finally, the english version of the much-awaited pierre hermé’s macaron book has hit the shelves and i was elated to get my hands on a copy. it features many of his classic and signature macaron recipes like mogador, infiniment vanille, montebello, olive oil vanilla and ispahan as well as the customized ones he did for his clients like jasmine, oolong and carrot orange. there’s also a section where he uses exceptional ingredients like foie gras, black and white truffles and 25-year old balsamic vinegar to incorporate into his macarons so its really fantastic.
elated about the book aside, i was actually more excited to dabble with the italian meringue method, my FIRST after all these years of macaron making. macarons are known to be finicky therefore i just shyed away from anything that would make them even more complicated.
though slightly apprehensive, i wasn’t actually too worried about the outcome like whether or not i would get the right “macaronnage” consistency or if they would develop feet. i just had this 101% trust on pierre hermé coz so far i’ve not failed at his recipes. they turned out just like i expect and seriously, i think they bear an eerie resemblance to my own in terms of taste and texture. i gave these a nice swipe of tempered colored white choc so they’d look more interesting.
monsieur hermé also gave a specific set of instructions in the book so pls read before you start baking :
- use egg whites that have been aged for at least a few days to a week in the fridge. the whites lose their elasticity upon ageing so they’re easier whipped to soft peaks without turning grainy.
- the baking temp ranges between 160-180C so it depends on your oven. use an oven thermometer to determine your oven’s real temperature. i burned my first batch baking them on 180C.
- the macarons need to be matured after filling so leave them in the fridge for 24-48 hrs before consuming.
- lastly, remove the macarons from the fridge and leave them out for 2 hrs before eating. being someone who lives in the tropics, i could not agree with this point. leaving them out for 2 hrs would turn them mushy so theres no way im gonna do that. i think 5-10 mins out is ideal as they’re soft enough to eat with slightly crisp shells and moist chewy innards. i believe this should be the correct texture to enjoy the macarons.
*recipe removed due to copyright restrictions.
