The French macaron as understood today — the sandwich cookie with its distinctive foot, smooth dome, and filling — is largely a 20th-century development, standardised through the Parisian pâtisseries of Ladurée and later Pierre Hermé. The Italian meringue method (as opposed to the French meringue method) produces the most consistent results and is the professional standard.
A meringue-based confection made with almond flour, icing sugar, and aged egg whites (Italian or French meringue method), piped into rounds, dried to form a skin before baking, baked to develop the characteristic foot (pied), and filled with ganache, buttercream, or jam. Every stage is interdependent — a failure at any point produces a different defect.
The macaron shell contributes almond sweetness and meringue character — neutral enough to carry virtually any filling. The filling defines the macaron. Pierre Hermé's innovation was treating the shell as a delivery mechanism for complex, often savoury-inflected ganaches: truffle, olive oil, foie gras. The shell must be sweet; the filling can be anything.
- Egg whites must be aged (left uncovered in the refrigerator 24–48 hours) — this reduces their moisture content and surface tension, producing a more stable foam and a drier shell [VERIFY time] - The tant pour tant (almond flour and icing sugar in equal weight) must be sifted twice minimum — any coarse particles produce a bumpy, irregular surface - The macaronage (folding the tant pour tant into the meringue) must be taken to the correct point — the mixture should flow from the spatula in a slow, thick ribbon that disappears back into itself in approximately 30 seconds. Under-macaronaged: the piped rounds hold peaks that don't flatten. Over-macaronaged: the mixture flows off the spatula in a thin stream, producing flat, cracked shells - Drying before baking (croûtage) is essential for foot development — the skin that forms on the surface traps steam underneath during baking, forcing the batter to rise and push out at the base where it is still soft, forming the foot. Without drying, no foot forms. [VERIFY drying time: 30–60 minutes depending on humidity] - Oven temperature must be tested for each specific oven — macaron baking is the most oven-specific technique in pâtisserie [VERIFY typical range: 140–160°C] Decisive moment: The macaronage endpoint — when the mixture flows from a lifted spatula in a continuous ribbon that falls back on itself and disappears in approximately 30 seconds. This is the only reliable test. Any other visual cue is secondary. Sensory tests: - Macaronage endpoint: ribbon falls continuously, disappears in 30 seconds - After drying: surface is dry to the touch, does not stick to finger - Correctly baked: foot has developed, surface smooth and barely coloured, shells release cleanly from parchment when cool, slight crunch exterior with chewy interior
- Under-aged whites: too much moisture, shells crack and don't develop a foot - Under-macaronaged: peaks on piped rounds, rough surface - Over-macaronaged: flat shells, no foot - Insufficient drying: no foot, cracked surface - Oven too hot: browned shells, hollow interior - Oven too cool: shells don't set, stick to the tray
PASTRY TECHNIQUES — Block 1