FLOWER POT KITCHEN: MACAROONS

3 Jun 2022

MACAROONS

Method is the key to successful macaroons.

These are such a delicate delicious burst of heaven in your mouth, they are designed small because a lady would allow herself a daily treat of just one from the local patisserie. An amuse bouche a single bite of decadence.

These are very simple to make, there is a very precise method which gives perfect macaroons but don’t deviate or rush a step as they can easily go wrong. It pays to have two silicone macaroons baking sheets with the double circle measuring guide, I always end up with over sized and under cooked macaroons if I don’t use the measurements guide.

Ingredients

(makes approx 40)

175g icing sugar sifted

160g finely ground almonds

60ml egg whites

160g caster sugar

50ml water

60ml egg whites whiskey frothy

1 tub butter cream frosting

Recipe for chocolate ganache below)

Pre heat your oven 150 C / 302 F. In a large bowl mix the icing sugar, almond flour and egg whites together, add your colour and bring the ingredients together to form a paste, set aside, whisk the egg whites to a airy frothy texture, next place the sugar and water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil, using a thermometer bring the sugar temperature to 118 C / 244 C. I usual take my pan of the heat at 116 C / 240 F the reason for this is the sugar will keep on heating for a few seconds.

Working quickly turn on the whisk with the frothy egg whites and on high speed pour in the hot sugar syrup, be careful hot sugar BURN’s. Keep whisking until you’ve formed firm but soft peeks.

Fold the egg whites gently in to the almond paste, do this 24 times exactly. Fold in by running the spatula around the edge of the bowl and across the Center lifting up and folding over, keeping a very light hand.

Place the macaroon baking sheets on a baking tray.

Fill the mix into a piping bag, hold the piping bag in a straight upright position and gently pipe out on to the macaroon baking sheet in a circle filling to the first circles line around 2.5cm in diameter, pull up and repeat.

Next you need to bash the baking tray down hard on the work top or floor keeping the tray level do this two to three times, this is to knock out air bubbles. Take a cocktail stick and gently burst any bubbles that you can see.

The macaroons need to dry for one hour not a second longer or they will crack when cooking. Bake in the oven for exactly 14 minutes, remove swiftly and take the baking mats off the baking trays immediately, leave to cool for 15 minutes and then using a thin pallet knife slide under each macaroon, leave until completely cool, pair them up to match diameter sizes then pipe on a dollop of butter cream frosting and sandwich together, that’s it enjoy.

Chocolate Ganache

120g double cream

110g dark chocolate

25g butter room temperature

Again method is key here, this time it’s heat, too hot and your ganache will split and won’t be useable.

Bring your cream up to just a simmer, take off the heat, in a bowl break up the chocolate, pour over the cream and gently stir until all the chocolate has melted, stir in the butter, leave to cool further and then pipe on to your macaroons and sandwich together.

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LIFE MY PASSION

Welcome to my daily life of cooking, one winters day many years ago my family and I were all inspired by a back to back rainy day of River Cottage this got us to stop talking about and start actually doing, suddenly three weeks later eight vegetable beds were dug, greenhouse erected and our first vegetables were propagating, this was the start to raising and growing our own food, our fabulous son Oscar changed our path in life which lead us to sell our small thriving restaurant of 10 yrs and to start our new life (Terrifying!) a life of the self sufficient in touch with nature and seasons, taking a step back and looking forward to a slower change of pace and making the most of every moment.

My passion for cooking was stronger than ever and having time at home with Oscar I found I had a new direction and I was no longer striving for perfection, I was suddenly very passionate for the enjoyment of the other side of food, something I had not realised, being the Chef/Cook and every other duty of your own small restaurant made me see that I never actually took time to cook what I wanted!

So there I was muddy boots and hands digging deep in more than one sense and I found myself transported back in time to where everyone grew some of their own food, it is a wonderful world with a real sense of achievement and loss, Slugs Snails and Caterpillars! But thats another story! Childhood memories of summers when I lived with my grand parents reminded me of so much that I had learnt about the make do and mend generation that I had forgotten.

Now as a family we love our free wild food days where we gather what nature has provided, have gone from being mini mini garden urban small holders, who did raised pigs at home because we could not wait to find land and supporting ourselves from our garden to now owning a very small farm that allows us to grow more vegetables for the whole of our family and neighbours, raise our own gorgeous Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, (Sausages!) and pets! Dorset Down sheep, chickens for eggs and pet goats! Suddenly having large quantities of produce started to wake up the Cook in me!

The Cook was awake that part of me that wants to cook for the masses and I found myself setting up Flowerpot Kitchen, a Farmers Market Stall, I wanted to use our honest raised meats and make old fashioned pork pies, rabbit pies and game pies from the local game keeper along with old fashioned techniques and the best hot water crust pastry. This in turn grew to a small cottage industry from home weekly supplying three farm shops and a deli along with also attending three farmers markets A few years later there came a time when my son Oscar's health changed and it was an easy decision to stop.

I still hold the occasional pop up 40 seater restaurant or gourmet lunch which we do for local charities for the love of sharing food and to remind that Cook in me why I love our go slower self sufficient life!

So here I am sitting amoung the vegetables watching the chickens loving that every season nature teaches me something new and that nature is in charge! She has taught me to just go with it and grow. Give it a try from a tray of salad on your windowsill to a few tomato plants it all counts.