Macaroons are a great classic of French pastry.
However, these almond powder cookies were not invented in France.
And when they were imported, dozens of recipes were created.
Olivier Poels tells you the story of macaroons on Europe 1 while delivering two recipes to reproduce at home.
In Nancy, Amiens, Reims, Saint-Jean-de Luz, Paris… In every corner of France there is a recipe for macaroons.
More than forty would be listed today.
But where do the macaroons come from?
The culinary chronicler of Europe 1 Olivier Poels gives you all the secrets of this emblematic pastry and gives you as a bonus, two recipes to make at home.
>> Find all the shows of Matthieu Noël and Stéphane Bern every day from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Europe 1 as well as in replay and podcast here
Before arriving in France, all these macaron recipes have one and the same origin: the Middle East.
There, it was customary to cultivate the almond essential to the preparation of this pastry.
In the Middle Ages, around the 14th century, gluttony reached Italy where it was baptized macarone.
A funny Italian legend would also explain its shape.
Every day a monk made, shirtless, these little almond cookies.
One day, exhausted, he would have fallen asleep on the dough.
His navel would then have created the contemporary shape of pastries.
The Amiens macaroon
Two centuries later, Catherine de Medici brought the macarone back to France.
From this year 1581, pastry chefs redoubled their inventiveness and adapted the recipe in lots of different cities.
In Amiens, the macaroon remained quite close to that brought back by the queen.
It is a biscuit with almond powder, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.
Here is the recipe.
Ingredients
250g almond powder
200g sugar
1 tablespoon of honey
2 egg whites
1 egg yolk
A teaspoon of vanilla powder
A teaspoon of bitter almond extract
Preparation
Combine the almond powder, sugar and honey.
Add the vanilla and egg yolk.
Continue stirring until you have a smooth device.
Then add the whites and the bitter almond extract.
Let the mixture sit overnight.
The next day, make small circles about 5-6cm in diameter and place them on a baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes at 170 ° C.
Let cool and enjoy.
The Parisian macaroon
But the Amiens macaroon is not the best known in the world.
In the 1830s, pastry chef Louis Ernest Ladurée glued two cookies made from powdered almonds, egg whites and sugar, with a ganache.
The latter is made from cream or jam.
The famous Parisian macaroon was born.
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Very quickly, Ladurée made a fortune thanks to its creation.
And others too, since a certain Pierre Hermé, a former employee of the Ladurée house, created his own house in 1996.
It will give a new impetus to the macaroon.
He makes it a real luxury product: you can come and buy macaroons like fine jewelry.
Among the most famous perfumes there is the one combining rose, raspberry and white lychee.
There is also the one with olive oil and vanilla.
Obviously, many are inspired by it.
Today, every baker and pastry chef sells this Parisian macaroon, which has become one of the symbols of French gastronomy.
So if you want to recreate this pastry gem, here is the recipe.
Ingredients
100g almond powder
100g icing sugar
100g of caster sugar
75g of egg white (be careful, you have to weigh them well)
25ml of water
Food coloring in the color of your choice.
Preparation
Start by mixing the almond powder and the icing sugar.
On the other side, bring the water and caster sugar to the boil.
It is necessary to reach at 118 ° C to make a syrup.
Whip 40g of egg whites with 20g of sugar in a food processor.
Then while continuing to turn, pour over the syrup and the remaining egg whites.
Add the almond powder.
Form small discs and bake them at 150 ° C for 13 minutes.
Take them out of the oven and let them rest before garnishing them with the ganache of your choice.