TIRAMISU MACARON - THE ITALIAN MACARONS

Hello !!! 'm back talking  macaron  again but this time is for Italian meringue method. 

Macarons can be made using two methods, which are French meringue technique and Italian meringue’s. Majority of the processes for both techniques are the same. The difference is how you handle the caster sugar (fine sugar) with egg whites. French meringue calls for caster sugar be gradually mixed into the whipping egg white. Whereas, Italian meringue method uses cooked sugar syrup mixed into the whipping egg whites.

With Italian meringue method, it is a little more complex and more tools (and washings) involved as you would need a thermometer. However, it gives shinier crust, less temperamental when it comes to weather condition, humidity in particular, and more forgiving when it comes to mixing. You are less likely to overmix the batch (which results in spreading macarons and no feet) using Italian method than French's.

You probably know that macarons are very tempermental and I believe accuracy is critical. It is important to ensure the ratio between wet ingredients and dry ingredients is spot on. Don't ever adjust your measurement it has to be accurate. I advise you use the digital weighing machine and get the right tools.

Today I'm gonna touch just on the macaron shells using the Italian Meringue techniques. Fillings and ganache for macaron will be covered in my next entry. Thanks to Chef Jimmy Ang...this Tiramisu Macarons is heavenly...scrumptious....SUPERB.

The Almond Paste - 

Heavily adapted from Chef Jimmy Ang/ Wah Seng Ipoh

180g ground almond

180g icing sugar

 55g egg whites

Coloring and  flavour

The Italian Meringue

180 g caster sugar

36 g water

55 g egg whites

Sift almond meal and icing sugar through fine sieve and set aside. /  Ayak serbuk badam dengan gula ising dan ketepikan
    
The Almond Paste.

Pour one egg white) into the almond meal/icing sugar mixture. Add colouring powder or liquid to the mixture. I used  light chocolate colour. Mix slowly and set aside / Masukkan putih telur kedalam bahagian badam dan gula ising. Masukkan perwarna, kaup perlahan-lahan dan letak sebelah

The Italian Meringue

In a small pot over low heat, combine sugar and water. Swirl the pot over the burner to dissolve the sugar completely. Do not stir. Increase the heat and boil the syrup to soft-ball stage (115-118ºC). A candy thermometer is best used for its accuracy.

Note: If you do not have a candy/sugar thermometer, you can determine the soft ball stage syrup by dropping a small amount of sugar syrup into very iced cold water, it shall then form a ball that does not hold its shape when pressed with your fingers./ Letakkan gula dalam periuk dan perlahan-lahan masukkan air, putarkan periuk agar air meliputi semua gula. Kemudian masak gula...pastikan anda gunakan themometer dan paras darjah untuk meringue ini ialah 118 C.

When the temperature of the sugar syrup is around 90°C, start beating the egg whites in your mixer on medium low speed until foamy, while focusing on the temperature of the sugar syrup as you're aiming for 115-118ºC. Continue to beat on medium speed until you achieve soft peak consistency.Once the right temperature is reached, pour the hot sugar syrup in a thin stream over egg whites with the mixer running over medium high speed. / Bila suhu gula berada pada paras 90 C, mulakan proses memukul putih telur sehingga gebu dan melekat pada mangkuk. Apabila suhu air gula berada pada paras 118 C..masukkan air gula kedalam putih telur tadi sambil mixer itu terus berjalan

Continue to beat until the egg whites are stiff, thick and glossy. Allow the mixer to beat the meringue for about 7- 10 minutes until cool. / Terus pukul lebih kurang 7 - 10 minit atau sehingga sejuk

Once the meringue is ready, fold into the almond/sugar mixture with a rubber spatula. You should fold until it is mixed well or just barely uniform by using as few strokes as possible. It is extremely important that you do not over mix the batter as it will thin down or become runny./ Apabila meringue sudah siap, masukkan meringue kedalam adunan serbuk badam yang digaul tadi. Kaup perlahan-lahan. Jangan kacau terlalu kuat, kaup sehingga adunan boleh  melelh daripada patula - lihat gambar.

Your batter is considered perfectly done when you are able to lift your spatula and a thick trail of ribbon slowly cascades off, back into the bowl./ Adunan anda sudah siap atau cantik apabila diangkat spatula adunan itu akan turun ke bawah.

Now you're ready to fill up your piping bag. If the mixture is just right, it will ooze from the tip slowly under its own weight using round tip nozzle.- I used Nozzel Tip  # 12/ Masukkan adunan ke dalam piping beg yang dimasukkan nozzel tip 12.

Place the baking parchment sheets on two baking trays. Trays should be placed one on top of the other so that the macarons do not get burned easily. Then, start piping 2cm macarons onto your baking parchment sheets, spacing them a few centimetres apart./ Letakkan kertas minyak di atas dulang pembakar dan mulakan terapan.

Once you complete a full pan, tap your baking tray gently, to break unwanted air bubbles and allow the macarons to rest for 20 - 30 minutes. (They can sit longer if you want to bake one or two sheets at a time, to develop slightly thicker shells and nice distinctive ?feet? on the edge of the shells)./ Bila siap semua..biarkan macaron rehat sekurang-kurang 30 minit. Untuk memastikan macaron anda kering, ia tidak melekat pada jari apabila disentuh

Bake at 150°C for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the macarons sit on the parchments or baking mats for 15-20 minutes to further dry up the bottom of the macarons before removing them./ Bakar pada suhu 150 C selama 15 minit. Darjah ketuhar bergantung pada jenis oven anda. Keluarkan dari oven dan biarkan macaron rehat dahulu

On the choice of fillings for macarons, you have a wide variety to choose from. Since macarons are sweet enough on their own, try to neutralise the sweetness by using lemon or orange buttercream. Cherries and berries are another ideal alternative. For chocolate lovers, use chocolate ganache which is heavenly and gives a bittersweetness to the macarons. / Bila macaron telah sejuk, gandingkan macaron...pilih dua macaron yang sama sizenya..proses ini dinamakan pairing. Kemudian paipkan fillingnya dan takup macaron anda.

Next Post - 5 Macaron Fillings