Spotlight: Macaron Class Tips

After taking the macaron class at Mille Feuille and reflecting on the initial experience, I wanted to share some of the tips imparted on the participants to avoid mishaps like the shell shown below. I know I will be using these to guide my first at-home attempt to make these French delights!

The Batter

• When making the initial sugar syrup for the Italian meringue, it is important to heat to 245 degrees. Too hot, and the meringue will be too elastic. Too cold, and the meringue will be too loose or soft.
• Use day-old egg whites for the meringue to achieve the right consistency. Separate and refrigerate a day in advance, as they slowly start to break down.
• Avoid over-mixing at all costs. You cannot continue with the macarons if you over-mix, because the batter will be too runny.
• When testing the consistency of the batter, if the ribbon from the pastry scraper breaks, it indicates it is under-mixed.

Baking

• If you do not allow the shells to properly dry after initial piping, they can crack in the oven.
• If you do not bang the air bubbles out and flatten the batter properly, the shells can crack.

The Filling

• If you plan to use a fruit filling like a jam, bake a little longer (roughly 30 seconds), as it will cause the shells to be soggier after assembly.
• If you want to use a fruit filling, only use preserves. Jelly should not be considered an appropriate substitute, as it lacks the concentration of fruit and flavor, as well as consistency required to be a good macaron filling.
• To cool your ganache quickly, spread onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper and pop into fridge.

Assembly

• When piping the ganache, complete one sandwich first. This will allow you to see how the consistency moves with the weight of the second shell – you may need more or less the next time, and you won’t have completed a whole row with too much or too little filling.
• Do not push on the center to sandwich them, as you could cause them to crack.

Serving

• If you use buttercream to fill the shells, you will need to pull the macarons out of the fridge roughly 20 minutes ahead of when you would like to serve them. They should not be left out for too long, or the butter will start to melt.

Hopefully the tips and tricks above help you avoid any classic macaron mistakes!

Until next time,
SugarSource

 

Spotlight: Macaron Class

On a windy cold day in February, I am embarked on my second Mille Feuille class to learn the art of the macaron. We began with an introduction to the chef, a round of hand-washing and tying plastic aprons on, and we were off to the races.

First, we combined sugar and water in a saucepan, heating until 245 degrees. As the mixture was warming, we beat egg whites together until the frothiness disappeared. At peak temperature, we added the sugar into the egg whites, beating at a high speed until stiff shiny peaks appeared and the bowl itself started to cool. The mixture should look uniform – when the sugar is first introduced, the edges will still look foamy. This is called Italian meringue, and is the only type of meringue you can use for the batter.

In a separate larger mixing bowl, we combined almond flour, powdered sugar, egg whites and food coloring (if needed). After quartering the Italian meringue, we added it to the almond flour batter one quarter at a time. With the first two rounds we used a firm spoon, and a softer spatula with the last two, focusing on folding in the meringue. We looked for consistency in color and texture, and were careful to to avoid over-mixing. At the end of the mixing process, there were slight waves in the dough and when picked up with a pastry scraper, each batter had a consistent ribbon flow from the edge.

Pipe the dough onto a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Each participant had a grid of small circles underneath the parchment to help guide us toward evenly sized and spaced shells. We started in the middle of each circle, flipping the bag completely straight downward and squeezing slowly 1/4″ away from the parchment paper. This allowed the circle to fill evenly without creating peaks. After completing a row (or two), we picked up our trays and banged on the bottom. This got rid of air bubbles and also helped to flatten the cookies for a shiny smooth texture. Once the sheet was full, our instructor placed them in a warm area to dry for 20-24 minutes.

We tested the shells by lightly tapping on the top with a fingertip – if any batter stuck, they were not quite ready. Once our fingers came away clean, the trays went into the oven.

While they baked, we prepared the ganaches, making vanilla, pistachio and chocolate to complement the three doughs made earlier. Each began by boiling cream until it just started to froth, then immediately adding it to a combination of chocolate, flavoring and, in the case of the chocolate ganache, butter. Once combined, we whipped with a whisk until it completely smooth. We were also treated to macaron samples as we waited. The espresso was rich and intense, the green tea matcha was earthy and captured the essence of the flavor, and the raspberry was sharp and full-bodied.

Once the baking is complete and the macarons have cooled for several minutes, we slid the parchment paper off of the baking sheet. Placing another sheet of paper over the macarons, we were then instructed to flip them in one fluid motion, pulling the top long-side corners together and away from us. It was slightly terrifying, but the macarons stick to the initial paper without issue. Using a tray with a sharp edge, we separated the parchment paper from the shells. I was quite cautious with this step, and it took me a few minutes. You can apply more pressure than you think without ruining them!

