St.Nicholas Pain d'Epice (Gingerbread) Macaron

In the northern part of France, the children here celebrate Fête de St Nicholas in the first weekend of December. He is like the Santa, the children will write them and get to see him during the parade in which he gives candies to the children. We usually find St Nicholas form chocolate and spice bread in the shop to be offered to family and friends.

 

These are the macarons that were inspired by the flavoured and the festival :) Enjoy!!

Prior preparing your macaron, prepare the extra freezer bags. I use 2 plastic freezer bags, fold the bottom side up to the right, so that I can fill up the bag via the opening.I get a triangular which will make a cone when open up. Staple along the side. You will fill the batter in the opening of the freezer bag


Fold the bottom side (sealed side) to the right. Staple along.



FOR THE MACARON SHELL
1 room temperatured egg white(39-40g)
50g icing sugar
30g ground almond
30g castor sugar
1/4 teaspoon brown food colouring

Method:
1. Put ground almond and icing sugar in a food processor or a small blender. Blend them finely.

2. Sift the blended mixture and set aside

3. With an electric beater, Beat the egg white, start from low speed and increase slowly to maximum speed. Beat until frothy (you will see lots of fine bubbles)

4. Now it's the time to add in the castor sugar, add half of the sugar, continue to beat in maximum speed for around 2 minutes, add in the other half, continue until you get stiff peak meringue.

5. Mix the dry ingredients into the egg whites. This process is called Macaronage. Start folding with a rubber spatula. Mix just until you roughly incorporate the mixture

6. Divide the mixture into 2 parts. Add brown food colouring powder in one part,leave the second part without food colouring. continue folding each mixture until the batter flow like thick ribbon when lifted.

7. When you get smooth shiny mixture, stop folding, lift the mixture with spatula, if the mixture falls back slowly in the bowl means you're good to go. You could also check if the lines formed from the lifted mixture, they should slowly disappear in within 30 seconds. At this stage you're good to go. Do not over fold, it will be too liquid and becoming very hard to pipe.
if you're unsure, you could refer to my basic macaron recipe as a guide HERE

8.Use the freezing bags prepared earlier, fill each colours in each bag. Cut the tip of each freezer bags

9. Put those 2 bags carefully in the piping bag , pipe your macaron. The first few macarons might not have even flow of colours, depending on how well those bags are positioned. but don't worry they'll even eventually as you pipe.

10. Let your macarons sit for about 30minutes. This will depend on the humidity in your house and the day. Try touching the macaron softly, after 30mins. it should not stick to your hand.

12. Heat your oven to 140 C on fan heating. When the oven is ready, put your macaron in the middle level. Bake for 12 minutes, check them in the mid time of 6 minutes, the feets should already start forming. Turn the baking tray to the opposite direction to allow even baking. You can test if the macaron is cook, touch softly on the shell and when the macaron doesn't slide on the feet, it's cooked. if it's not add another 1 mins each time and check.

FOR THE FILLING
Ingredients

35g liquid cream
25g white cooking chocolate
25g spice /gingerbread



1. Crumble the gingerbread into tiny pieces.
2. Warm the cream in a small pot, while you melt the white chocolate over the waterbath.
3. Remove cream from heat, pour over melted white chocolate. Add in crumbled gingerbread.
4. Mix well, using a hand blender, blend up everything.
5. Pour into a bowl let it cool and set in the fridge for 1 hour before piping.

Hello everyone,
The book is finally out. I will include the links below to let you know where you would be able to get it

But First - I am GIVING OUT ONE COPY to one lucky follower. All you need to do is to share the Macaron Fetish Page on your wall and invite your friends to 'LIKE' the page.

Winner will be picked by lucky draw and the result will be published on the page on Facebook mid day 12 PM (Paris time) the 30th Dec 2013

GOOD LUCK

 
Where to get Macaron Fetish ?

