Orange Macarons with Chocolate Fudge Filling

I should warn you that this is going to be a rather longish post. So grab a cuppa and sit back and relax. Today I m blogging about MACRONS! Do not confuse it with American Macaroons. Since macaroons refer to the coconut macaroon, which essentially is a cookie, many have adopted the French spelling of macaron to distinguish the two items in the English language. As Duncan of syrup&tang said, Macaron is "the Diva" of confectionery universe. So, humble reader, get the spelling right. French macarons are somewhat of a legend and they should not be dishonored by being called a cookie.

Initially macarons didn't appeal to me when it first started appearing on blogs.  I don’t know if it was the bright colours that put me off, but now, I had to revert that statement completely. The hype that was going on around the blogs and social networks, the screaming and excitement of getting to see the so called ‘feet’ really put me into thoughts. That wave of excitement, at some point hit me too and I also thought of giving it a go just to feel that bliss. That was it. Macaron bug then hit me too!

Even though bloggers are quite acquainted with these delights; I don’t really think many people know about macarons. So what exactly are these Macarons?

Macaron is a sweet meringue-based confectionery made with egg whites, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond powder or ground almond, and food coloring. The macaron is commonly filled with buttercream or jam filling sandwiched between two cookies. Its name is derived from the Italian word maccarone or maccherone.The confectionery is characterised by its smooth, domed top, ruffled circumference (referred to as the "foot"), and flat base. It is mildly moist and easily melts in the mouth. Macarons can be found in a wide variety of flavors that range from the traditional (raspberry, chocolate) to the new (truffle, green matcha tea). The fillings can range from jams, ganache, or buttercream.

As I began seeing several macarons popping up around the blogs I decided to read up a bit more and realized there was more to the macaron legacy. And that's the problem - the more I read the more averse I became towards them. I was suffering from Macaronphobia (go ahead google it. Its a real disease most common among us amateur bakers :) ). I was giving up and I have not even tried. Then I read about Deeba and Jamie's joint venture, Mactweets. Going through their posts helped me to regain my confidence and I decided to at least make one batch. I started reading and collecting notes about macarons extensively. The real help came in the form of Duncan of syrup&tang, whose post I read and reread while making my macrons, as it is the most educative and, as per me, bang on the spot article. I was anxious about making macarons as I have come across many macaron mishaps with many great bloggers as well. So I was all prepared for the worst when I first piped out my macarons. Piped them with least of hopes and yet I sat down next to my oven door impatiently while the macarons were baking and to my surprise when I saw the ‘feet’ forming, I was so excited, over the moon! I went through what other bloggers were going through.

Successful macarons are more the result of the technique, rather than following a mere recipe. There’s lots of tips and tricks around the web that will help you out. Before I made my own batch of macarons, I have had thorough read on many articles and went through many videos to get myself acquainted with the method and consistency of macaron batter as right as possible. Before you head with your macaron adventure, it would be very helpful to have a good read on these articles in the link given below. You will be able to pick many points and avoid the mistakes that others have done in their making. 

Check these sites and blogs for tips and troubleshooting of macarons:

1. Check out David Lebovitz’s site for his chocolate macaron recipe plus all the links related to macaron. Check it out  Here .
2.  Duncan at Syrup & Tang presents Macaronicité, and goes into detail with side-by-side photos of common errors.
3.  Talented Meeta of Whatslunchforhoney has great Macaron flavours and her tips are great. Check out this link Here.
4. For any macron troubleshooting, check out notsohumblepie's post.
5. Visit Bravetart to bust any macaron myths.
6.Helen (Tartelette) shares her macaron tutorial named ‘Demystifying Macarons’ here: Demystifying Macarons.

Orange Macarons:

Adapted from Syrup&tang:

I m providing here a basic macaron formula, devised by Duncan, which worked for me. It is the ratio of almond meal, icing sugar and caster sugar in relation to egg white.

This recipe will benefit most from aged egg whites. You can age the whites by leaving them uncovered at room temperature for 24-72 hours in a shallow bowl. This allows some of the moisture to evaporate. Cover the bowl with gauze or kitchen paper (not plastic) if you want to avoid any dust or other surprises. People are often apprehensive about leaving egg whites at room temperature, but the final cooked product will be safe even if the raw egg white might have been contaminated.
When you're ready to start cooking, weigh the egg whites (One egg white will yield about fourteen 3-4 cm macaron shells ) and then scale the recipe appropriately. The formula is below.
'Eggwhite' refers to the weight of the egg whites in grams. The righthand column provides an example calculation.

