H E RM

PIERRE

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS AND ESSENTIAL ADVICE ON:

MACARON SHELLS

MACAR ON

CHOCOLATE GANACHE
BUTTERCREAM

KITCHEN GUIDE

ASSEMBLY
EQUIPMENT

Macaron Shells
Step-by-Step
1

Five days in advance (ideally one week in

advance), prepare the liquefied egg whites:
Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and
place the egg whites in a bowl according to the
quantity in each recipe.

Push the end of the pastry bag down into the

pastry tip to prevent the macaron batter from
flowing out when the bag is filled.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and using a

small knife, poke several holes in the top of the
plastic wrap. Place the bowl in the refrigerator.

Prepare two pastry bags, the first for the macaron batter and the second for the filling. Using
scissors, snip off the tip of each pastry bag to
make a 1-inch- (3-cm-) wide opening and
firmly insert the pastry tip.

With the aid of a cookie cutter or the rim of a

drinking glass, make a template. Trace circles
measuring about 1 inches (3.5 cm) in staggered rows onto a white sheet of paper trimmed
to fit the inside of a baking sheet. Place a piece
of parchment paper of the same size on top of
the white paper.

Place the ground almonds and the confectioners

sugar in separate bowls according to the quantities in each recipe.

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Macaron Shells Step-by-Step

7

Stir together the ground almonds and the confectioners sugar and sift them over a large bowl
to thoroughly combine them.

10

Place the granulated sugar and water in separate

bowls according to the quantities in each recipe.

13

While the syrup is boiling, add the rest of the egg

whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with
the wire whisk.

Divide the egg whites according to the quantity

in each recipe. If the recipe calls for food color,
add it to the first quantity of egg whites. Set aside
the second quantity of egg whites.

11

Add the color-tinted egg whites to the confectioners sugaralmond mixture, but do not mix.

12

Add the water to a saucepan then add the sugar.

Place the saucepan over medium heat then
place the probe of a digital thermometer into
the saucepan to monitor the temperature of the
sugar syrup.

14

As soon as the syrup starts to boil, wipe down the

inside of the saucepan with a dampened pastry
brush.

15

As soon as the syrup reaches 239F (115C),

begin beating the egg whites on high speed.

When the syrup reaches 244F (118C), reduce

the mixer speed to medium-high and pour the
syrup in a steady stream down the inside edge
of the bowl into the beaten egg whites. To avoid
spattering, do not let the syrup fall on thewhisk.

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16

Continue beating on medium-high for 1 minute,

then reduce the mixer speed to medium again
and beat until the meringue has cooled to 122F
(50C).

19

17

18

When the meringue has cooled to 122F (50C),

it should look smooth and shiny and have peaks
that slightly droop in the shape of a birds beak
when the whisk is lifted.

Using a silicone spatula, fold the meringue into

the confectioners sugaralmondtinted egg
whites mixture. Fold the batter by lifting it up
from the center bottom and around the edge of
the bowl and over onto itself.

20

21

Continue folding just until the batter is smooth

and shiny and falls in a wide ribbon when the
spatula is lifted.

Using a silicone spatula, transfer the batter to the

pastry bag, scraping the spatula clean against the
inside of the bag. Fill the bag only half full.

Once the bag is filled, pinch it closed and twist

it one-quarter turn then push the batter down
toward the pastry tip by squeezing the bag with
the palm of your hand.

22

23

24

Gently pull down on the pastry tip to release the

portion of the bag that you pushed into it.

Hold the pastry bag in a vertical position with

one hand on the bag and the other hand near
the pastry tip to control the movement of the bag.
Pipe disks about 1 inches (3.5 cm) in diameter
onto the parchment by lightly squeezing the bag
with the palm of your hand.

As soon as a disk is piped to the correct diameter,

release the pressure on the bag and quickly but
gently twist the tip one quarter turn to release it.

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Macaron Shells Step-by-Step

25

Slide the template with the circles out from

underneath the parchment paper and set it aside
to use with other baking sheets.

28

Set the disks aside at room temperature for at

least 30 minutes or more, according to the recipe, to allow a skin to form. Lightly touch the
top of one of the disks to test if they are ready
to go into the oven; the batter should not stick
to your finger.

31

After removing the shells from the oven, slide

them still on the parchment paper onto a work
surface to stop them from baking.

26

27

Lift the baking sheet and gently tap it down on a

work surface covered with a clean kitchen towel
to gently smooth out the disks.

29

Pipe four small dabs of batter into the corners

of the baking sheet underneath the parchment
paper to prevent the parchment from moving
during baking.

30

Preheat a convection oven to 350F (180C).

Note that ideal cooking temperature may vary
from oven to oven; the temperature should not
be so high that the shells change color or begin
to brown as they cook.

Place the baking sheets in the oven all at once or

two at a time. Bake the shells for 8 minutes then
quickly open and close the oven door. Bake for
an additional 2 minutes then quickly open and
close the oven door again. Bake again to reach
the total time indicated in the recipe.

