Savor the flavor of marvelous macarons!
May 26, 2014 10:32 AM Subscribe
Bakers of Metafilter: What are your favorite french macaron flavors you've tried making?
I've recently become a bit obsessed with making french macarons properly (especially after seeing how much my partner loves them!) and I finally found a detailed recipe that works well for me, my own variation of this recipe.
I love making these little devils! And while my partner adores them, I'd like to try some different flavors as I've only (successfully) made regular macarons with simple buttercream filing.
I am going to make chocolate next; what recipe do you use to make chocolate french macarons? Should I use my current recipe and add a tablespoon or two of cocoa powder, with a chocolate ganache filling?
What other macaron flavors have you tried and love? Ones you haven't tried yet but have eaten and love? Also, any extra tips about making macarons, specifically with flavored ones or food coloring?
Thanks!
I've recently become a bit obsessed with making french macarons properly (especially after seeing how much my partner loves them!) and I finally found a detailed recipe that works well for me, my own variation of this recipe.
I love making these little devils! And while my partner adores them, I'd like to try some different flavors as I've only (successfully) made regular macarons with simple buttercream filing.
I am going to make chocolate next; what recipe do you use to make chocolate french macarons? Should I use my current recipe and add a tablespoon or two of cocoa powder, with a chocolate ganache filling?
What other macaron flavors have you tried and love? Ones you haven't tried yet but have eaten and love? Also, any extra tips about making macarons, specifically with flavored ones or food coloring?
Thanks!
Best answer: Black currant is great. I also really like lemon, with lemon curd in the filling.
For chocolate macarons (and a lot of others as well), I prefer the density of ganache filling as opposed to buttercream filling. If you do go buttercream, I find that a spot of jam in the middle gives the macaron a much more intense flavor.
One thing my employer does is bake large sugar crystals or cocoa nibs onto the outside of the shells of some flavors, which adds a really interesting textural component.
posted by Night_owl at 10:58 AM on May 26, 2014 [2 favorites]
For chocolate macarons (and a lot of others as well), I prefer the density of ganache filling as opposed to buttercream filling. If you do go buttercream, I find that a spot of jam in the middle gives the macaron a much more intense flavor.
One thing my employer does is bake large sugar crystals or cocoa nibs onto the outside of the shells of some flavors, which adds a really interesting textural component.
posted by Night_owl at 10:58 AM on May 26, 2014 [2 favorites]
Chocolate with vanilla cream is lovely.
I had green tea flavoured ones recently which were yum.
posted by billiebee at 11:55 AM on May 26, 2014
I had green tea flavoured ones recently which were yum.
posted by billiebee at 11:55 AM on May 26, 2014
Best answer: salted caramel yessssss
i like lavender-flavored things. a blueberry-lavender buttercream would be delicious.
pistachio!
mint and chocolate (chocolate shells, green-tinted mint buttercream)
posted by kerning at 12:37 PM on May 26, 2014
i like lavender-flavored things. a blueberry-lavender buttercream would be delicious.
pistachio!
mint and chocolate (chocolate shells, green-tinted mint buttercream)
posted by kerning at 12:37 PM on May 26, 2014
I haven't made them, but I have consumed blood orange macarons in large quantities and never got tired of them.
posted by Mizu at 1:03 PM on May 26, 2014
posted by Mizu at 1:03 PM on May 26, 2014
Best answer: Laduree's blackcurrent/cassis ended up being my favorite bought macaron after a five bakery/30 macaron tour of Paris a couple years ago, so I can add to the recommendations for that flavor. I'd also agree that chocolate ganache is superior to chocolate buttercreams. And really, I tend to find that for many delicate flavors, buttercream is an inferior carrier of flavor. When the shells tend to be rather tasteless, the fillings have to really pop--unless you're purposefully going for a delicate flavor. Buttercream is great for vanilla, steeped-teas, spices and a few other things, but fruit is better highlighted by using jams or curds, or a mixture of jam/curd and buttercream (dot the jam in the center of a ring of buttercream).
Here's a recipe from David Lebovitz for chocolate macarons. Dried and powdered fruits, teas and spices can be added to the shell meringue as flavoring in place of the cocoa powder for more variations. You'll want to experiment with proportions, or google around to see if someone else has done that already and posted the recipe. Trader Joe's carries freeze dried fruits that I grind for this purpose.
Some flavor combos I like:
Strawberry lemonade: Powdered, freeze dried strawberries in the shell, and lemon curd and strawberry buttercream as filling.
