Mini coffee, chocolate, rosewater and almond éclairs
Babas are a classic Sunday lunch dessert in France. Often they are made in ring moulds, but in the bakery where I served my apprenticeship we used to bake them in dariole moulds, and this is the way I have continued to do them, as I like the shape. You also frequently see them decorated elaborately with cream and glacé cherries or other fruits, but I prefer to go for minimal decoration and maximum flavour. So I serve the babas with some of the good strong rum syrup in which they have soaked and just a little poached orange peel on top.
This recipe makes quite a lot of babas – around eighteen – as it is easier to make the batter using a food mixer than by hand, but you need a certain volume to work with. However, you can bake the babas and then freeze any that you don’t want to serve immediately. You can also make the syrup and keep it in a plastic box in the fridge for up to three months, ready to soak the defrosted babas in it.
MAKES ABOUT 18 TALL MOULDS
FOR THE FERMENT:
150g strong bread flour
15g fresh yeast
150ml warm milk
FOR THE BATTER:
4 medium eggs
150g butter at room temperature, plus a little extra for greasing the moulds
50g caster sugar
½ teaspoon salt
125ml warm milk
400g strong bread flour
grated zest of 1 orange
FOR THE SYRUP:
1 orange
1 lemon
800g sugar
500ml water
200ml rum
First make the ferment. Place the flour in a bowl. Crumble the yeast into it by rubbing it between your fingertips. Whisk in the milk until the ferment is thick.
Leave for at least 2 hours at room temperature and out of draughts, by which time it will become bubbly (as shown in the right of the picture).
Using a mixer with a dough hook, beat the ferment with all the batter ingredients until the mixture is strong, elastic and stretchy.
Grease the moulds heavily with butter.
I find it easiest to pipe the mixture into the moulds, but if you don’t want to do this, you can just moisten your hands with water then scoop out small pieces of the batter with your fingers and drop them into the moulds. Either way, fill the moulds two thirds full. Leave in a warm place for about 40–50 minutes until the mixture has risen about 1cm above the rims of the moulds.
Preheat the oven to 190°C/gas 5.
For the syrup, first take off the orange and lemon peel in long, thin strips (ideally use a julienne peeler; or use a vegetable peeler and then cut the strips into thinner lengths) then put into a pan. Squeeze the juice and add to the pan along with the sugar and the water. Bring to the boil then turn down the heat and simmer for about 5–10 minutes until it thickens slightly into a syrup. Take off the heat, add the rum and allow to cool until just warm, then pour into a dish wide enough to hold the babas.
Meanwhile bake the babas in the preheated oven for about 15–20 minutes until they are golden and have risen up like champagne corks. Carefully turn each one out of its mould and cool on a wire rack. (At this point you can freeze any that you don’t want to use immediately.)
Put the babas into the syrup, turning them to coat really well, and leave for 2–3 hours at room temperature so that they soak up as much syrup as possible. Very gently prod them every so often, and when they feel soft, they are ready.
Place each baba into a glass bowl or small dish. Scoop out some of the strips of peel from the syrup – a pair of kitchen tweezers is ideal for this – and curl on top of each baba. Spoon a little of the syrup around and serve.
These were created in 1891 to celebrate the first 1200km Paris-to-Brest bike race, one of cycling’s oldest events. It is said that a pastry chef who was working along the route came up with the idea of the choux pastry rings to represent the puffy pneumatic tyres that were taking over from the old solid rubber ones.
Leave the skin on the nuts as this gives flavour and colour.
MAKES 10–12
100g hazelnuts in their skins
1 quantity crème au beurre (see here)
1 quantity choux pastry mixture (see here)
1 medium egg, beaten with a pinch of salt
icing sugar, for dusting
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas 6.
Spread the hazelnuts out over a baking tray and put into the oven for about 10 minutes, shaking the tray occasionally so that they toast evenly. Take out of the oven, leave to cool, then crush half of them with a rolling pin and keep to one side. Put the rest into a coffee grinder, or use a pestle and mortar to grind them into a paste. Mix this into the crème au beurre, and keep to one side.