Ingredient	Amount	Example (with eggwhite=50 gm )
Almond meal	1.3 x eggwhite	1.3 x 50 = 65 gm
Icing sugar	1.6 x eggwhite	1.6 x 50 = 80 gm
Castor sugar	0.8 x eggwhite	0.8 x 50 = 40 gm
Egg white		50 gm
Total weight		_______ 235 gm

1 teaspoon of orange tang powder
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
orange gel colour
(A batter with 50 gm egg white should yield one baking tray 30 cm x 40 cm or approximately 25 shells.)

Method:
Preheat your oven to 180 degree celsius. Place rack in the center of the oven.
Stack two or three heavy baking trays. Line the top tray with non-stick baking paper. If you're well organised, mark the paper with 2 or 3 cm circles, spaced about 4 cm apart (the piped batter will spread about 1 cm).

Process the almond meal and icing sugar at high speed to achieve a fine powder. Sift (or whisk the powder by hand) to break up any lumps of powder. Add orange tang powder to it. In a clean bowl, beat the room-temperature egg whites until foamy and just at soft peaks. Gradually beat in the castor sugar, adding a little at a time.

Beat on medium speed for a number of minutes until you have a firm, glossy and compact meringue.
Sprinkle half of the dry mixture over the meringue and fold in with a spatula using a circular motion around the bowl and under the batter. Repeat with the remaining powder. You don't need to be gentle, but the goal is to incorporate the dry ingredients quickly to avoid overmixing. It's better to undermix than overmix. You can add colourings or flavourings during this mixing. I added orange extract and orange clour at this point.

The final batter should be the colour of pale ivory (if you haven't coloured it) and smooth and thick but flowing (typically referred to as being 'like magma', but as few of us have visited an active volcano or been to the centre of the Earth…). A ribbon of batter dropped from a spoon onto the top of the remaining batter should take about 30 seconds to disappear.

Spoon the batter into a piping bag/gun with a 8-10 mm nozzle and pipe evenly onto the baking paper. Mild peaks should settle back into the batter eventually. If they don't disappear, tap the tray repeatedly on a table until the peaks have largely disappeared. Usually the batter will spread a little and any bumps will disappear. Sometimes the batter is quite runny and will rapidly flatten out. (It might be overmixed.) This consistency will often yield irregular shells. If the batter never stops spreading then you should probably scrape it all back into a bowl, gently add some more almond meal and try again.

If you want, you can leave the piped batter to dry for anywhere between 20 mins and two hours. Drying the batter helps in feet forming. Place the tray in the oven. If you're using a conventional oven, cook as normal for two mins and then open the oven door about 2.5 cm and place a wooden spoon between the door and the jamb to permit hot air to escape for the rest of the cooking time. (Your spoon might get a bit singed, so soaking it in water briefly beforehand is a good idea.) For a convection oven, you will need to experiment a little, possibly leaving the door ajar for the whole time.

At the 5 minute mark the shells should have lifted and developed 'feet'. At the 6-7 minute mark they should be starting to colour just slightly. Rotate the baking sheet if the colouring is uneven. The outermost shells often have to be sacrificed in order for the center ones to be cooked, but the majority should be no more than the palest cream colour. They are probably ready if a shell moves only reluctantly on its foot when you lightly nudge it with a finger.

Remove from the oven and leave on the tray for a minute or two. Gently try to lift one of the outermost shells. A slight twisting motion or a peeling motion can help. If the shells stick badly, but are firm, try spraying or brushing a little water under the baking paper. This will moisten the paper and soften any stuck bits after 1-2 minutes. Don't use too much water or the shells may start to dissolve around the edges. Remove each shell by gently peeling away the baking paper or with the aid of a thin palette or paring knife. Another solution to the sticking problem can be to place the paper or Silpat (with stuck macarons) in the freezer for a while.
Once removed from the sheet, leave the shells to cool on a wire rack, face up.

Chocolate Fudge filling:
Ingredients:
60 grams unsweetened chocolate, chopped
75 grams unsalted butter
80 grams icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:
Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar and beat until it is light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla extract. Add the chocolate and beat on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until frosting is smooth and glossy (about 2-3 minutes).

Assembling the macarons:
Fill the Chocolate fudge in a plain tipped piping bag and pipe small dollops on one of the shells then gently cover with another. Do not press. Continue to do this until you have used up all of the filling and shells.

Leave the filled cookie to mature in the fridge for a day or two for the flavours of the fillings to mingle with the shell and to get the best results. Macarons are best eaten after a day or 2 of filling them.

How to eat a macaron:
Do not dare to pop the whole macaron in your mouth. These babies are meant to be savored slowly and appreciated with every bite. Take a macaron and hold it between your thumb and forefinger. Please take time to notice the “feet”. Take your first small bite – notice the crunch followed by the chewy and moist almost cake-like interior. Now take the last bite and sit back and savor these little pillows of delight.
Enjoy Veronica’s candid step by step instructions of how to eat a macaron.