French Friday : Macarons

You know that saying 

“Ignorance is bliss” ??

Well, back when I started this French Friday idea, 
{just so I had a real reason to do a little cooking and baking} 
I knew from the start that I wanted to make macarons.
I’ve already made these last year for my daughter’s French class. 
She came home and said 
“we’re celebrating (something) and we’re all supposed to bring in food.” 
It didn’t have to be French she said but 
COME ON….
I mean, a REASON to make something French…
PUHLEESE…..
I was all over that like white on rice! 
( I don’t know what that is really supposed to mean but we say that a lot here)

So, I found a recipe, bought some almond flour and we made macarons….no biggie.
Her teacher said they were wonderful and she has lived in France so I was happy.

So, now, I want to make them for you. 
I looked for the recipe we had used but I guess I didn’t write it down.
So I looked online for another one….there are BOWKOO recipes out there 
{hee hee} 
so not a problem.
But, while I was reading I began to get a little frightened. 
Apparently, macarons are not easy to make!
Uh- oh
I didn’t know that.
Crap….(NJ slang)
Merde…..(French slang) 
My stomach was getting knotted up and I thought….maybe I should make something else?
I mean there were pages and pages and pages
of instruction and warnings and overall negativity.
Macarons have this little skirt along the bottom called ‘feet’.
Apparently if you don’t do something JUST RIGHT you won’t get the little feet
and FRENCH people can spot this at 10 meters!!
Merde….again
Wait a minute…..MY macarons had feet
I remember it clearly
(they had these cute little toenails………)
So, what the H-E-double hockey sticks
Let’s go for it.
If you’re REALLY FRENCH….
{not like all us francophiles}
DON’T WRITE and tell me they’re wrong….
“Ignorance is bliss”
and I’m going to be blissfull today!

Why should you make macarons?
Here’s why….
Sur la Table
French Macarons
24/ $49.95
$20.00 shipping
Williams Sonoma
$54.95
shipping determined after you order
WOW!!
Now, remember, I have never really eaten a French macaron so
maybe they’re worth that much because they can provide a
substitute for the man in your life 
{if you get my drift}
but really?
Now, I PROMISE you that when I go to France in May I will go here

and try them………
AND 
I promise I will tell you the absolute truth about them
But
do mine look THAT bad?



See those feet? Yes, they’re small and I know why…..
I made my macarons too large and so they couldn’t pouf up as much.
My helper and I recalled that my first try last year resulted in cookies about the size of an Oreo.
So, I made them the same. Too large I am guessing.
I think they’re supposed to be much smaller…like a half dollar.
OK…you’re allowed to write to me and tell me how large they really are
but THAT’S IT
NO NEGATIVITY
I’m a delicate personality.


Google French macarons and you’ll get recipes that are all about the same
1 cup almond meal
1 1/4 cups confectioners sugar
3 egg whites (large eggs)
pinch salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar


Last time I found the recipe, bought the almond meal, came home and made macarons.
This time I was a nervous wreck.
One recipe said “leave the egg whites out overnight to let them thicken”
Merde….I took them out this morning while I took someone to an appointment.

I gathered my stuff together and made the meringue
I can do THAT!

See my mixer?
35 years old and still runs like a top….
Merde
I really want one of those funky new Kitchen Aids that are all flowered up
Will this thing ever die?
Actually {sidebar here} I want to decorate mine as a project.
If you have any hints on how to do that…send them on!
Back to the macarons….
My helper drew circles on the parchment with a pencil. 
Then you turn the parchment over so the pencil doesn’t get on the macarons.
Stick the parchment down to the cookie sheet with a bit of the macaron mixture.
One of the recipes said the circles should be 1 inch….
1 inch? That’s a pretty small cookie for an American so we ignored that.
Told you I made them too big…..



Mix the almond meal and the confectioners sugar together.
I used a whisk first to really blend them.
Then fold them into the meringue.




You keep folding until it’s smooth and glossy.
One recipe said it should finally look like magma…
Magma? Sometimes these people are so full of themselves aren’t they?
I mean MAGMA?
It looks like thick batter and when you stop folding it, 
it should settle back into itself and get flat again. 
If you still see definition after you fold it, 
fold some more until it returns to smoothness when you stop.
What is that? Thick pancake batter?
Magma….merde….
Next we divided it into three portions and colored the batter with paste food coloring.
Yellow, violet and blue



I held the decorating bag while my helper poured the batter in. 
Put your finger over the bottom and pretend you’re making funnel cakes.
It doesn’t require much squeezing until you get near the end and you’re trying to get
just one more out….

Don’t try to actually MAKE a circle, just run it into the middle of your 
predrawn circle and it will fill out itself.
Last time, I just threw them in the oven after I made them.
This time, one recipe said to bang on the bottom of the pan.
So, I did.
Another recipe said to let them sit out and form a bit of a crust before you baked them.
Since I was making three pans full, two of them did.
I didn’t see a difference in any of them but what do I know.
I’m NOT FRENCH so these all important details probably escape me.

See the feet? 

One of the recipes said I should crack the door open with a wooden spoon.
So I did.


Here’s the deal….I’ll never know if my macarons are bad until I go eat a real macaron.
The fact that the Mongolian horde inhales them has 
no meaning whatsoever.
If I say the word palate around here
someone gets me a plate….
I rest my case….



I filled them with Nutella and lemon curd
They’re delicious!
{if I do say so myself}



What do you think?
I have a bargain for you
I’ll charge $35 for 24
I take cash, check, money order, Paypal, 
Visa, MasterCard, American Express


Merde….I could get rich!




Sharing with
French CountryCottage
Rattlebridge Farm

Comments

  1. I’ve never made these only coconut macaroons but it looks like the same basic process and they look marvelous will have to get almond meal and try 🙂

  2. OH such a delightful post! I sure hope you share that with Foodie Friday and get the comments you deserve on this.

    You are hilarious – and also quite brave. I have never had the nerve to try and make them.

    I spent a month in France years ago and ate my weight in these and little cute mini fruit tortes. Scary how many one can eat when one has the mindset to do so.

    I say pas de merde, c’est tres bien! Magnifique!
    Mange mange! Tres delicieux!!

    Well done, ma’am. I may have to put on my Apron of Courage and do this soon, yours look awesome with their feet and all.

  3. Ah ha ha ha ha…. love this post. Not sure what made me laugh more, each time I read Mongolian Horde, or the new Merde, or the fact that you said Bliss and Blissful, or that I think we have the same stove… DCS?

    ~Bliss~

  4. Sounds like the perfect thing to make at the cabin this week! I’ll give them a try. I’ve been wanting to make them for a year since I read a whole blog on a girl that makes them for a shop! They look great!

  5. I made some little pastel sandwich cookies about 33 years ago for a baby shower and said “never again”! They are a lot of work!!! Maybe that’s why they’re so expensive. Yours do look yummy. And did you say lemon curd? My favorite!

  6. Great post. I have had real ones and they are pricey! I make road trips to get them from time to time. I have found mini ones at Trader Joes 12 for 4.99! Oh and recently I have found some on Etsy of all places. I plan to order and see if they are any good…will let you know!

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