Snip the corner of a piping bag, if using a disposable one, insert a large star nozzle, fill with the choux pastry mixture, and then pipe 10–12 circles of around 8–10cm onto a silicone mat or non-stick baking tray (see picture here). Brush lightly with the beaten egg. Scatter your reserved crushed nuts on top and put into the preheated oven.
Turn the oven down to 190°C/gas 5 and leave for about 15 minutes, until light golden and puffed up, turning the tray around halfway through. For the last few minutes of baking, prop the oven door slightly ajar with a wooden spoon to allow the steam to escape, and help the choux to dry out properly. Remove the tray from the oven and leave to cool.
Cut in half horizontally, pipe the base of each with the reserved hazelnut cream, replace the top and dust with icing sugar.
There are two different ways to fill éclairs. You can make a small hole in the base (or at one end) of the éclair, and using a piping bag with a straight nozzle (about 5mm), squeeze the cream into the hollow. This way you don’t actually see the cream from the outside. Alternatively, you can halve the éclairs all the way along their length – or almost all the way – and then pipe in the cream, using an interesting nozzle (see here), which can make them look quite special. In the following recipes I have suggested one or the other technique, but it is really up to you.
You can use Chantilly cream for the filling, which is nice and light, or crème pâtissière, which is more substantial.
If you are glazing the éclairs with chocolate you don’t need a very high percentage of cocoa solids or the glaze will be quite bitter. A good 53% dark or milk chocolate is fine. Dusting half of the glaze with some cocoa powder is an easy way of making the éclairs look smart.
MAKES 24 SMALL ÉCLAIRS
1 quantity choux pastry mixture (see here)
a little butter for greasing the baking tray
FOR CHOCOLATE ÉCLAIRS:
1 quantity crème Chantilly (see here)
400g good milk or dark chocolate (53% cocoa solids), broken into chunks
cocoa powder, for dusting
FOR COFFEE ÉCLAIRS:
1 quantity coffee crème pâtissière (see here)
300g white fondant icing
about 2 tablespoons water
a few drops of coffee essence
24 coffee beans, for decoration (optional)
FOR ROSEWATER ÉCLAIRS:
1 quantity crème Chantilly made with a few drops of rosewater instead of vanilla (see here)
300g white fondant icing
about 2 tablespoons water
a few drops of red food colouring
Preheat the oven to 190°C/gas 5. Lightly grease a non-stick baking tray or have ready a silicone mat.
Snip off the corner of a piping bag, if using a disposable one, insert a plain nozzle about 1cm in diameter, then fill with the choux pastry mixture and pipe 24 lines of around 8cm onto your baking tray or mat (see picture here).
Bake in the preheated oven for 12–15 minutes until golden and puffed up. For the last 4 minutes of baking, leave the oven door slightly ajar to allow the steam to escape, and help the drying process. Remove the tray from the oven and leave to cool.
Take each éclair, and use a skewer to make a hole large enough to insert your piping nozzle (5mm) in the centre of the underside. Fill a medium piping bag with Chantilly cream and squeeze gently until you can feel the cream filling the inside of the éclair.
Put the chocolate into a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water – make sure the water comes close to the bottom of the bowl but doesn’t actually touch it. Keep the heat very low so that you don’t get steam into the bowl, as this can make the chocolate become dull-looking and stiff. Keep stirring all the time and let the chocolate melt slowly, then remove the bowl from the heat.
One by one, dip the tops of the eclairs into the chocolate. Let the excess drain off into the bowl and then place on a rack until the chocolate has set. If you want to dust half of each top with cocoa powder, use a small piece of baking paper as a guide. Lay it across the first glazed top at an angle, and dust the other half finely with cocoa powder, using a small, fine sieve.
Fill with coffee crème pâtissière as for the chocolate éclairs here.
For the icing, put the fondant and water in a pan over a very low heat and beat with a wooden spoon until it melts. Stir in the coffee essence. Take off the heat.
Take the éclairs and dip the tops into the icing as for the chocolate éclairs here, then decorate each one, if you like, with a coffee bean.