32

Let the shells cool for several minutes on the

parchment paper before removing them. Turn
half of the shells over onto a new piece of parchment paper. When the shells are completely
cool, they can be assembled, or stored for 48
hours in the refrigerator or freezer.

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C
G
S

Chocolate
Ganache
Step-by-Step
2

Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl

and melt it to between 113F (45C) and 122F
(50C) set at low temperature over a bain-marie
or in a microwave. Stir gently with a silicone
spatula. Remove from the heat once the chocolate is completely melted.

Pour the next third of the cream into the chocolate, stirring first in the center then in increasingly wider concentric circles toward the sides
of the bowl once the mixture starts to develop
a smooth consistency. Add the last third of the
cream and stir in a circular motion starting again
from the center then moving out toward the
sides of the bowl.

On a work board, finely chop the chocolate using

a serrated knife. Make a gentle movement outward by holding the handle of the knife with one
hand and resting the other hand against the top
of the blade.

In another saucepan, bring the cream to a boil

while stirring with a whisk to prevent the cream
from sticking to the bottom of the saucepan.

Pour one-third of the hot cream into the center

of the bowl containing the melted chocolate then
whisk for several minutes. The mixture will look
somewhat broken as the fat molecules from
the cream and the chocolate separate.

If the recipe calls for butter, add it to the chocolate and cream mixture. Use an immersion
blender to blend the ganache until it is completely smooth.

Pour the ganache into an 8-by-9-inch

(22-by-24-cm) baking dish. Cover the ganache
by gently pressing plastic wrap onto its surface to
prevent condensation from forming. Refrigerate
the ganache for 2 hours or more, according to
the recipe, just until it develops a creamy consistency and is ready to use.

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Buttercream
Step-by-Step

Prepare an Italian meringue (see steps 10 to 17 in

Macaron Shells Step-by-Step).

Prepare the crme anglaise. In a saucepan, bring

the milk to a boil.

Strain the cooked cream, then transfer it to the

bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the wire whisk
and beat on medium speed until cooled.

In a large bowl or separate saucepan, whisk

together the egg yolks and the sugar until lightened. Slowly add the hot milk to the yolk-sugar
mixture while whisking vigorously.

Cook the mixture over low heat while whisking

continuously until it reaches 185F (85C) on a
digital thermometer.

Prepare the buttercream. Beat the butter on high

speed for 5 minutes in a stand mixer. Add the
cooled crme anglaise and any flavorings.

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and, using

a silicone spatula, fold in the Italian meringue a
little at a time.

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Assembly
Step-by-Step

Using a silicone spatula, transfer the filling to a

pastry bag, scraping it clean against the inside
of the bag. Fill the bag only half full. Pinch the
pastry bag closed then twist it one-quarter turn.
Squeeze the filling down into the pastry tip using
the palm of your hand.

If the recipe calls for an addition to the filling

(such as dried fruit, pieces of cake, jellied filling,
compote, etc.), pipe a dab of filling on top of it to
ensure the macaron stays together.

Hold the pastry bag vertically inch (2 cm)

above the flat side of the macaron shell and
squeeze gently to pipe the filling onto the shell.

Generously pipe the filling onto half the number

of shells, leaving a clean -inch (3-mm) border
around the edge of the shell.

Close the ganache-filled shell with a second

shell and press down lightly. Be sure to match
shells of the same size.

Place the macarons on a baking sheet lined with

parchment paper. Refrigerate the macarons for
24 hours. Remove them from the refrigerator
2hours before eating them.

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Equipment
A precise scale that weighs in grams is a necessity.

Glass or stainless steel bowls of different

sizes and with rounded bottoms for various
preparations.

A sieve is used to thoroughly sift together the

confectioners sugar and ground almonds.

Its a good idea to have several baking sheets on

hand to allow you to work faster and to pipe out
all of the shells at once.

A microplane grater gives you a finely textured zest

from citrus fruits.

A spatula with a silicone or soft rubber head

allows you to easily fill the pastry bag, properly
mix the macaron batter, and cleanly scrape mixtures into bowls.

A hand whisk is used to prepare creams and

ganaches.

The pastry brush allows you to wipe down

the sides of a saucepan when sugar begins to
caramelize.

A serrated knife is useful for chopping chocolate.

A paring knife is also useful.

A baking dish measuring 8 by 9 inches (22 by

24 cm) is used for cooling ganaches and creams.

Clear plastic wrap serves to cover bowls containing egg whites and other ingredients.

Parchment paper is indispensable when baking

macaron shells.

A stand mixer allows you to easily beat egg

whites when creating an Italian meringue for
macaron shells.

An immersion blender blends ganaches and

creams into smooth mixtures.

There are pastry bags made from nylon, or plastic ones that are disposable. For macarons, use
a plain pastry tip measuring about inch (11 to
12 mm) across the tip. A pair of scissors is also
important to snip off the tip of the pastry bag.

A digital thermometer is indispensable when

making an Italian meringue to accurately measure the temperature of the sugar syrup.

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