USA
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Macaron-fetish?store=allproducts&keyword=Macaron+fetish

Malaysia
http://www.kinokuniya.com/my/index.php/fbs003?common_param=9781626362116

Singapore
http://www.kinokuniya.com/sg/index.php/fbs003?common_param=9781626362116

Australia
http://www.kinokuniya.com/au/index.php/fbs003?common_param=9781626362116
http://www.boomerangbooks.com.au/publisher/Skyhorse-Publishing
http://www.angusrobertson.com.au/book/macaron-fetish-80-fanciful-shapes-flavors-and-colors-to-take-macarons-to-the-next-level/40427774/

Canada
http://www.amazon.ca/Macaron-Fetish-Fanciful-Flavors-Macarons/dp/1626362114/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0/177-4731411-0676641


France
http://www.amazon.fr/Macaron-Fetish-Fanciful-Flavors-Macarons/dp/1626362114/ref=tmm_ghc_title_0

The UK
http://www.foyles.co.uk/witem/food-drink/macaron-fetish-80-fanciful-shapes,kim-h-limchodkowski-9781626362116
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Macaron-Fetish-Fanciful-Flavors-Macarons/dp/1626362114

Else where in the world
http://www.abebooks.co.uk/Macaron-Fetish-Fanciful-Shapes-Flavors-Colors/11358093345/bd

Passion Fruit Orange Ganache Halloween Macarons

October is here and I am glad to be able to find sometime to bake some halloween macarons and share it on the blog. Time is a bit short here with my chronically ill bunny, Nestor.

I have made some spider, pumpkin and ghost macarons. To make these you are going to need some extra tools listed below :

3 Piping bags
1 N° 8 Nozzle
1 Fine tip Nozzle
Tooth picks
3 bowls

For the shells:

* 2 egg white (40g)
* 60g castor sugar

* 100g icing sugar
* 60g almond powder
   (blend together)
* Orange and black food colouring

Methods

1. Mix almond meal and icing sugar together and blend it up in the blender. Sift then set aside.

2. Using electric beater, beat egg white until foamy, then add in half of the castor sugar, continue until the egg white reaches soft peak then add in the remaining sugar, beat until stiff peak.

3. Add the dry ingredient to the meringue. Fold until roughly combined, do not over fold as the food colouring needs to be incorporate into the mixture later. Divide the mixture into 3 parts.

4. Fold the first part of the mixture without any food colouring until a smooth and the mixture flow downs like a thick ribbon when liften. Start of by piping the ghost shape macaron, Pipe a small circle and slowly release as you move your hand towards the side to form the tail. Repeat but this time draw the tail on the opposite side. Keep a teaspoon of white mixture to decorate the eye of the spider macarons later.

5. Add orange food colour into the second bowl, fold and pipe out standard macaron circles. Add on a tiny circle on top while pulling it away from the circle quickly to form a tip on top of the circle.

6. Add black food colour into the third bowl. Fold then pipe a 4 cm circle, then add on a tiny circle on top, repeat to make 8 spiders without the legs, remember to space out nicely to make room for the legs. Once it is done, pipe out eight 4 cm circle to use as the base of the spider macarons. Placing a smaller nozzle over the n°8 nozzle, slowly draw four legs on each side of the big circle.


7. Using the same method as drawing the legs, draw the eyes and lips of the pumpkins and ghosts.

8. Finally use a toothpick to dip in the white mixture and draw eyes and lines on the spider.

9. Preheat oven to 140 C while the macaron is resting. Bake for 12-14 minutes and let the macaron shells cool down before removing them.

Filling :
* 100g white chocolate (chopped)
* 30g passion fruit juice, 1 organic orange rim (grated)

Methods: 
1. Obtain juice from fresh passion fruit and discard the seed. Put the juice and orange rim together in a pot and warm it over low heat until warm.

2. Remove the juice from the heat, add in white chocolate, stir until a smooth ganache is obtained.

3 Place a cling wrap over and set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

4. Pipe the filling on the macaron shells and enjoy

HAPPY HALLOWEEN !!

