Macarons, more than a French tradition / LADURÉE

Hey lovely people,

I recently found those pictures I took while waiting for my flight in Paris. Macarons are and are always going to be my big craving, especially those from Ladurée.

While I was looking on their website to order some, I decided to share with you their know-how. I've also attached the link so you can have a look.

LADURÉE : know-how

A DELICIOUS ITALIAN MERINGUE

So it all begins with whole blanched almonds from California – the world center for almonds – that are ground and mixed with confectioner’s sugar. Egg whites are whisked until peaks form and natural food colorings are added to give the macarons their subtle colors. (The color is mixed in at this point so that it is perfectly uni- form.) As much as taste, color is essential: it too can make the mouth water.

Then an Italian meringue is made by heating a mixture of water and caster sugar to 120°C (248°F) and pou- ring it into the beaten egg white. At Ladurée it’s always an Italian meringue because it gives the finished maca- rons their glossy appearance. (You can see this when the macaron shells come out of the oven all shiny.) Then the mix of ground almonds and sugar is added to the meringue, and the macaron paste (or appareil as it’s known in French) is ready.

PERFECTLY SHAPED SHELLS

The appareil is poured into a machine called a trémie. This is the only stage that isn’t performed by hand, because only a machine can form identical shells. The 14 macaron flavors and the 5 “Incroyables” are made daily, moving from the lightest to the darkest colored so none are stained.

The trémie pushes out small discs of appareil onto baking trays covered with parchment paper. The trays are tapped lightly so that the macarons finish settling and then baked for 20-25 minutes. The exact temperature is a closely guarded secret; all that’s known is that it’s not so hot as to brown the shell. Once out of the oven, half the batch is removed from the trays to be covered with filling, while the other half patiently awaits the topping- off stage.

THE METICULOUS GESTURE OF FILLING

A whole room is dedicated to filling the macarons, the stage when they are given their layer of ganache or jam. Everything is done, once again, by hand – and you need impressive skills with a piping nozzle to drop exactly the right amount onto each one.

The jam used for the fillings, such as those in the raspberry or blackcurrant macarons, is more concentrated than one you might eat at home. It’s a delicate process making jam-filled macarons, because you have to be extremely careful not to soak the shell. It’s the kind of constant attention to detail that has been key to Ladurée’s success.

Finally, it’s time to top off or sandwich the macarons by popping a second shell on the filling. After a night in a cold room, the only thing left to do is to package the little treats in their pretty pastel-colored boxes. Then it’s immediately off to all the shops across France.

What about you ? Do you like macarons ? Have you ever tried to make them ?

Thanks for reading.
Love,
V.

Source : https://www.laduree.co.uk/discover-laduree/our-know-how.html