Macarons

Ingredients

3 large egg whites (room temperature)

½ cup castor sugar

1 cup almond powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

1⅓ cup of icing sugar

gel or powder colour

Method 

Blanch the almonds, leaving it in boiling water for 10 minutes. Peel it, sliver it and spread it out onto a baking sheet. Dry it in a low 70°C oven for 50 to 60 minutes. Let it cool then grind it in a coffee grinder until fine. 

Place the almond powder and icing sugar into a food processor and process it for a minute then sift it. All the almonds won't go through but grind the balance and sift all the time until it's all used up. If there is a little left over, keep for another time. 

Beat the egg whites in a clean steel or glass bowl. Beat until soft peaks form. Add the castor sugar slowly while beating. Beat on high for about 5 minutes until thick and glossy. Lower the speed and beat for another 3 to 4 minutes. You should be able to turn the bowl upside down and it should remain in the bowl. Now beat in the vanilla essence and colour of your choice. Beat for another minute.

For Macaron

Fold in ⅓ of the almond mixture. Mix it gently. Once it's all mixed in, make sure you get the right consistency. While folding, make a pattern or a figure 8 with the mixture. Once it makes a perfect shape without breaking up, you have to stop mixing.

Oil the baking trays lightly. Place the baking sheet over and spray lightly with Spray & Cook.

Put the mixture into piping a bag with a round tip and pipe circles by pressing it down onto the baking sheet and squeeze just enough to make a small circle keeping the nozzle in the centre. It should not be too big and leave spaces in between.

I find the baking paper works better than the mat.

Once it is done, tap the tray onto the table 4 to 5 times to remove the bubbles. If you see any dots or points, wet your finger and touch it slightly so it goes down.

Now leave the tray to stand for about 30 minutes for a skin to form (meaning when you touch it with a dry finger, it doesn't stick to the finger). Once the skin is formed and you can run your finger across the macaron, it is ready to bake.

Bake 1 tray in the centre of the oven for about 17 to 20 minutes at 150°C.

You don't want to bake it until brown. You just want you to reach the point where it will start to brown. Remove from the oven and leave on the tray to cool completely. Now you can sandwich it with the filling of your choice. 

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