Cranberry Jam Macaron

Hello hello :) So sorry for my long absence, I meant to put this write up for weeks now but things were (and still is) a bit crazy at home.

My elder bunny Nestor has been ill for almost a month now (yes again). Despite the hospitalisation, x ray, blood work, we have yet to figure out as why he is not eating. Next week I will book him on teeth and mouth check under anesthesia as the last resort. And meanwhile I have to continue support feeding every few hours to keep his gut going.

So all my apologise for not being able to write sooner. This post was meant to be a summer post and now we are in autumn .... oh dear, my bad.. I am posting it up anyway :) Perhaps for the friends who are on the other side of the hemisphere.

Oh and some updates for Macaron Fetish book, it will soon hit the market before xmas, I will get some copîes soon and will give up a copy for free :) So stay tune and I will post up in the next month to tell you how to win it.

Meanwhile, enjoy :)

For the shells:

Ingredients
* 1 egg white (40g)
* 30g castor sugar

* 50g icing sugar
* 30g almond powder
   (blend together)

* a pinch red powder food colouring
* Corn flower petals

Methods

1. Mix almond meal, icing sugar and food colourin together and blend it up in the blender. Sift then set aside.

2. Using electric beater, beat egg white until foamy, then add in half of the castor sugar, continue until the egg white reaches soft peak then add in the remaining sugar, beat until stiff peak.

3. Add the dry ingredient to the meringue. Start folding each batter in each bowl until a smooth shiny batter is obtain. The batter should flow down smoothly and formed a ribbon when it's ready.

4. For details and FAQ on folding please refer to this post http://macaron-fetish.blogspot.fr/2010/02/basic-macaron-recipe.html

5. Scoop out one tablespoon of the mixture, add more more purple colouring and mix well. Prepare your piping bag and block the tip. Fill it up. Start piping the batter.

6. Sprinkle the some cornflower petals on the shells.

7. Preheat oven to 150 C while the macaron is resting. Bake for 12-14 minutes and let the macaron shells cool down before removing them.

8. Match up the shells by size and get ready to prepare the filling.

Filling :

* 100g cranberry jam (I bought mine in an organic shop)

Macaron Mûre Violette - Violet Blackberry Macaron

Hey all, exams are finally finished and I had sometimes to get back to baking Macarons ;)
I also have some good news to share - I have received my results of my exam - I have my Pastry Chef Diploma, so oufff these six month of hard work is all worth it.

Going to keep this post short as it is late here...

I am going back to French flavour after many experiments with exotic taste - summer is here and red fruits are back, a combination of violet flower and blackberry has such a delicate taste to it.

I used store bought Blackberry jelly since I haven't had any fresh berries on hand. Enjoy the post :)


For the shells:

Ingredients
* 1 egg white (40g)
* 30g castor sugar

* 50g icing sugar
* 30g almond powder
   (blend together)

* purple gel food colouring

Methods

1. Mix almond meal, and icing sugar together and blend it up in the blender. Sift then set aside.

2. Using electric beater, beat egg white until foamy, then add in half of the castor sugar, continue until the egg white reaches soft peak then add in the remaining sugar and gel colouting, beat until stiff peak.

3. Add the dry ingredient to the meringue. Start folding each batter in each bowl until a smooth shiny batter is obtain. The batter should flow down smoothly and formed a ribbon when it's ready.

4. For details and FAQ on folding please refer to this post http://macaron-fetish.blogspot.fr/2010/02/basic-macaron-recipe.html

5. Scoop out one tablespoon of the mixture, add more more purple colouring and mix well. Prepare your piping bag and block the tip. Fill it up. Start piping the batter.

6. Using a toothpick, dip in the darker mixture and draw a line over the shells, repeat until all shells are done. Then use the toothpick and make zigzag movement over the line to make swirl effect.

