The Mysterious Macaron

The macaron has eluded me for a long time. It took me 4 unsuccessful tries before I finally conquered Mount Macaron tonight. And boy did I gain so much joy just to see the paper-thin dome shaped shells of these little fellas rise gloriously in the oven.

Macarons have been in fashion for a long time now. Some odd balls question the big fuss over this delicate confectionery. Well, I think they can attribute their worldwide success to their petite frame, pastel shades and pretty packaging.

A shout out to Ally and Rodney for introducing me to the wonderful world of Laduree macarons and Luxumburgerlis during the good old days at Batey. Naturally for someone like me, the logical step after discovering the world of macarons and tasting a couple of prototypes was to attempt to make my own. I surprised myself by persevering through 4 failed attempts. And after much concoction, I finally came up with what worked best for me. Funnily enough, after tonight's successful attempt, I couldn't bear to eat more than one - that would mean one macaron less for the folks in the office.

Chocolate Macarons with Chocolate Ganache

Makes 30

For the macaron shells:
120g powdered sugar
90g ground almonds

2 egg whites

30g sugar
50g cocoa powder

For the chocolate ganache:
100g dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
95g cream

Prepare the macaron shells:

Preheat oven at 300°F/150°C.

Line a baking tray with 2 layers of baking paper.
Sift the powdered sugar together with the cocoa powder and ground almond in a bowl. Mix well.
Whisk egg whites with electric mixer until foamy and white. Add the sugar and continue whisking until meringue is and soft peaks are formed.

Add dry ingredients to whisked egg whites and gently fold with a spatula. When dry ingredients have been fully incorporated, transfer it into a piping bag with a 10mm piping tip.
Pipe circles of 3.5 cm diameter, spacing them every 3 cm on baking paper. Once done, let the shells rest, preferably in an air-conditioned room for at least an hr.
Bake for 12-15 mins.

Prepare the chocolate ganache:
Heat cream to a boil then pour over the chocolate. Let chocolate melt on its own for a while then stir with a spatula until smooth and even.
Transfer to piping bag and place in fridge to cool before using.

Prepare the macaron:

Pipe chocolate ganache onto cooled maracon shell. Sandwich with another shell.