pour the cream all at once over the white chocolate. Cover the bowl and leave to melt for 2–3 minutes.
5
Mix the ganache well until smooth. If the white chocolate hasn’t fully melted, place the bowl over a bain-marie.
6
Add the 85 g (3 oz) of well-chilled cream and gently mix together.
7
Cover with cling film pressed directly onto the surface and refrigerate for several hours (ideally overnight).
Assembly
Ingredients
- None
Instructions
1
Remove the ganache from the fridge and whip it like a chantilly cream.
2
Sort your macaron shells so that the ones you pair together are the same size.
3
Using a piping bag, pipe a small ball of whipped ganache in the centre of one shell and sandwich the two halves together.
4
Refrigerate the macarons and wait 24 to 48 hours before eating them. The macarons should spend the first night in an uncovered container (to prevent them from becoming damp), then close the container and keep in the fridge for a further 24 hours. They’ll only be better for it.
Gallery
