I did not intend to post about macarons again this soon until Carol planted an idea in my head. I have come to accept and oh so happily surrender to her gentle "hey Tarty! Ever thought of doing xyz?" or "what about a little of this on a little of that, eh Tarty?!". Carol perfectly fits the Parisian shoe and a visit to her blog always makes me feel a little closer to home, not to mention nostalgic of all the pastries and atmospheres of home.
The Gingerbread Men Macarons came to life because of one innocent conversation between Carol and I. Although, how innocent can conversations be when foodies are involved, hmmm…?!
Carol : "Will you do anything as mundane as gingerbread persons?Gingerbread macarons probably doesn’t work…"
Me: "Argghhhhhhhhhhhh !! YOU!!! Guess what I am scketching in my head right now?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You might have gingerbread macs before you know it!!"
Carol: "While you’re sketching, can you put teeth on the mac upper and lower and place a mini gingerperson in between?
Crunch crunch :)"
Yes, phase one is complete…Gingerbread Men macarons. Phase two with mini gingerbread men escaping the clutching teeth (or feet) of macarons is going to required some logistics and lots of tiny little drawings…and time…a precious commodity to all of us this holiday season whether you are baking, wrapping, crafting, etc… I don’t think the oven has had much of a break this weekend and I am looking forward to trying some new ice cream recipes! [Before I forget: I have taken into account those who so generously volunteered their time and feedback to test some recipes and you will find email requests soon in your mailboxes. I also want to thank those who have already started and gave me very valuable information.]
I am still on the fence about those Gingerbread Men Macs. Aesthetics wise, I wish I’d taken a smaller tip to pipe the macaron batter to give them nicer feet and arms but I was afraid of it deflating too much if I did so. I drew templates with a cookie cutter and then filled in the space with a medium tip. After piping 10 gingerbread men, I wondered how well they would come out and decided to switch the batter to a bag fitted with a larger tip and pipe regular ones. In doing so I deflated the batter a little too much to get the proper "feet" on the shells while keeping the overall look intact.
Taste wise, we fell head over heels for those and B. declared them his favorites ever and got a little upset when I admitted finishing them up earlier today. I added the spices found in gingerbread men cookies to both the shells and the buttercream and sprinkled some crushed gingersnaps on top of the round shells. The smell in the house was absolutely wonderful! Wish I had a way to bottle that up into "Eau de Gingerbread Macarons".
Gingerbread Men Macarons:
For the shells:
90 gr egg whites (about 3)
30 gr granulated sugar
200 gr powdered sugar
110 gr almonds
1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
For the whites: the day before (24hrs), separate your eggs and store the whites at room temperature in a covered container. If you want to use 48hrs (or more) egg whites, you can store them in the fridge. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites to a foam, gradually add the sugar until you obtain a glossy meringue. Do not overbeat your meringue or it will be too dry. Combine the almonds, powdered sugar and spices in a food processor and give them a good pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Add them to the meringue, give it a quick fold to break some of the air and then fold the mass carefully until you obtain a batter that flows like magma or a thick ribbon. Give quick strokes at first to break the mass and slow down. The whole process should not take more than 50 strokes. Test a small amount on a plate: if the tops flattens on its own you are good to go. If there is a small beak, give the batter a couple of turns. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip (Ateco #807 or #809) with the batter and pipe small rounds (1.5 inches in diameter) onto parchment paper lined baking sheets. Preheat the oven to 280F. Let the macarons sit out for 30 minutes to an hour to harden their shells a bit and bake for 20-22 minutes, depending on their size. Let cool. If you have trouble removing the shells, pour a couple of drops of water under the parchment paper while the sheet is still a bit warm and the macarons will lift up more easily do to the moisture. Don’t let them sit there in it too long or they will become soggy. Once baked and if you are not using them right away, store them in an airtight container out of the fridge for a couple of days or in the freezer. To fill: pipe or spoon about 1 big tablespoon in the center of one shell and top with another one.
For the spiced mousseline buttercream:
3 sticks butter at room temperature
5 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
In the bowl of stand mixer, whip 5 egg whites until they have soft peaks. In the meantime, combine 1/4 cup water with the sugar to a boil in a heavy saucepan and bring the syrup to 250F. Slowly add the sugar syrup to the egg whites. If you use hand beaters, this is even easier and there is less hot syrup splatter on the side of your bowl and in the whisk attachment of the stand mixer. Continue to whip until the meringue is completely cooled. Slowly add the butter, one tablespoon at a time. The mass might curddle but no panic, continue to whip until it all comes together. Add the spices and fold them in with a spatula.