Café Gramercy · Annette’s Recipe Box
Annette's Vanilla Macarons
Let the shells wait until they form a skin, and they bake up smooth with the little frilled foot. Waiting is half the recipe.
Ingredients
Shells: 100 g (1 cup) almond flour · 100 g (¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons) powdered sugar · 75 g egg whites, aged a day at room temperature · 75 g (⅓ cup) granulated sugar · seeds of ½ vanilla bean
Filling: 100 g white chocolate · 60 ml (¼ cup) cream · vanilla (a simple ganache)
Method
- Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar together twice. Fine and light is what you want.
- Whip the egg whites to soft peaks, then add the granulated sugar a little at a time and whip to a firm, glossy meringue that holds a peak. Add the vanilla.
- Fold the dry mixture into the meringue, calmly, until the batter flows like a slow ribbon and settles back into itself. Stop there; you have it.
- Pipe small rounds onto lined trays. Tap the trays once on the counter. Now let them sit until a skin forms, 30 minutes to an hour. Touch one lightly; when your finger comes away clean, they are ready.
- Bake at 150°C (300°F) for about 15 minutes. Let them cool completely before you lift them.
- Warm the cream, pour it over the chocolate, stir smooth, and let it firm. Pair the shells by size and fill them. They are even better the next day.