Re: MCDC Meet #10 at the Academy of Pastry Arts Malaysia

by pearlie8 Tue Nov 30, 2010 11:17 am

You are right Yasmin. He said Let it dry for 20 mins before baking. I just referred to my notes and its written inside. Smile

by Jood Tue Nov 30, 2010 1:09 pm

The best thing about macarons is that even if you can't get them with feet or they end up an "unmitigated disaster" they usually taste pretty good.
You can crush them up and use them as sprinkles in other desserts.

It's definitely worth making your own though as they are so expensive everywhere. They are RM14 for a pair at the Godiva Cafe here. I'd rather make my own. I know some places sell them for less but I think the fun is in hopping around your own oven praying for those darned feet.

I know the recipe given says to use meringue powder for stabilising the macaronage but I read somewhere that it must be 'egg white powder' because meringue powder has sweetners and some other things added to it but as some of you have said that this recipe has worked I would like to try the meringue powder too. Egg white powder is so much cheaper though.

I just love that they can be so pretty. I could look at them all day.

by pearlie8 Tue Nov 30, 2010 1:43 pm

Jood,
Actually the recipe given states "Dry Egg White powder" @ 6gms and not meringue powder. But aside from its slight difference in content between meringue powder and dried egg white powder, I believe that it can be substituted with each other, no?

Yasmin,
I believe you used meringue powder for your 3 tries of the macaron, right? My first try, I made it using Dried Egg White Powder and its a success too.

by yasmink_abdullah Tue Nov 30, 2010 2:06 pm

yes pearlie's right, it does state dry egg white powder, i used meringue powder (that's what i have in my fridge)

by Jood Tue Nov 30, 2010 2:41 pm

I do remember reading somewhere that meringue powder shouldn't be substituted for the powdered egg whites because while both contain powdered egg white, the additional ingredients (starch, sugar, gum) in meringue powder will throw off the recipe and may limit the meringue's ability to whip up properly.

Of course, if you've had good luck with meringue powder then that's great. Egg powder is just a lot cheaper though.

by Jood Tue Nov 30, 2010 2:48 pm

Drying the macaron shells pre-bake is often practiced because it allows a 'skin' to develop on the surface of each round. This offers some protection against eruption or splits and can limit spread.

Of course, many other issues can affect these fiddly beauties such as mixing (under & over!), oven temperature, the type of cookie sheets used, etc, etc...

It can be so frustrating and darned fun to make these little cookies. Like a science experiment.

I really wish I had gone to the meet. Sounds like it was great fun.