This month turns out to be a macaron one, beside maybe a particular reason, my addiction is also back and I experimenting some new flavors, new presentation…

This one is really classic but very fresh, the ganache is made with butter and fresh lemon juice. I followed the recipe from Christophe Felder (I learned from his book, although I got the one of Pierre Hermé, Mercotte and browsed the web). The one of Pierre Hermé is quite closed but you have to scrub the sugar with the lemon zest, what I did not do, I added the lemon zest into the ganache.

Talking about browsing the web, I read in a blog (sorry I forgot about the name, but it is from an american girl who did a stage at Pierre Hermé lately and reveals most of the technical secrets about the macaron) that you have to wait at least 24 hours for ganache based with chocolate (that I know, minimum time even if it’s hard) and 48 hours for butter ganache. The reason??! if I remember well the butter has less water so it takes more time for humidity to get into the shell and do the perfect alliance with the ganache. Except…! this macaron, I was always surprised to notice that this macaron is always really soft even the crust even after 24 hours. I did it several times but no mistake ( I hope) it is always mellow…and good! The reason might come from the lemon juice (that could be check out with some orange macaron )

Lemon macaron

Ingredients for the macarons shells (around 30-40 macarons):

• 200 g dried almonds powder
• 200 g confectioners’ sugar (or ice sugar)
• 200 g sugar in powder
• 2 * 75 g eggwhites
• 50 ml water
• yellow colorant (powder)

1. Put the almonds and confectioners’ sugar together in the blender and mix. This «pasta» is called the tant pour tant (TPT) because there is as much as sugar as almonds powder. Reserve in a bowl.
2. In a pot pour 160 g of sugar in powder, add the water but do not mix. Bring to a temperature of 115°C.
3. Meanwhile beat the eggwhites (75 g) with the remaining sugar until stiff (the mix should be consistant but not too much, just avoid the beaten eggwhites form a beak)
4. Still beating the eggwhite, pour the boiling sugar. Mix until the temperature reaches down 40°C (or no temperature sensation on your finger). This process (2 to 4) is the so called meringue italienne.
5. At that moment add the remaining eggwhites (the unbeaten ones) and the colorant to the TPT. Mix gently. Add a third of the meringue to make it more supple. Mix gently and add the rest of the meringue. Mix softly. The final TPT should be quite soft but not liquid (literally it has to do a ribbon)!
6. Fill a pastry bag with a piping nozzle of size 6 or 8 (diameter in mm). Pip small rounds onto parchment paper. Space the shells (coques) by 2 cm at least (as seen in the following picture). Let them sit out at least 15-20 mns
7. Meanwhile warm up the oven at 150°C.
8. After 15-20 mns, put the macarons in the oven for 12-15 mns, depending of the size (1 parchement paper at a time or the shells break). Let cool before removing.

Lemon ganache

• 2 g gelatin
• 3 eggs (medium)
• 130 g sugar
• 130 g fresh lemon juice (2-3 lemons)
• lemon zest
• 175 g butter
• 30 g almonds flour

1. Put the gelatin in cold water
2. In a saucepan stir sugar and eggs
3. Add the lemon juice and whisk constantly at first simmer over low-medium heat.
4. Stir in the gelatin and lemon zest. Whisk for 1 minute.
5. Pour the lemon cream over the butter. Using a food mixer blend the cream+butter for 1 minute.
6. Stir in the almond flour and mix gently using a spatula.
7. Keep in the fridge for at least a couple of hours.
8. When it is cold and consistant, fill a pastry bag with the ganache.
9. Pipe the ganache on the center of the shell and top with another one (if you don’t put enough ganache the shells will dry!)
10. Keep the macarons in the fridge for at least 24 hours

Macaron au citron

ingrédients pour les macarons au cacao (30 à 40 macarons)

• 200 g de poudre d’amandes sèche
• 200 g de sucre glace
• 200 g de sucre en poudre
• 2*75 g de blancs d’oeufs
• 50 ml d’eau
• colorant jaune en poudre

