Thanks to their aesthetics and taste, French macarons are a preferred pastry for parties, family events, and weddings here in the US. This cookie's lower calorie count also makes it a favorite for people on a diet.
Nowadays, you can find macarons in almost every pastry shop and café in your hometown, but have you ever wondered how they make this delicacy? This guide answers this and any other questions about French macarons.
What Is a Macaron?
Macarons are small, rounded cookies made with almond flour. The cookie's exterior is crunchy, but the center is soft, thanks to the jam, buttercream, and ganache fillings. The cookies are a perfect light dessert for parties, family events, weddings, and baby showers.
What Do Macarons Taste Like?
Since macarons have varying flavors, their taste may differ. However, a good macaron should have a delicately sweet, nutty taste that matches its texture. The sweet taste comes from the sugar, while the nutty taste comes from almonds.
Common macaron flavors include caramel, chocolate, lemon, raspberry, strawberry, and pistachio.
What Ingredients Do I Need to Make a French Macaron?
The essential ingredients for French macarons are almond flour, egg whites, and powdered sugar for the shells and buttercream, jam, or ganache to fill the inside. You can also add food color to improve the cookies' aesthetics.
To ensure satisfactory results, use high-quality ingredients and always weigh the ingredients.
How Do I Identify a Good Macaron?
Despite the wide variety of colors and flavors, macarons have a standard for quality. Below are some factors to consider when checking the quality of a macaron:
The cookie-to-filling ratio of a good macaron should not be lower than 1:1 or higher than 2:1. Ensure that the fillings are evenly spread inside the cookies, and none should pop out when you bite into the cookie.
The filling should be soft and smooth but not sticky.
The cookie should have a smooth texture. A bumpy texture shows that the almond flour wasn't fine enough.
The cookies should have a soft crust for easier biting — you should feel the soft fillings at the center with one bite.
A good macaron should not have excess sweeteners that take over its flavor.
Don't be discouraged if your homemade macarons do not meet the quality requirements, but learn from your mistakes and practice more. For example, you can adjust the cooking and crusting time during your second attempt.
Which Beverage Goes Well With Macarons?
Macarons go well with various beverages, including coffee, tea, and champagne. However, the best beverage to accompany macarons depends on the flavor and the time of the day. For example, fruity flavors like cherry and passion will go well with green tea, but classic flavors will be better if you want to eat your macarons with black tea.
If you want to accompany your macarons with wine, choose a wine of the same flavor.
How Should I Store My Macarons?
The best storage for macarons is an airtight carton, as it protects them from moisture, excessive heat, and external odors. The maximum storage time in a refrigerator is about a week, but you can extend the period to about six months if you freeze them.
Nowadays, French macarons are popular worldwide, thanks to their beauty and taste. The information above will help you choose a macaron that matches your taste and preferences from the wide variety. A high-quality French bakery can provide delicious macarons if you don’t want to bake your own.
At Chelles Macarons, we make all our products by hand to ensure that they meet our customers' quality requirements. Contact us today to make your order!