7. Preheat oven to 150 C while the macaron is resting. Bake for 12-14 minutes and let the macaron shells cool down before removing them.

8. Match up the shells by size and get ready to prepare the filling.

Filling :

* 100g blackberry jam / jelly
* 1 drop violet arome

1. Mix both ingredients together and fill the shells

Dried Longan and Longan Jelly Macaron

Hello my fellow followers,

Lately, I have been searching for some idea to create some macaron with exotic and unusual flavour that is inspired from my childhood.

 

Longan fruit

Photo credit to http://genuineaid.com/

Longan has always been one of my favourite fruit. One of my favourite is certainly a dried longan syrup drink. The dried smoked longan is cooked with sugary water and served chill in a recycle glass jar. I remember when I was little, I would order them when we eat out in the Kopi Tiam (coffee shop). It was called Mata Kucing in some places (cat eye).

Dried Longan, photo credit to Rasa Malaysia

This is how I like my longan drink to be served

Photo credit to http://cquek.blogspot.fr/

I managed to get hold of some good quality dried longan from my last trip in Malaysia. So I decide to give it a try and see how it would turn up. To my surprise, it somehow tastes very sublime, quite delicate and I also added some fresh longan jelly on top.

Enjoy !!

For the shells:

Ingredients
* 1 egg white (40g)
* 30g castor sugar

* 50g icing sugar
* 30g almond powder
   (blend together)

* Edible bunnies (optional)

Methods

1. Mix almond meal, and icing sugar together and blend it up in the blender. Sift then set aside.

2. Using electric beater, beat egg white until foamy, then add in half of the castor sugar, continue until the egg white reaches soft peak then add in the rest and beat until stiff peak. if you use gel or paste food colouring, you can add it when the egg white reaches soft peak and continue to beat until stiff peak.

3. Add the dry ingredient to the meringue. Start folding each batter in each bowl until a smooth shiny batter is obtain. The batter should flow down smoothly and formed a ribbon when it's ready.

4. For details and FAQ on folding please refer to this post http://macaron-fetish.blogspot.fr/2010/02/basic-macaron-recipe.html

5. Prepare your piping bag and block the tip. Fill it up. Start piping the batter.

6. Preheat oven to 150 C while the macaron is resting. Bake for 12-14 minutes and let the macaron shells cool down before removing them.

7. Match up the shells by size and get ready to prepare the filling.

For the filling:

*4-5 dried longan
*10g water
*50g fresh full cream
*50g white chocolate (Barry / Valrhona)

*3-4 fresh longan (diced up)
*30g water
*10g sugar
*2g agar agar powder

Methods

* To prepare the jelly, put fresh longan, sugar, agar agar and water in a pot over medium heat , stir constantly. On its first boil, set timer to 1 minutes, keep stirring. Remove from heat, pour into a shallow bowl immediately. Let cool before putting it in the fridge .

* In a small pot, dried longan, water and fresh full cream, warm it up and remove from heat, let infused for 15 minutes. When time is up pour the mixture through a sift and you will need 25g of it. Discard the remaining.

* Rewarm the mixture, and meanwhile melt the chocolate over water bath. Pour the mixture over chocolate, mix until a smooth shiny ganache is obtained.

* Set in the refrigerator until the ganache is harden up slightly. Pipe on the shells.

* to stick the bunny on the shell, place a tiny amount of chocolate ganache on the edible bunny and stick it on the shell.

Macaron Fetish is oon it's way!! Stay TUNE

Hello all this is the first sneak peak of the book that is coming out soon :)

Chendol Macaron with Pandan Coconut Jelly

Hello my fellow followers,

First of all, I would like to apologise for my long absence, the last past 3 months with my crash course and internship had been really crazy and I am usually dead tired at the end of the day. However, I managed to find some time today to share a recipe that I had tested a while ago with you guys.

