Délices et Caprices: Macarons gouttelettes de pluie / The tempest macarons

There is no another place where rain, paleness and tempest have the charm than in the Brittany coast. For stormy weather is what the Brittany sea primarily made of.

Faltering on the close to blue-hour, sandy beach of Saint-Malo with untimid seabirds, tangling hair in the sudden gust of cold wind (and ear mufflers on!), a cloud suddenly cloaked above, there fell an irised rain. Then the sea dyed its levels with a dull misfeatured stain. And then the sun burst out again, and purples pinked the horizon…

These tiffany blue raindrop macarons with bitter chocolate ganache are reminiscent of a March week-end in Cancale and Saint-Malo (besides the coquillages et crustacés of the Breton gastronomy!)… so I call them also the “tempest” macarons. They also just look like those silver blue eye drop-shaped tahitian pearls that have stand the tempests in their shells.

Macarons are a miraculous sugary marriage of almond powder and egg white – la poudre d’amande et le blanc d’œuf. This is la recette – the only recipe I used which is that of Ladurée!

Ingredients

For about 60 macarons :

275 g of almond powder

250 g of icing sugar

6 egg whites + ½ white

210 g of caster sugar

Colouring (natural or macaron powder – poudre colorant alimentaire pour macarons)

In the bowl of a food processor, the almond powder mixer and icing sugar so as to obtain a fine powder. Sift.

Beat 6 egg whites until stiff. When foamy, add 1/3 of the caster sugar and continue to whisk to dissolve the sugar, add new third caster sugar, whisk again for about 1 minute, finally add the remaining sugar and whisk again 1 minute.

Using a flexible spatula, gently fold the egg whites mixture of almond powder, icing sugar, sifted. Then add 1/2 beaten egg white in a bowl beforehand. Mix to fall slightly the dough so that it softens away.

On a baking sheet covered with a sheet of baking paper, using the pastry pocket, draw small macaroons 3 to 4 centimeters in diameter (or in any shape!) . Gently tap the plate to end the macaroons to spread.

Preheat oven to 160 °C. Let the macaroons sit in the open air and then bake 10 minutes. Cook for about 15 minutes they crisp slightly.

Remove from the oven and using a glass slide a little water between the plate and the paper (the paper is lifted slightly corner by corner). Moisture and steam produced by the water on the hot plate will loosen macaroons easier when they are cold. Cool. Then take off half shells and place upside down on a plate.

For the garnish: a chocolate ganache, cream, almond or any jam ...

Tip: Let stand 12 hours before enjoying the macaroons. They will be even better.