It’s Valentine’s Day and I should really be posting something that has to do with roses or something pink, but this post is one about really dark chocolate, which I guess is still in line with the theme of the day.

When I learned about Pierre Hermé’s Macaron book near the end of 2009, it had long been sold out and no copies of the book could be found online for purchase. The other thing that held me back from going on an all out search for the book was that it was written in French. My french is really only limited to food ingredients and a few basic phrases, so I dropped the idea of getting the book.

It was only recently, having sampled PH’s macarons from Paris and Tokyo (thanks to the generosity of family and a good friend), that I began to wonder if I could accurately reproduce the same flavours at home. The book immediately came to mind and I went on a hunt for the book, which I have to say is a most fantastic read. Each flavour combination sounds like a dream, except maybe the ketchup one. I feel compelled to bake my way through the book, Julie & Julia style!

Long before I’d received the book, I already knew that the first recipe I’d try from the book would be the chocolate shells which incorporate 100% cacao chocolate, reportedly one of the more difficult shells to master. There are several flavours in the book that use chocolate shells and I went with the Macaron au Chocolat Amer.

The next task was to find 100% cacao chocolate in Singapore. Following some leads from friends and a little googling, I finally located 100% cacao chocolate at Jones the Grocer. (I’ve been told that Cold Storage carries 100% cacao baking chocolate from Hershey’s).

I followed the recipe and instructions with some hesitation for 2 reasons. First, the batter was really thick and my hands ached from the macaronage, even though I’d made only 1/2 the recipe. Second, the instructions called for baking with the convection fan setting and opening the oven twice during the baking process. Really?? Wouldn’t the macarons end up overbaked and wouldn’t the feet sink if I opened the oven? I forged on.

To my amazement, the shells were perfect in form (even with a power trip during the baking of the second batch!) Texture-wise, the shells were thin without a single dreaded air pocket in sight. The only thing was that the shells were a little crisp compared to what I usually get with my regular recipe. I filled them, keeping my fingers crossed that the shells would soften after 24 hours in the fridge, something I’ve not had to do normally.

Happily, the macarons came out perfect after the maturing process. The best part is that it’s been a week and the macarons are still good in the fridge, if not better. I’m hoping that this successful attempt was not a matter of beginner’s luck and am looking forward to trying out the next flavour!

Note: I have an extra copy of Pierre Hermé’s Macaron (brand new, in French only) for sale. Please email me if you’re interested. I will not publish any comments related to enquiries about the book. *SOLD*

A post on macarons is long overdue on this blog and so it would seem most appropriate that macarons be the subject of my 1st post of 2011.

The flavours from top to bottom are vanilla caramel fleur de sel, mixed berries with mixed berries white chocolate ganache, green tea with chestnut buttercream and dark chocolate.

I was very happy that I hadn’t lost the ability to churn out a good macaron, but I wasn’t too pleased with the chocolate ones. The feet were tiny and the shells were domed. Of course, it could very well have something to do with my having run into the kitchen and opening the oven door 5 minutes into baking, thinking that the timer had already rung. I guess this is what 9 months (and counting) of sleep deprivation can do to a person.

My favourite ones from this batch were the green tea ones for several reasons. Pretty feet, flat tops (which made the last photograph here easy to take) and most of all, these tasted the least sweet.

I also experimented with a white chocolate ganache filling for the mixed berries macarons, which turned out tasting far from satisfactory due to the awful grainy texture of the ganache. I’m not sure if it had to do with the way I made the ganache or if it was the white chocolate itself (I used Valrhona) that had that problem. I sure could use a recommendation for a good white chocolate for baking!

This post (and this batch of macarons) would not have been possible if my mother-in-law hadn’t most kindly stayed home on Saturday to help watch Ashley, so thank you, Mami!

The Occasion
H’s birthday was this past weekend, but he didn’t want me slaving away in the kitchen to make him a birthday cake, insisting that I get some much needed rest during the New Year weekend because I’d been sleeping poorly the past 2 weeks.

Fortunately, I’d made a batch of macaron on New Year’s eve on a whim and decided to assemble a macaron tower for him instead! It would be experimental, but at least he would have some sort of a birthday dessert. Plus it would be way grander than any birthday cake if it worked out.

The Experiment
I’d always wanted to make a macaron croquembouche, but was concerned about a few things.

1. What to use for the cone base
2. How to attach the macarons to the cone
3. Whether the macarons would stay in place, given the weight of the fillings
4. Whether the macaron fillings would turn soft and melt before all the macarons had been attached

The Results
Concern #1 was easily resolved with a homemade cardboard cone covered with baking parchment paper. I’d originally considered using a styrofoam cone, but had no idea where to buy one.

I decided to go with caramel as the “glue” since traditional cream puff croquembouches are so constructed. I started attaching the macarons at the bottom and was really delighted when the 1st layer appeared to stick on to the cone really well. What I hadn’t counted on was the caramel not hardening well.

As it turned out, concern #3 was also a valid one, especially since the macarons in the upper layers began to slide downwards, resting on the bottom layers when the caramel started to soften, possibly from the condensation from the macarons, which had been refridgerated prior to being attached to the cone, or perhaps from a poorly made caramel.

Despite the air-conditioning being turned on, the macaron fillings also started to melt somewhat. This was particularly true of the buttercream fillings. I had originally contemplated filling the macarons with a simple jam filling to overcome the melting issue, but didn’t want to spend hours making the shells, only to end up with overly-sweet macarons that would then be unpleasant to eat.

And so it was that H’s birthday croquembouche stayed intact for a grand total of 10 minutes before I decided to take everything down, mainly because the assembled croquembouche was too tall to fit into my fridge and the bottom layers were getting squashed from the weight of the other layers sliding down and resting on them. I was miffed that many of my painstakingly-made macarons were now either somewhat squashed, smeared with sticky, non-hardened caramel on one side or had part of their delicate outer shells left hanging on the cone when I attempted to remove them. Fortunately, they still tasted good and H didn’t mind in the tiniest bit, especially since his favourite chocolate ones had remained intact.

Experiments to come
I’m determined to try this again some other time and I’ve got some other ideas on how to better attach the macarons to the cone (reducing the amount of macaron filling being one of them and possibly using only ganache), but I’d love to hear from you if you’ve got any suggestions on how to solve the problems I encountered!