I have also a good news to share. In last December, I was contacted by an independent publisher in New York named Skyhorse. They are interested in publishing my Macaron Fetish book. So I am also currently working on grouping 3 of my Macaron Fetish books and adding more recipes to make a big book with around 100 recipes inside. It is going to be finished soon and as soon as I know the published date, I will surely share it here with you guys. Mean while please take note that all Macaron Fetish books on Blurb are nolonger available for sale to public.

So here it is - the Macaron with Malaysian flavour. Chendol is surely a well loved dish by the Malaysians and I think most Malaysians would agree that one of the best Chendol is found in Penang - my home town. Shandol is a shaved ice dessert, traditionally, prepared with some gula melaka syrup diluted in coconut milk and is topped up with some green tapioca jelly and sweet kidney bean. It definitely sounds like a crazy combination for most foreigners but this dessert is always irrisistable to me especially under the hot weather in Malaysia.

In this recipe, I am using butter cream and pair up with some coconut pandan jelly. I personally love how the combination and it is definitely one of the favourite of my family and my chef loved it :) Hope you enjoy this entry !

Chendol, source : George Town, Penang | Facebook

For the shells:

Ingredients
* 1 egg white (40g)
* 30g castor sugar

* 50g icing sugar
* 30g almond powder
* 1/2 teaspoon green food
   colouring powder
   (blend together)

Methods

1. Mix almond meal, food colouring (if use powder form) and icing sugar together and blend it up in the blender. Sift then set aside.

2. Using electric beater, beat egg white until foamy, then add in half of the castor sugar, continue until the egg white reaches soft peak then add in the rest and beat until stiff peak. if you use gel or paste food colouring, you can add it when the egg white reaches soft peak and continue to beat until stiff peak.

3. Add the dry ingredient to the meringue. Start folding each batter in each bowl until a smooth shiny batter is obtain. The batter should flow down smoothly and formed a ribbon when it's ready.

4. For details and FAQ on folding please refer to this post http://macaron-fetish.blogspot.fr/2010/02/basic-macaron-recipe.html

5. Prepare your piping bag and block the tip. Fill it up. Start piping the batter.

6. Preheat oven to 150 C while the macaron is resting. Bake for 12-14 minutes and let the macaron shells cool down before removing them.

7. Match up the shells by size and get ready to prepare the filling.

For the filling:

* 1-2 pandan leaves
   See glossary page 181-182
* 25g coconut milk
* 10g water
* 1/4 teaspoon agar-agar

* 25g dark palm sugar
   See glossary page 181-182
* 15g water

* 15g castor sugar
* 8g water

* 1 egg yolk
* 60g butter
   (room temperature, cubed)
* 4 tablespoons coconut flakes


Methods
* To prepare the pandan jelly, put pandan leaves, coconut milk, and water in a deep container and blend it up with an immersion mixer. Filter the mixture with a sieve. Pour the mixture into a pot, add agar-agar powder and heat it up over medium heat , stir constantly. On its first boil, set timer to 2 minutes, keep stirring. Remove from heat, pour into a shallow bowl immediately. Let cool before putting it in the fridge .

* In a small pot, add in palm sugar and water to make palm sugar syrup. Cook over medium heat for about 5-8 minutes until a thick syrup is obtained. Set aside.

* Put castor sugar and water in a pot, warm over medium heat. Using the candy thermometer, the sugar should reach 118 °C. Start beating the egg yolk with a hand mixer in a mixing bowl when the sugar reaches 114 °C.

* Once the sugar reaches 118 °C, remove from heat, slowly pour over near the side of the bowl while beating the egg yolk using medium speed. Keep the mixer turning, until the mixture has cooled down slightly. Add in butter one piece at a time, beat and incorporated well between each addition.

* Lastly pour in palm sugar syrup, then coconut flakes. Mix well until a smooth butter cream is obtained

* Fill a macaron shell with butter cream, cut a small piece of pandan jelly, place it on the butter cream and press it down lightly before closing up with another shell.