1. Préparer le tant pour tant (TPT): dans le bol d’un mixeur verser le sucre glace et la poudre d’amandes. Mixer à vitesse maximale. Réserver
2. Dans une casserole verser 160g de sucre et 50 ml d’eau. Ne pas mélanger! Porter à 115°C (de grosses bulles de sucre se forment unifornement dans la casserole)
3. Pendant ce temps, battre 75 g de blancs d’oeufs en neige en incorporant en 3 fois les 40 g de sucre restant. Ne pas battre les oeufs jusqu’au stade bec d’oiseau (ils sont alors trop fermes)
4. Ajouter alors le sucre cuit sur les blancs montés tout en continuant de battre. Battre jusqu’à ce que le mélange refroidisse (vers 40°C soit aucune sensation de température sur le doigt)
5. Incorporer les 75 g de blancs et le colorant (quelques grammes) restant au TPT. Puis incorporer 1/3 de la meringue au TPT pourla détendre. Incorporer le reste et mélanger doucement (du milieu vers les bords) jusqu’à ce que le mélange fasse ruban
6. Remplisser une poche munie d’une douille de 8 mm de ce mélange
7. Déposer des disques de pate espacés de 2 à 3cm sur du papier sulfurisé
8. Préchauffer votre four à 150°C et laisser crouter (sécher) les coques pendant 15-20 mns minimum
9. Enfourner une plaque à la fois pendant 12-15 mns
10. Laisser sécher avant de les décoller

Ganache au citron

• 2 g de gélatine
• 3 oeufs moyens
• 130 g de sucre
• 130 g de jus de citron frais (2-3 citrons)
• le zeste des citrons
• 175 g beurre
• 30 g poudre d’amandes

1. Mettre la gélatine dans un bol d’eau froide
2. Dans une casserole mettre le sucre et les oufs et les fouetter légèrement
3. Ajouter le jus de citron et fouetter sans cesse jusqu’aux premiers bouillons sur feu faible-moyen
4. Ajouter la gélatine et les zestes de citron et fouetter pendant une minute
5. Verser la crème au citron sur le beurre. Mixer à l’aide un mixeur plongeant pendant une minute
6. Ajouter la poudre d’amandes et l’incorporer avec une spatule
7. Conserver la crème au frigo pendant au moins 2 heures
8. Lorsque la crème est froide et consistante la verser dans une poche à douille (douille de 6)
9. Remplir les coques de ganache (déposer au centre des coques de la ganache) et recouvrir d’une autre coque (Il est important que la ganache arrive aux bords des coques sinon le macaron sèche)
10. Conserver les macarons au frigo pendant 24 heures minimum avant dégustation

Macaron al limone

Ingredienti per i macaron (da 30 a 40 macaron)

• 200 g  farina di mandorle secca
• 200 g zucchero a velo
• 200 g zucchero
• 2*75 g albume d’uovo
• 50 ml acqua
• colorante giallo (polvere)

1. Nel frullatore mettere insieme lo zucchero a velo e la farina di mandorle. Mescolare a velocità massima.
2. In una pentola mettere 160g di zucchero con l’acqua senza mescolare. Portare a  circa 115°C.
3. Nel frattempo, cominciare a montare 75 g di albume a neve aggiungendo in 3 volte gli ultimi 40 g di zucchero.
4. Sempre montando, versare lo zucchero fuso sugli albumi a neve e continuare a montare finche la temperatura sia di circa 40°C (nessuna sensazione di temperatura sul dito)
5. Incorporare gli ultimi 75 g di albume e il colorante al composto zucchero+mandorle.
6. Aggiungere 1/3 della meringa per ammorbidire l’impasto. Poi unire il tutto. Mescolare (dal centro verso i bordi) fin quando l’impasto è abbastanza fluido senza essere troppo liquido
7. Versare l’impasto in un sac à poche con un beccuccio di 8 mm.
8. Sulla carta forno fare dei dischi di impasto spaziati tra di loro di 2-3 cm.
9. Accendere il forno a 150°C.
10. Dopo 15-20 minuti mettere una alla volta le piastre del forno con i macaron a cuocere per 12-15 minuti.
11. Lasciare raffreddare prima di staccarli dalla carta forno.

Ganache al limone

• 2 g  gelatina
• 3 uova
• 130 g zucchero
• 130 g spremuta di limone (2-3 limone)
• la buccia dei limoni
• 175 g burro
• 30 g farina di mandorle

1. Mettere la gelatina nell’acqua fredda
2. In una pentola mettere lo zucchero e uova e mischiarle leggermente
3. Aggiungere la spremuta di limone e frullare in continuazione fino al primo bollore (fuoco basso o medio)
4. Aggiungere la gelatina e la buccia di limone e frullare per circa 1 minuta
5. Versare la crema al limone sul burro e con un frullatore elettrico frullare per circa 1 minuta
6. Aggiungere la farina di mandorle e incorporarla con una spatula
7. Tenere da parte la crema nel frigo per almeno 2 ore
8. Quando e fredda e ha della consistenza versare in un sac à poche (tasca per pasticceria con beccuccio da 6 mm)
9. Riempire i dischi con la ganache e ricoprire con un altro disco. E importante che la ganache arrivi sui bordi del disco altrimenti i dischi rischiano di seccarsi
10. Tenere da parte i macaron per 24 ore

lemon meringue pie

2 weeks already, 2 kids at home and for the moment things are going easily. Joséphine is a quiet baby girl and her brother is already taking care of her and command her. Yesterday while we were eating Joséphine started to cry, after some kisses from her brother who tried to calm her down, I told him « dis lui chut et fais dodo » (tell her to be quiet and to take a nap). So he went to her, sticking out a finger to her face and shouting « CHUUUUUUUTTT!!!!!!!!!!! FAIS DODO ». We just tried not to show him how much we were laughing.

