Chef Martin Anderson
Macaroons or Macarons – do you know the difference?
Well apart from the obvious spelling there is a difference , both are a sweet treat after a meal, can be served as a petit four or even as a course at an afternoon tea party .
The real difference however is in the preparation and cooking and I’m sure many chefs will agree with me ….. the level of difficulty in making them , macaroons are the easy option while macarons have brought many a chef and baker to their knees .
It’s not all guns and roses sometimes when cooking and preparing real food. Mistakes are made, recipes have to be tested, oven temperatures vary from kitchen to kitchen as do the temperature of ingredients.
Even the temperature of a raw egg can effect a recipe, egg whites for meringues are best whipped from refrigerated eggs as they heat up during the whipping process and this produces a better meringue.
However eggs for cooking whole , for pastry or pasta are best if used at room temperature , the less work you are doing with them the closer to room temperature the egg should be , always use eggs with a good date , farm fresh or free range if you can , they have s stronger white and the yolk will be a richer colour and they will have more taste .
Macarons ……just google that after you read this article. Hit the images tab and you will see a vast array of lovely wee looking treats , each one is baked to perfection , well risen with “feet ” that’s what they call the base of the macaron when it rises , here lies the difficulty !
If they don’t rise properly or unevenly they are deemed not suitable to use. Now in fairness they taste the same but it’s all about the presentation.
Filled with a variety of flavoured buttercream’s , in various colours and served as quickly as possible . I personally wouldn’t be bothered trying to make them and I leave that to the professionals. I’ve had too many disasters and wasted too much ingredients. I’m a great believer in paying someone to do a job I can’t , everyone deserves a chance!
Macaroons however are completely different as long as they are cooked properly and not burnt then you will become a legend with your family and friends.
They are gluten free, fat free, dairy free and with the addition of some extra ingredients they are so tasty.
If you are not a fan of coconut or almonds then go check out the news tab here on Donegal Daily, this isn’t the recipe for you .
Before we start it if very important to have your eggs refrigerated as I said earlier .
Have your mixing bowl and whisks or beaters clean and sterilised any trace of dirt or fat will stop the egg whites from whisking
Have your oven preheated and have 2 trays lined with baking parchment or you can use grease proof paper rubbed with a little butter , not too much you don’t want it to burn .
You may add a variety of extra ingredients as long as they are dry and all the same size , goji berries , blue berries , chocolate chips , sultanas , dried pineapple , chopped walnuts now there is a nut overload !!
So here you go it’s easy to make , didn’t cost a lot and if stored in an airtight container they will keep for days , well they won’t actually you will have eaten them all .
This recipe with make 18 large macaroons or 36 small ones it will not make any Macarons!!
You don’t have to use an extra ingredient for the first time you try this recipe see how it goes and then experiment .
You will need
4 egg whites
230g of icing sugar
230g of ground almonds
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
230g of dessicated coconut
100g of your extra ingredient if desired.
Method
Preheat the oven to 150c
whisk the egg whites using a mixer or hand held mixer , best until stiff but moist.
Sift in the icing sugar and gently fold into the egg whites.
Gently fold in the almonds, vanilla extract and dessicated coconut until the mixture is combined, forming a sticky dough.
Fold in your extra ingredient now if using one .
Spoon the mixture onto the baking trays
Making 18 large or 36 small , try and get them all the same size and height this helps the cooking process .
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the macaroons are crisp and golden on the outside.
They will be moist and sticky on the inside
Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before eating them they will burn the lips clean off you if you don’t , if adding chocolate chips be careful to the chocolate will have melted and must reset before eating .
I have been posting easy to follow recipes on my own personal Facebook and snapchat pages as well folks give me a wee follow to see them , it’s all good fun and they are always easy with photos showing you what to do . Thank you as always .
