I Have Feet!
For a design project, I've started to make macarons. This is really the last thing that I would make for myself, since it requires precision and technique. But I do like how they can be made into multiple flavors and colors, so I decided to give it a try.
There are literally dozens of different macaron recipes on the internet. Of course, there are dozens of chocolate chip cookie recipes online as well, but there are many varieties of chocolate chip cookies. Chewy, crispy, crunchy, with nuts, without nuts, etc. Macaron recipes on the other hand, attempt to create the same platonic ideal of a macaron - flat top, shiny, and a little "foot" on the bottom. The little foot is a little hole-filled stripe right at the bottom of the macaron half. You can see a good example on David Lebovitz's blog here, the first recipe I tried.
To give an idea of how the world of macaron making is so crazy, there's this debate about what sort of egg whites to use.
- Some, like David Lebovitz, says that you can go ahead and use fresh egg whites.
- Others, like Serious Eats, says that you need to let the egg whites age overnight, up to three nights, at room temp.
- If you read the comments, some will say you should leave the eggs sit overnight and be sure not cover with plastic wrap.
Yikes. Honestly, a lot of it sounds more like superstition than technique.
I used David's recipe for my first try. I don't think I've actually made anything from his blog or books before, but I read his blog often and I guess trust him a bit more since I like the way he writes. My first attempt:
So may cracks and fissures! With the exact same batch of batter, I decided to try a few of the "superstitions" I'd read about both on his site and others. After piping the batter onto the parchment paper, let it sit for a while (some say up to 2 hours) to allow them to develop a "skin." Leave the oven door ajar. And use two cookie sheets instead of one to insulate the bottom.
The result? Not only did I avoid the fissures on top, I got tiny, microscopic little feet on the bottom!! (So tiny you probably have to click to enlarge, to see them.)
I'm not sure which of the three tricks did the trick, but from now on, I'll be using all three!
