Whether you call them macaroons or macarons, these chewy, typically flourless cookies are a delicious tradition in cultures all over the world; there are as many different versions as there are cooks who make them. This week, share your favorite method -- but no coconut macaroons, please!
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Use old eggs for macarons -- the whites will be thinner.
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Amanda adds the confectioners's sugar and almonds to a mini food processor -- a mistake, as it turned out. It wouldn't grind the almonds finely enough.
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Meyer lemon juice is so golden it looks like orange juice.
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And now back to Amanda strugging with the almonds which are now being dumped into the blender for a second round of grinding.
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Merrill adds Meyer lemon zest to the eggs and sugar for the Meyer lemon curd.
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Butter, awaiting the warm curd -- it's the finishing touch. It cools down the curd, thickens it and tamps down any too-tart edges.
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Whipping the egg whites for the cookies.
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Once the meringue is made, you fold the ground almonds and confectioners' sugar into it. No need to do this gently. The mixture should get smooth and elastic.
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Dish duty!
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When making the curd, it will first get foamy, then eventually smooth out.
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Filling a pastry bag with the macaroon batter.
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Piping little buttons onto Silpat -- we learned that parchment works better than Silpat for macarons.
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You want the macarons to have perfectly smooth tops -- so you can dip your finger in water and then pat down any lumps or peaks.
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Macarons rest for 30 minutes before going into the oven.
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Macaroons are ready when they're no longer sticky to the touch.
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Into the oven!
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Merrill finishes up the curd by whisking in the butter -- it's like finishing a sauce with butter.
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Filling the macarons.
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Sandwiching them.
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Ogling one.
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Many macaroon recipes call for weights not measures.
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This is a little like a game of Twister in the kitchen.
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If you can't find almond flour, you can make your own in the food processor -- make sure to use blanched almonds.
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Almonds, confectioners' sugar, cinnamon and a hint of cocoa go into the food processor.
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A few pulses will do it.
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To make sure your batter isn't lumpy, robinbeth has you sift the dry ingredients after you pulverize them.
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Egg whites, with a pinch of salt and cream of tartar.
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Ready for folding!
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You can be quite aggressive with macaroon batter -- you actually want to get rid of some of the air in the meringue.
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Because of the confectioners' sugar, it gets quite thick and sticky. Never fear!
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Another two-person job here at food52.
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Will Amanda catch the errant nub of batter about to escape her piping bag? Oh, the suspense.
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Perfect little glossy rounds -- these will spread a little, so leave at least 3/4 of an inch between cookies.
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The macaroons sit for about 30 minutes before baking, until they develop a matte, non-sticky crust.
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Mexican chocolate, which has sugar and cinnamon in it.
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A little cream and butter turns the melted chocolate into a ganache.
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Amanda carefully spreads ganache on the "foot" of a macaroon before sandwiching it together with another cookie.
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