French Macarons with Chocolate Ganache...finally i got my FEETS !!!

Dear All,

You cannot imagine the amount of happiness and satisfaction i got when I saw these little drops in the oven and developing their small feets!! The moment I tucked them in the oven, I sat beside to see them rise and turn into these gorgeous treats! I was literally jumping up and down with joy. I was terribly disappointed from my last attempt and truly determined to get them right so this time i took all the advice i could get, read numerous posts, videos, etc.

I am thankful to Deeba who suggested to check the folding technique, the video for which is here, she also suggested to use a recipe with one egg white as its easier and helps to reduce wastage in case of disasters. The video is by ChefNini and I must say its really good. I would suggest everyone to go through the video before trying your hands on macarons. Chefnini suggests to warm up the egg whites over a double boiler which i was skeptical so when Rachael of  La Fuji Mama made her macs using chefnini's recipes, i contacted her regarding the warming of the egg over the double boiler and she mentioned that she had used an aged egg and skipped the warming method. I too used an aged egg for 48 hours and it did wonders for me. Thank you Deeba, Rachael and everyone who supported and encouraged me, thanks a zillion !!!

I have followed the recipe from Chefnini, which can be found here

I am sending this dish to Mansi's Sweet Celebrations's Event

Makes 8 macarons
Ingredients for Macarons:
1 egg white aged for 48 hours in fridge
(Remove from fridge before 3 to 4 hours to bring the white to room temperature)
65 gms icing sugar
40 gms powdered almonds (sieved)
15 gms castor sugar (I used very fine)

Ingredients for Chocolate Ganache:
50 ml heavy cream
60 gms bittersweet/semisweet chocolate

Other baking essentials required:
1 pastry bag fitted with 2 cm nozzle
1 baking try lined with parchment paper
electronic beater

Procedure:

• I had sieved the almond powder and than measured 40gms.
• Mix together powdered sugar and almonds (make sure you dont have any lumps).
  
• Beat the egg white with a electric beater until frothy. 
• While beating add in the castor sugar (and 1 to 2 drops of color if desired) and beat at high for 2 mins until glossy stiff white meringue forms.
• Fold the almond and sugar mixture with meringue in 4 to 5 turns. Donot over mix. Fold very gently in one direction only. (Pls refer to the video above for folding technique).
• Scrape the batter in a pastry bag (standing the bag in a tall glass helps if you're alone).
• Pipe the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheets in 1-inch (3 cm) circles (about 1 tablespoon each of batter), evenly spaced one-inch (3 cm) apart.
• Rap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the counter top to flatten the macarons, and let it sit for 40 mins. 
• After 30 mins preheat the oven to 160 degrees C.
• Bake the macarons for 10 mins and then reduce the temperature to 140 degrees C and bake for another 4 to 5 mins.
• Cool completely and store them in air tight containers.

Procedure for Ganache:

• Heat the cream in a pan, as soon as it stars boiling on the sides remove from heat and add the chocolate pieces in them.
• Let it stand for a min.
• Whisk gently until smooth paste.
• Cool completely before using, after it has cooled ganache will become thicker in consistency and is easy to pipe.

Sandwich the macarons together with a tsp of ganache and store them in air tight container. They will stay upto 5 days.

Verdict: You just cant stop eating them, I am already planning for my next batch..so stay tuned  :-)

Luv