Make Marvelous Macarons at Home

Make the most popular dessert in France at home! California Live’s Contributor, Blanche Shaheen, joins Food La La Founder, Lindsay Kinder, for a one-on-one lesson to perfecting our French pastry making skills. Lindsay walks us through the five easy steps to baking the delicious dessert. Learn the secret to making delicious macarons. Find the recipe below. **Les Macarons Recipe** -INGREDIENTS: 130 grams superfine almond meal 225 grams powdered sugar 115 grams egg white, room temp 60 grams superfine granulated sugar Optional: gel food coloring NOTE: Preheat oven to 300 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. -STEP 1: DRY INGREDIENTS Combine almond meal and powered sugar together then sift mixture three times. Set aside. -STEP 2: FRENCH MERINGUE Put egg whites in large stainless steel or glass bowl, and add a few drops of gel food coloring. Beat with an electric mixer until foamy (about 30 sec), then add the granulated sugar little by little while continuing to beat on high. The meringue is done when it reaches a stiff peak (about 5 minutes) -STEP 3: FOLD DRY INGREDIENTS INTO FRENCH MERINGUE Gently fold the sifted dry ingredients into the meringue in three batches. Keep all the batter together, scraping around the bowl and up from the bottom (do not beat or whip). When the dry ingredients are thoroughly incorporated, continue to fold the batter until you achieve a ribbon-like texture. Don’t over mix. -STEP 4: PIPE MACARONS Cut tip of a large piping bag, and insert piping tip. Secure with a clip and fill bag with batter. When ready to pipe, remove clip. Pipe 1.5”-2” circles onto parchment paper. Rap sheet on counter to remove air bubbles and smooth caps. Let rest for 20-30 minutes or until a skin forms (it may take longer if you’re working in a humid environment—use a fan to expedite!) -STEP 5: BAKE Bake for 10-12 minutes (To test doneness, lightly touch the top of a shell. It should be firm on its foot and not wiggle. If you can gently peel off a shell without it sticking to parchment paper, they are done. If batter sticks, continue baking.) Remove from oven, let cool completely then peel shells of parchment and sandwich with buttercream.