We then matched up each kind by size – mine were nowhere near uniform, and you want similar-sized macarons for each sandwich. Typically it is better to wait 24-36 hours before filling the shells. However, if you can’t wait – like in a 2.5 hour class – you can spray the shells with water (very lightly) before filling. We piped the ganache in a similar fashion to the shells, leaving a slight border. After completing a row, I placed each corresponding shell on top and lightly twisted the two together.

Once complete macarons can last up to five days in the fridge, or a few weeks in the freezer. The experience was delightful and less intimidating than I thought it would be. I would not have attempted to bake these myself without the class, and now I am excited to try it on my own sometime soon!

Until next time,
SugarSource

Spotlight: Croissant Class – Take One

I finally took the plunge, and signed up for a croissant class at Mille Feuille‘s Laguardia Place location in Greenwich Village this December. As a huge fan of their croissants for years, this felt like the appropriate place to begin my tutelage.

The participants slowly began trickling into the back of the small storefront. Our instructor introduced himself, provided aprons for everyone and started class. We began by shaping our croissants, as they needed to proof before baking. Typically baking croissants is a three-day process, but this has been condensed considerably for this three-hour course! Our instructor walked us through the basic shapes and techniques, and provided constructive criticism to improve our individual trays of treats. After we had worked our way through the dough provided, rolling as carefully as possible, he popped them into the proofing drawer.

From there, he demonstrated the butter-layering process. I am embarrassed to say I had no idea how much butter was added to these delightful breads. After beating our slabs of butter into rectangular shapes, we slowly began the rolling, folding and re-rolling process. It was quite the lower arm work-out, and I was thankful to be moving around, as the air-conditioning made the room chilly. Our instructor would later inform us that it needed to be relatively cold in the room to ensure the butter did not begin to melt, which would ruin the croissants. They do recommend bringing an extra sweater in the event it is too cold!

After the croissants were done proofing, we slathered them in egg wash, re-arranged them on our trays for optimal baking, and then he placed them into the oven. He used a few of the leftover slivers as “appetizers,” and they were a delicious way to create a natural break for the class. I only wish they had provided the hot drink (described online), but unfortunately one was never offered.

Finally, he showed us how to make the dough and how to test if the gluten has been activated. A pro tip: if the gluten has been activated, croissant dough can be used as pizza dough instead!

All in all, the session was very informative, and I left the bakery with over 15 croissants and my own butter-layered dough for baking my next versions at home.

I would absolutely recommend it to anyone looking to learn more about how croissants are made or to hone their baking skills. Next up will be the macaron class!

Until next time,
SugarSource

Happy 2015: New Year, New Technique!

A New Year’s resolution to give up sweets was not plausible. I prefer to focus on smaller, more frequent attempts to better myself than a once-a-year commitment anyway. In that spirit, I took the Introduction to Piping class at Sugar Flower Cake Shop. As my mother’s birthday is right around the corner, I dedicated my mini cake to her.

Once Amy (the owner) and her staff reviewed the ground rules, we selected square slices of vanilla cake with salted caramel filling and were instructed to slather the surfaces with vanilla buttercream using the tools provided on each table. Attempting to get it perfectly smooth on the first try, we were told, would be futile. For traditional wedding cakes, this process often takes four to six attempts of frosting, smoothing, refrigerating and beginning again once the surface has hardened. As this was a two-hour class, we only had time for two refrigeration sessions.

A few tips I learned along the way:
– Refrigerate your buttercream during the decorating process. The pastry bag provides little protection from the heat of your hand and can easily become unwieldy. My classmates’ wilted scrolls and droopy rosettes were a testament to this fact.

Rosette practice

– Buttercream is forgiving. Unsuccessful first attempts to write “Mom” or swirl a perfect rosette in place can easily be removed with the swipe of a spatula.

– If the surface is not as smooth as you would like, add more buttercream. Novice cake decorators are often skimpy at the beginning – generous dollops will help achieve a silken appearance.

– Borders should not be first! Start in the center, and work your way toward the edges when decorating.

Skill levels varied dramatically in the class but Amy was patient, repeatedly demonstrating the rope borders, dots, and spirals we hoped to replicate first on our laminated practice sheets and then on the real slices. I found some piping was much easier to execute than others. Naturally, when it came time to decorating my mini masterpiece, I stuck to those techniques I felt I could execute best. Hands shaking, holding my breath, I applied dots, stars, rosettes and a cursive “Mom” to my cake, making slight adjustments here and there.

At the end, some resembled ruffled lace ottomans, while some looked like miniature sheet cakes. I would like to think mine falls into the latter category.

With practice makes perfect and after two hours of intensive buttercream-infused training, I am still in need of a good amount of practice.

Until next time,
SugarSource