This time, to fill the éclairs, cut them carefully in half lengthways. Keep the top halves to one side, then using a piping bag fitted with a flat nozzle (or similar, see here), pipe the cream along the length of the lower halves, lifting the nozzle up and down as you go, to create a wave effect.
For the icing, put the fondant and water in a pan over a very low heat and beat with a wooden spoon until it melts. Stir in the red colouring. Take off the heat.
Dip each top half into the icing as for the coffee éclairs above, and then assemble.
The addition of toasted, flaked almonds on top gives a little crunchiness and an unusual look to these little éclairs.
MAKES 24 SMALL ÉCLAIRS
a little butter for greasing the baking tray
4 tablespoons flaked almonds
1 quantity choux pastry mixture (see here)
2 tablespoons ground almonds
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 quantity crème Chantilly (see here)
FOR THE CARAMEL:
200g caster sugar
2 tablespoons water
Preheat the oven to 190°C/gas 5. Lightly grease a non-stick baking tray or have ready a silicone mat.
Toast the flaked almonds lightly in a dry frying pan until pale golden. Take off the heat and transfer to a plate. Keep to one side.
Snip off the corner of a piping bag, if using a disposable one, insert a plain nozzle about 1cm in diameter and fill with the choux pastry mixture.
Pipe 24 lines of around 8cm onto your baking tray or mat.
Mix the ground almonds with the sugar and sprinkle a little on top of each éclair.
Bake in the preheated oven for 12–15 minutes until golden and puffed up. For the last 4 minutes of baking, leave the oven door slightly ajar to allow the steam to escape, and help the drying process. Remove the tray from the oven and leave to cool.
Make a caramel by putting the sugar in a pan with the water, bring to the boil and continue to boil until golden brown (if you have a sugar thermometer, the temperature will be 140°C). It will be really hot, so be careful.
Spear each éclair with a fork and dip the top just into the surface of the caramel, and then straight onto the reserved plate of toasted almonds so that a cluster of them clings to the surface. Leave to set on a wire rack.
When the caramel has set, cut each éclair horizontally almost to the end, but not quite. Snip off the corner of a piping bag, if using a disposable one, insert a plain nozzle, and fill with Chantilly cream. One at a time, hold an éclair in your hand, prise the ‘lid’ up a little and pipe in the cream, squeezing and lifting as you go in a ‘wave’ fashion.
We sell these big craggy meringues every day in our shop in Bath. I prefer to use Italian meringue (see here), but if you don’t feel comfortable with using sugar syrup you can try the recipe for French meringue here instead; however, the meringue will be a little more dry and brittle inside, whereas the Italian meringue is soft and a little chewy. I like to run chocolate or coffee through them for flavour and colour, but you can also keep them plain, or decorate them with a little grated lemon zest or ground pistachio nuts before they go into the oven.
MAKES 6
1 quantity Italian meringue (see here)
1 good tablespoon cocoa powder or ground coffee (optional)
Preheat the oven to 90°C/gas ¼. Have ready a large baking tray lined with baking paper.
If using cocoa powder or ground coffee, sieve it over the top of your meringue mixture and fold in with a big spoon. You don’t want to mix it in uniformly, just streak it through.
Using two spoons, scoop out the meringue, swapping the mixture from one spoon to the other to shape it into mounds, but don’t entirely smooth it – leave some good peaks and crags.
Drop each mound onto your lined tray and put into the oven for about 4 hours. The meringues should dry out and feel hard to the touch, but should not colour, and if you lift one up and tap the base it should feel solid.
These are individual versions of the more traditional loaf. Simple, but elegant for serving with afternoon tea.
MAKES 6–8
120g butter
220g dark brown sugar
2 medium eggs, beaten
3 ripe bananas, crushed
230g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons hot milk
TO DECORATE:
100g icing sugar, sieved
3 tablespoons water
1 banana, dried (see here)
Preheat the oven to 190°C/gas 5.
In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs a little at a time.
Mix in the crushed bananas.
Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt together and fold into the mixture. Stir in the milk.
