Ingredients and Equipment

Here are the main ingredients I used when making the chocolate french macarons. If you get into this you will find so many instructions about what not to use and how to age your egg whites including leaving them in the refrigerator for a few days and then unwrapped in a bowl outside of the refrigerator for another couple of days. But I used egg whites from a container, and just put the correct amount in a bowl on the counter and let them come up to room temperature. The container of egg whites is 100% eggs whites, so no additives. I really hate throwing away the egg yokes if you use a whole egg and I don't need to make any more desserts then I am already making. It's hard to diet when you have to sample everything you cook.

The powdered sugar is organic and therefore has no corn starch in it. I didn't know nonorganic powdered sugar had corn starch until I started reading books about making macarons. I also use Bob's Red Mill Almond Meal, which is just ground almonds. I grind the amount I want to use again, but that is a lot easier than starting with whole raw almonds. I use regular sugar for beating with the egg whites. I've heard a rumor that you need beet sugar but I have just used Domino's and it works well.

Now for the equipment. I tried three times with a disposable pastry bag and I'm not too good at it yet. Then I found a metal pastry tube that is easier for me to handle. After two times of putting the batter in the top, watching it drip out the bottom, and thinking someone should have designed covers for the tips, I realized that I could unscrew the bottom completely and turn the whole thing upside down while filling. That works well and is not so messy. Click here for more information about this pastry tube.Wilton Dessert Decorator Pro

One chef has said not to bother to make these at home because they are just too complicated. We'll see. I'm not giving up. I did try to make pistachio macarons and they were nothing like the ones in Paris. They weren't good enough to share so I had to eat all of them. I'm going to do my best to fit in an opportunity to make the chocolate ganache ones again for Easter. Next blog entry I'll post all of David Lebovitz' recipe so you don't have to search his website.