Macaron Secrets Revealed!

Check out the story from WGN TV. They have posted our top secret recipe for picture perfect Raspberry Chocolate Ganache French Macarons! Tune in later today (http://www.wgntv.com/news/livestreaming/) to watch Katharine demonstrate how to make these little beauties!

Bonne chance, Katharine!

May 11: Lunchbreak – Chef Katharine Greis Makes Raspberry Chocolate Ganache French Macarons

WGN News
May 11: Lunchbreak – Chef Katharine Greis Makes Raspberry Chocolate Ganache French Macarons
Panna Dolce
www.PannaDolce.com
(530) 723-6523

Products are sold ONLINE and in The Goddess & Grocer stores in Chicago. Get a 10% discount on your order with the code: macaron10.

Raspberry Chocolate Ganache French Macarons
10 Servings (2 per person)

French Macaron Shells
Yield: 20 Full Macarons (40 French Macaron halves)

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 3/4 cup almond flour/meal (or ground blanched almonds into a fine meal)
• 1/3 cup egg whites
• 1/8 cup granulated sugar
• pinch cream of tartar
• 1 drop red food coloring
• 1/4 cup raspberry jam
• Chocolate Ganache (Quick recipe: Heat 1/4 cup cream over low heat until it begins to boil, take off heat and add 1 cup finely chopped semi sweet chocolate pieces. Stir until melted, 1-2 minutes. Cool in refrigerator.)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat. Combine Confectioners’ Sugar and Almond Flour, sift for best texture results. Set aside. Whisk egg whites on high, add cream of tartar pinch after 30 seconds (as froth starts). Begin adding in granulated sugar a little at a time, as egg whites become whiter and frothy. When egg whites begin to get stiff and frothiness is almost gone, add in one drop of red food coloring (stop mixer when doing this). Turn mixer back on and finish mixing so that egg whites form almost stiff peaks and the color is completely mixed in. (Note: Be careful to not over mix and not under mix. This is a skill that takes some time to learn, be patient! Whole process should take 2-3 minutes. If you don’t mix enough French Macarons will be flat. If you mix too much they’ll too crunchy.) Using a big spatula, fold in the confectioner’s sugar and almond flour mixture a little at a time, do this slowly. The batter will look like a paste. Fill a pastry bag (a #803 tip works best) or large plastic bag with the batter. (Note: If using a large plastic bag, cut a 1cm wide hole at the tip to mimic a pastry bag tip). On the parchment or silpat lined baking sheets, pipe 1-1.25 inch circles of the batter. Leave about 2 inches in between each Macaron half. After piping is complete. Smack entire baking sheet on counter or hard surface to release air bubbles. Do this a few times. Bake for 8 minutes. Check at 8 minutes. (Please note: Every oven is different! You may need more time, continue to check every 1.5 minutes. French Macarons can take anywhere from 8-15 minutes depending on humidity and oven temperature.) Take baking sheets out of oven and let them sit for at least 5 minutes before removing French Macaron halves. To test if they can be removed, pick up a parchment corner and try peeling away from a Macaron near this edge. The ones on the edge should be the easiest to remove. When removing, always peel the paper from the French Macaron, do not pull French Macaron off paper. After pulling off, let sit and completely cool. (If you need help releasing the shells, pour some water under the parchment paper and let sit for 1 minute, then remove shells.) Set two French Macaron halves next to each other and pipe the chocolate ganache filling and next, the raspberry jam filling onto center of one French Macaron shell. Once all halves have both fillings, place the other French Macaron half on top of its mate. After filling, set finished French Macarons up right in a container that is covered on all sides and bottom with plastic wrap. Line up all French Macarons and cover with plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator overnight (12 hours is best, 24 is better). When you are ready to serve or eat your French Macarons, make sure they reach room temperature first for the best texture results! Enjoy!

Tips for making French Macarons:

Oven temperature
All ovens are different! You need to ‘know’ your oven, test it and compare baking times to other recipes, how long does your oven take compared to what a recipe says. That will give you some idea of the temp and time you will need for other baking.

Measuring your Ingredients
Measure perfectly. Get a scale, measuring cups won’t work for this recipe.

Do not overbeat your eggs
Overbeating egg whites leaves you with meringues rather than delicate pillows of pastry.