Spoon into individual oval or round tins or muffin trays, filling them three quarters full.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25–30 minutes until golden, the tops feel springy and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Take out of the oven, leave until cool enough to handle and then turn out and cool on a wire tray.
To decorate, mix the icing sugar with the water and with a small spoon drizzle over the top of each cake.
Top with two or three slices of dried banana.
I like to make the tiramisu in a large slab, then cut it into rounds to serve it, but you could simply cut it into squares if you prefer.
MAKES 8 PORTIONS
3 gelatine leaves
100g caster sugar
3 tablespoons water
4 medium eggs, separated
250g mascarpone
250ml double cream
200ml Marsala wine
½ quantity genoise sponge (see here)
300ml strong coffee, cooled
TO DECORATE:
cocoa powder, for dusting
TO DECORATE WITH CARAMEL HAZELNUTS (OPTIONAL):
8 hazelnuts, shelled
100g caster sugar
1 tablespoon water
If you are decorating the tiramisu with caramel hazelnuts, make these first. Put the sugar in a pan with the water, bring to the boil and continue to boil until golden brown (if you have a sugar thermometer, the temperature will be 140°C). It will be really hot, so be careful. Using a pair of kitchen tweezers dip each hazelnut into the caramel and pull out slowly to create a little ‘tail’. Lay on a sheet of baking paper to cool and harden up.
Soak the gelatine in cold water to soften, then squeeze out the excess water.
Put the sugar in a pan with the water and heat gently for about 5–8 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and formed a colourless syrup and small bubbles are breaking the surface. If you have a sugar thermometer, the syrup is ready when the temperature reaches 121/122°C. Remove from the heat.
In a bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks, then slowly whisk in the sugar syrup.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the mascarpone. In yet another bowl, whisk the cream until thick.
In a small pan, warm half of the Marsala, add the gelatine, stir until it has dissolved and then take off the heat and stir in the rest of the Marsala. Now stir this into the egg and mascarpone mixture.
Fold in the double cream and finally the egg white.
To assemble, cut the genoise sponge in half. Lay one half in the base of a deep serving dish. Brush liberally with half of the coffee, so that the sponge is well soaked.
Spread half of the Marsala mixture evenly over the top and dust with a little cocoa powder. Lay the other half of the sponge on top and press down a little. Soak with the rest of the coffee as before.
Spread the rest of the Marsala mixture over the top, smoothing it so that it is flat.
Put into the fridge for about 2–3 hours or preferably overnight.
To serve, take a pastry cutter (about 10cm in diameter) and stamp out eight circles. Use a wide palette knife or fish slice to lift out into serving bowls, dust with cocoa, and top each one with a caramel hazelnut, if using.
This is a very easy recipe – and you can make two at a time and put one in the freezer, where it will keep for three months, so you always have a dessert ready to go. If you prefer a nut-free version, use some fresh fruit instead: raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, apricots or pineapple work especially well.
MAKES 1 × 30CM TERRINE
100g whole blanched almonds
100g hazelnuts, shelled weight
50g broken walnuts
25g pistachio nuts, shelled weight
1 heaped tablespoon caster sugar
150g mixed candied fruit
65g honey, preferably lavender
500ml double cream
4 medium egg whites
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4.
Spread the nuts over a baking tray, sprinkle with the sugar, and put into the oven for 15–20 minutes, turning them halfway through, until caramelised and light golden. Take out and let them cool down. Then, with the back of a rolling pin, crush them lightly.
Mix the caramelised nuts with the candied fruit.
Put the honey in a pan and bring to the boil, then take off the heat.
In a bowl whisk the cream until firm.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, then slowly add the honey and continue to whisk to firm peaks. Add the fruit and nuts.
Gently fold the fruit and nuts into the cream.
Line a 30cm long terrine (that will go into the freezer) with clingfilm, leaving an overhang all around. Spoon in the mixture and smooth the top, then fold the clingfilm over to enclose it. Put into the freezer for at least 4 hours. To serve, take out and leave for 15–20 minutes to soften slightly, then unwrap the clingfilm. To turn out, place a flat plate or cake board on top of the terrine and, using both hands, firmly grip both and turn over together. Remove the clingfilm and slice.