Here is the second dessert for A.’s birthday largely inspired from a Christophe Felder’s recipe in the Elle à Table of january-february 2010. I did the pate sucrée from PH and changed the meringue that was too fluffy according me.

By the way I am participating to the « competition » blog dell’anno, you just have to register and vote for me if you want to  ;-)  (categories photo and recipes)

Lemon meringue pie

For the pate sucrée see here

Lemon cream

• juice and zest of 2 bio lemons
• 2 eggs + 3 egg yolks
• 80 g sugar
• 70 g salted butter

Meringue

• 3 eggwhites
• 120 g sugar

Prepare the pate sucrée the day before

Lemon Cream

1. Warm up the oven at 170°C.
2. In a saucepan pour the sugar, add the eggs, egg yolks and lemons juice and zest. Mix.
3. As soon as it start boiling add the butter and mix until the cream gets thicker. Leave aside the cream.
4. Roll out the pasta on 4 mm thickness and put it in a pie plate. Cover it with aluminium foil and put some seeds or pits in it (the pasta won’t rise while cooking). Put in the oven for about 25 mns (until it gets brown).
5. When the pasta is cold, pour the lemon cream.
6. Bring the temperature of the oven to 220°C.

Meringue

1. Beat the eggwhites until stiff adding the sugar in 3 times
2. Cover the lemon cream with it
3. Put the pie on the oven for about 5 minutes (or until the meringue gets brown…light brown!)

Tarte citron meringuée

Pour la pate sucrée voir ici

Crème au citron

• Jus et zestes de 2 citrons bios
• 2 oeufs + 3 jaunes d’oeufs
• 80 g de sucre
• 70 g beurre demi sel

Meringue

• 3 blancs d’oeufs
• 120 g de sucre

Préparer la pate sucrée la veille

Crème au citron

1. Préchauffer le four à 170°C.
2. Dans une casserole verser le sucre, les oeufs et jaunes d’oeufs et le jus et zestes des citrons. Mélanger.
3. Porter à feu doux et dès que le mélange commence à bouillir ajouter le beurre. Mélanger jusqu’à ce que la crème épaississe puis la réserver.
4. étaler la pate sur 4 mm d’épaisseur et la déposer dans un moule à tarte. Couvrir d’une feuille d’aluminium et recouvrir avec des noyaux ou des graines (ainsi la pate ne lèvera pas lors de la cuisson). Enfourner pour environ 25 mns (la pate doit etre dorée).
5. Laisser refroidir la pate puis y verser la crème au citron.
6. Augmenter la température du four à 220°C.

Meringue

1. Monter les blancs en neige très ferme, en ajoutant en 3 fois le sucre.
2. Recouvrir de meringue la crème aux citrons
3. Enfourner pendant 5 minutes (ou jusqu’à ce que la meringue soit légèrement dorée).

Torta al limone meringata

Per la pate sucrée

Crema al limone

• succo e buccia di 2 limoni
• 2 uova + 3 tuorli
• 80 g zucchero
• 70 g burro salato

Meringa

• 3 albumi d’uovo
• 120 g zucchero

Preparare la pate sucrée il giorno prima

Crema al limone

1. Accendere il forno a 170°C.
2. In una pentola mettere lo zucchero, le uova, il tuorlo, la buccia ed il succo di limone insieme. Mescolare.
3. Portare ad ebollizione  a fuoco basso. Quando comincia a bollire aggiungere il burro. Mescolare bene fin quando la crema non diventa più consistente.
4. Stendere la pasta su un piatto da torta con uno spessore di circa 4/5 mm. Coprire con un foglio d’alluminio e stendere su quest’ultimo dei noccioli di pesca o di albicocca o dei legumi secchi (per evitare che la pasta si gonfi durante la cottura). Infornare per circa 25 minuti (la pasta deve essere dorata).
5. Lasciar raffreddare la pasta e poi versare la crema al limone.
6. Aumentare la temperatura del forno a 220°C.

Meringue

1. Montare l’albume a neve (ben compatta), aggiungendo lo zucchero in 3 volte.
2. Ricoprire di piccole meringhe la crema di limone.
3. Mettere in forno per 5 minuti (o fin quando la meringa è leggermente dorata).