Maple-cinnamon: Cinnamon shells with maple syrup and ginger buttercream. (This is an example of a shell that would need experimentation to pull off. I wouldn't use a full 3 TBSP of cinnamon in place of the cocoa powder because it would be overwhelming. I'd likely use 1 TBSP instead and adjust the almond meal amount up.)
Earl Grey: Powdered Earl Grey tea in the shells, vanilla bean buttercream.
Chocolate raspberry: Chocolate shell, chocolate ganache surrounding raspberry (or another other flavor you like with chocolate) jam.
Sesame chocolate: Ground sesame seeds in the shell, chocolate ganache.
Salted caramel
Tropical: Coconut shells, coconut buttercream and Passion fruit curd.
Mint: Shells with powdered, dried mint and mint-white (or dark) chocolate buttercream.
Citrus variations: Use dried, ground citrus peel in the shell (lemon, tangerine, grapefruit, blood orange, lime), and vanilla buttercream plus citrus curd in the filling.
posted by weeyin at 1:52 PM on May 26, 2014 [2 favorites]
Here's a recipe from David Lebovitz for chocolate macarons. Dried and powdered fruits, teas and spices can be added to the shell meringue as flavoring in place of the cocoa powder for more variations. You'll want to experiment with proportions, or google around to see if someone else has done that already and posted the recipe. Trader Joe's carries freeze dried fruits that I grind for this purpose.
Some flavor combos I like:
Strawberry lemonade: Powdered, freeze dried strawberries in the shell, and lemon curd and strawberry buttercream as filling.
Maple-cinnamon: Cinnamon shells with maple syrup and ginger buttercream. (This is an example of a shell that would need experimentation to pull off. I wouldn't use a full 3 TBSP of cinnamon in place of the cocoa powder because it would be overwhelming. I'd likely use 1 TBSP instead and adjust the almond meal amount up.)
Earl Grey: Powdered Earl Grey tea in the shells, vanilla bean buttercream.
Chocolate raspberry: Chocolate shell, chocolate ganache surrounding raspberry (or another other flavor you like with chocolate) jam.
Sesame chocolate: Ground sesame seeds in the shell, chocolate ganache.
Salted caramel
Tropical: Coconut shells, coconut buttercream and Passion fruit curd.
Mint: Shells with powdered, dried mint and mint-white (or dark) chocolate buttercream.
Citrus variations: Use dried, ground citrus peel in the shell (lemon, tangerine, grapefruit, blood orange, lime), and vanilla buttercream plus citrus curd in the filling.
posted by weeyin at 1:52 PM on May 26, 2014 [2 favorites]
Eaten and loved, but never tried making - Pierre Herme's ispahan. So good.
posted by hellopanda at 2:16 PM on May 26, 2014
posted by hellopanda at 2:16 PM on May 26, 2014
I had Earl Gray ones at a tea parlor and they were lovely.
posted by radioamy at 3:16 PM on May 26, 2014
posted by radioamy at 3:16 PM on May 26, 2014
A bakery near my office had vanilla with a hint of lavender one day. Tried it and it was quite awesome. I also like their pistachio ones.
posted by AppleTurnover at 3:32 PM on May 26, 2014
posted by AppleTurnover at 3:32 PM on May 26, 2014
Best answer: A friend made some Irish Cream ones that were incredibly delicious.
posted by Meep! Eek! at 4:42 PM on May 26, 2014
posted by Meep! Eek! at 4:42 PM on May 26, 2014
Response by poster: Love the ideas for black currant, lemon, salted caramel, and Irish Cream macarons. Marques would be smitten with the maple cinnamon ones!
More recipe suggestions?
posted by horizonseeker at 5:23 PM on May 26, 2014
More recipe suggestions?
posted by horizonseeker at 5:23 PM on May 26, 2014
Best answer: You know those people that put bacon in everything? That's me.
These are inauthentic, I'm sure, but maple-bacon macarons. You can put the bacon flavor (or the maple flavor) in the buttercream filling or the "bun," as you like. I kinda winged it, but this recipe works fine. Bourbon would also not go amiss.
posted by Sunburnt at 6:58 PM on May 26, 2014
These are inauthentic, I'm sure, but maple-bacon macarons. You can put the bacon flavor (or the maple flavor) in the buttercream filling or the "bun," as you like. I kinda winged it, but this recipe works fine. Bourbon would also not go amiss.
posted by Sunburnt at 6:58 PM on May 26, 2014
This thread is closed to new comments.
Violet
Earl Grey
Black current
All recipes from Pierre hermes cookbook.
posted by TestamentToGrace at 10:48 AM on May 26, 2014 [2 favorites]