This is the lovely light layering of genoise sponge, strawberries and kirsch-flavoured cream that you see in every patisserie in France. When I was serving my apprenticeship, it was one of the first things we made when the strawberry season began: fraisier and strawberry tarts. Be patient and wait for the strawberries to be at their sweet, fruitiest best and don’t be tempted to use out-of-season or unripe and hard berries, which won’t match up in terms of flavour.
The classic way of presenting a fraisier is to layer everything inside a big ring or individual rings, starting with a layer of sponge for the base, and then arranging the strawberries in a circle around the edge, with their rounded ends sitting on the sponge and their pointed ends upwards. The cream is spooned inside and a second layer of sponge is placed on top, sometimes finished with strawberry glaze. When the ring slides off, you have a crown of strawberries all around the outside of the cake.
On one occasion, however, we wanted to make a fraisier for a big party so we experimented with these smaller square versions that people could just pick up and eat easily in a couple of mouthfuls. They are easier to make at home, while still delivering all the essential flavours of strawberries, kirsch and cream. If you want a more simple cream, you can use crème Chantilly instead of the crème au beurre.
MAKES 8 PORTIONS
½ quantity genoise sponge (see here)
double quantity crème au beurre (see here)
4 large ripe strawberries
FOR THE SYRUP:
100g sugar
100ml water
2 tablespoons kirsch
To make the syrup, put the sugar in a pan with the water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sugar has dissolved and you have a colourless syrup. Take off the heat and stir in the kirsch.
To assemble, cut the genoise sponge in half. Lay one half in the base of a deep serving dish. Brush liberally with half of the syrup, so that the sponge is well soaked.
Spread half of the crème au beurre evenly over the top. Lay the other half of the sponge on top and press down a little. Soak with more syrup as before (you may not need all of it). Spread the rest of the crème au beurre over the top, smoothing it so that it is flat. Put into the fridge for about 2–3 hours or preferably overnight.
To serve, dip a sharp knife into hot water and cut the fraisier neatly into eight squares or rectangles. Cut your strawberries in half and place a half, cut side down, on top of each.
My mother used to make these little cakes for me for when I came home from school, and they are still fashionable in Brittany. The name, which means ‘four quarters’, comes from the fact that they are made with only four ingredients: you break the eggs and weigh them, and then add the same weight of butter, sugar and flour (with a little baking powder). The key to the flavour is the salted Breton butter.
MAKES 8
For 4 shelled medium eggs, you need the same weight of:
caster sugar
plain flour (plus 1 teaspoon baking powder) salted butter, melted (plus a little extra for greasing the tins)
2 eating apples (something with a little sharpness, like a Cox or Braeburn)
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas 6.
In a bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy.
Fold in the flour and baking powder.
Stir in the melted butter.
Grease eight small tart tins (about 10–12cm in diameter and 2.5cm deep) very well with butter, and divide the batter between them.
Peel the apples, cut in half, take out the core, and then slice each horizontally. Put around four slices on top of each tin of batter.
Put into the preheated oven and bake for 25–30 minutes until golden and slightly puffed up. Leave until cool enough to handle, then turn out and cool on a rack.
This is the classic pudding I remember from restaurants in France in the seventies, and you still find it across the country in local bistros. It is all about the contrasting softness of the poached meringue, the cold cream, and the crunchiness of the caramel.
MAKES 6
1 litre milk, for poaching
½ quantity Italian meringue (see here)
double quantity crème anglaise (see here)
80g flaked almonds
FOR THE CARAMEL:
200g caster sugar
4 tablespoons water
Put the milk in a wide pan and bring to a simmer.
Using two tablespoons, scoop up the meringue, swapping the mixture from one spoon to the other to shape it into six egg shapes – as smoothly as you can – and lower each one into the milk (you will probably have to do this in two batches). Keep the milk under a simmer and let the meringues poach for 8–9 minutes, turning them over halfway through, until they are firm to the touch. Lift out with a slotted spoon and place onto kitchen paper to drain. When they are dry, transfer them to a sheet of baking paper or a silicone mat.
