The 4th Blog of Christmas

Great inspiration can be drawn from a number of things – be it a person, a book, a sound, a bite of something incredible… Another one I’ve never met but consider a mentor in a plethora of ways is Pierre Herme. I admire him not only for his exacting perfection as a pioneer of classic French pastry, but for also knowing how to break the rules. For satisfying our visual senses, as well as our palates. For his minimalist chic style, yet his intrepid use of vivid colors and intense, whimsical flavors. For his unique approach to seasonality and indulgent fantasies with haute couture-like “collections”. For inspiring and challenging so many other pastry professionals world-wide.

I went to paris several years ago. Twice actually. And both times had saved up money specifically to be spent on food (ummm and shoes). While I had planned to go to Pierre Herme’s boutique, I did not know then that a great deal of my time and money would be exhausted on rue Bonaparte. I remember my first bite. It was ethereal. Crisp exterior with a tender yet chewy center, the exquisite chocolate macaron delicately melting on my tongue sent me into shivers. Relishing a single macaron became my daily obsession.

Since those Parisian days, I have yearned to recreate Pierre’s sinfully enchanting macarons at home. Macaroons are notoriously difficult to make, and, much to my chagrin, none of my attempts had been very successful at replicating his dainty almond-based cookies. Now that I know how to handle and use my ingredients properly, I’ve given the macarons another go using Pierre Herme’s recipe.

With smooth, lightly domed tops and ruffled feet, macarons are quite a feat if properly executed. The ones I produced still need a little tweaking, but, nonetheless, were sublime. In my next attempt, I will slightly reduce the amount of TPT to achieve a smoother dome, as the batter was a tad thick. But, overall, they had beautiful little feet and a satisfying texture.


Macaron Making Basics:
*TPT = tant pour tant = equal weights of almond flour and confectioner’s sugar. Make sure you sift this mixture together.

* The first step to successful macarons is the consistency of the meringue. Having the egg whites at room temperature produces the best and most voluminous meringue. I left mine out for about 3-4 hours before beginning the process. When whipping, you want a stiff, glossy merinuge, but be careful not to let it get too stiff or it will become difficult to fold into the almond mixture without deflating the batter.

* Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the almond mixture into the egg whites until completely incorporated. The mixture should be shiny and ‘flow like magma.’ When small peaks slowly dissolve to a flat surface, it is ready for piping.

*Carefully pipe uniform rounds to ensure equal sized cookies.

*Let the piped macarons sit out for 1-2 hours before baking, until the surface is sufficiently dry and a skin forms on the tops.

*Bake 325 for 10 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. They should develop their feet within the first 5 minutes of baking.

In observance of my alcohol-induced theme this month, a silky chocolate sherry ganache sandwiches the luxurious cookies together. Cream sherry was an obvious choice for me, as several months ago I attended a Wines from Spain tasting in which I tasted the sensational combination of sherry and almonds together for the first time, and just knew that the chocolate almond macaron would be the perfect medium in which to replicate that evocative experience.

Sherry Ganache Filling
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons corn syrup
5 oz 61% (bittersweet) chocolate, finely chopped1/2 cup (4oz) unsalted butter, diced
3 tablespoons sherry
Pinch salt

Bring the cream and cornsyrup just to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove the pan from the heat and pour over the chopped chocolate; whisk until smooth. Add the butter, whisking until fully incorporated. Then whisk in the sherry and salt until the ganache is glossy and combined. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate covered, for at least 30 minutes, or until the filling is firm enough to hold its shape when spread. Pipe small dallops onto the flat side of ½ of the macarons. Sandwich together with the other halfs.

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