French meringue recipe!:O *gasp*

You know how I said before that I'll NEVER go back to the French method? Well, I was curious yesterday and wanted to see how I could make macarons less sweet. I noticed that since Ladurée, the well known founder of the cream-filled macaron, always gets such rave reviews I should try out their recipe. I was hesitant at first because I hate French method, most recipes I've used are terrible. But this one that I found from Not So Humble Pie was so good!!! I even ordered the Ladurée Sucré cookbook on amazon after I figured this out. The recipe is not too sweet at ALL. There is no sweet aftertaste, and it doesn't make you want to drink water. Probably because it is more airy and light. I thought that I would never like French method macarons, but good thing I tried this recipe. Of course, since Ladurée is the best of the best.

This method is almost like a hybrid of French and Italian methods! I've never seen a recipe this good. I'm so glad I tried it out. I'm surprised that not too many people tried out this recipe when it's on Not So Humble Pie's blog and it's been there for a year. Thank you Ms. Humble! <3

Please check it out! I'll post it here again but I'll link you to her page just so you know. It is SOOOO EASY AND FAST OMG. And there's so little ingredients. They dry really really fast by the way, so you don't even need to add cornstarch (maybe if you're in a humid climate you should). You can also make this using a hand mixer so easily! They also are not completely hollow! They may have a couple air pockets but they usually go away when you mature it. They are pretty crunchy though, so I recommend you don't serve them the day that you make them. Wait a day for it to mature.

And I'll even split it in half to make a small batch :)

http://notsohumblepie.blogspot.com/2012/02/macarons-framboise-ladurees-recipe.html

Basic Macaron Recipe (Adapted from Ladurée and Not So Humble Pie) makes about 24 completed macarons

Sorry for not so presentable picture, I just made this in a hurry haha.

Ingredients:
-138g almond flour
-125g powdered sugar
-105g egg whites (doesn't need to be aged)
-105g granulated sugar
pinch of salt
food coloring

Materials:
-Hand mixer/stand mixer
-Piping bags/tips (#12 Wilton)
-Silpat/parchment (I prefer Silpat)
-Aluminum baking half sheets (Nordic Ware/Costco/Smart and Final)
-Rubber spatula
-Bowls

1. Sift almond flour, salt, and powdered sugar together into a large bowl. Set aside.
2. Weigh out your egg whites, and put it in a large bowl (either stand mixer or not).
3. Beat your egg whites until frothy, and slowly add in the granulated sugar.

4. Once sugar dissolves, beat at medium high speed until thick and glossy. It should look a bit droopy but that's fine because when you turn the bowl over, it doesn't come out.

5. Add in 1/3 of your almond powdered sugar mixture and mix until just combined. Add in the rest in small additions and then fold like you normally would (shown in my videos) until thick but still flowing in consistency (like magma).

6. Put it in a piping bag and pipe out 1-1.75 inch circles on a baking sheet lined with parchment or Silpat. Then rap the trays on the table until they are flattened to get rid of air bubbles. Only pipe one tray at a time because you can only bake one tray at a time. If you let them dry too long, they get lopsided.

7. Now is a good time to preheat your oven to 300 F (150 C).
8. Let the macarons dry (with a fan or not) for about 15-20 minutes. When it's almost time to bake them, you can pipe out your next tray.
9. Bake the macarons in the middle rack of your oven for 15 minutes.
10. Let cool for about 10 minutes. Repeat these steps until batter is finished.
11. Fill with your favorite buttercream, ganache, or jam (not recommended) and let mature in the fridge for 24 hours for a better taste experience. Let it come to room temperature before serving.

These are nice light and fluffy. They taste sooooo much better once you mature them. They do have some air pockets, but see they go away once you put in the filling. It kinda sucks that there's a gap of air between the shell and foot...-_- but oh well. That's why it's more airy! Try it out.