Make a caramel by putting the sugar in a pan with the water, bring to the boil and continue to boil until golden brown (if you have a sugar thermometer, the temperature will be 140°C). It will be really hot, so be careful. Pour a little over each meringue and sprinkle a few flaked almonds on top of each one.
To serve, pour some crème anglaise into each of six bowls, put a meringue on top and sprinkle with any remaining almonds.
MAKES 6
1 quantity sweet pastry (see here), made with seeds scraped from a vanilla pod, added with the sugar
a little flour, for rolling
TO ASSEMBLE:
1 quantity crème légère (see here)
around 250g raspberries
icing sugar, for dusting
6 pistachio nuts or small leaves of mint, to decorate
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4.
Lightly flour your work surface, roll out the sweet pastry dough thinly (about 2mm) and cut into twelve squares of about 8cm.
Lay the squares on a baking tray or trays and bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes until golden. Remove and leave to cool.
To assemble, take six of the biscuits and lay them rough side upwards, spoon some crème légère neatly in the middle of each one, then arrange your raspberries around the outside. Top with the rest of the biscuits, smooth side upwards. Sprinkle with icing sugar, then, if you like, place a metal scraper diagonally across one half to create a neat line and, using a blow torch, caramelise the visible area of sugar. Decorate with a pistachio or mint leaf in the centre.
How many trifles you make really depends on the size of your glasses (or you can make one big one in a glass bowl).
If you keep any trimmings of genoise sponge left over from another recipe in the freezer (wrap them in greaseproof paper inside a freezer bag), you can use them here, rather than baking the sponge specially.
MAKES AROUND 6
½ quantity genoise sponge (see here) (or equivalent trimmings, see above)
100ml limoncello
½ quantity lemon curd (see here)
FOR THE LEMON JELLY:
3 gelatine leaves
100g caster sugar
100ml water
zest and juice of 3 unwaxed lemons
FOR THE CUSTARD JELLY:
3 gelatine leaves
1 quantity crème anglaise ingredients (see here)
TO DECORATE:
Chantilly cream, or whipped double cream, or some strips of lemon zest, poached in syrup (see here)
Soak the gelatine leaves for the lemon jelly and custard jelly briefly in cold water to soften, then squeeze out the excess water.
For the custard jelly, make the crème anglaise as here, but while it is still warm, stir in the three leaves of gelatine.
For the lemon jelly, put the sugar and water in a pan with the lemon zest and juice and warm until the sugar has melted. Take off the heat, add the gelatine and stir until dissolved.
Cut your genoise sponge to fit each of six glasses (or use trimmings) and brush with limoncello, then put in the fridge for about 15 minutes until set. Now you can layer up the lemon curd, lemon jelly and custard jelly – if you have any sponge trimmings left over, you can add these to a jelly layer. I quite like to make each trifle a little different. The important thing is to put the glasses in the fridge to set each layer before adding the next one.
When all the layers are chilled, decorate with cream or poached lemon zest and serve.
These are fun, multi-coloured jellies with custard that I made for a children’s party, and everyone loved them, adults included. You can use blackcurrant or orange squash instead of grenadine. If you like you can bake the biscuits here to serve with them.
MAKES 10–12
1 quantity lemon jelly (see here)
1 quantity custard jelly (see here)
FOR THE GRENADINE JELLY:
4 gelatine leaves
100g caster sugar
250ml grenadine
200ml water
sweet biscuits, to serve (optional)
For the grenadine jelly, soak the gelatine briefly in cold water to soften, then squeeze out the excess water.
Put the sugar, grenadine and water in a pan and warm until the sugar has dissolved. Take off the heat, add the gelatine and stir until dissolved.
Play around with layers of each jelly in glasses, or moulds that can be turned out. As in the trifle recipe here, put your mould or glass in the fridge to allow each layer to set before adding the next one. When completely set, if you are using moulds, dip each one into a bowl of hot water for a second, turn it over, shake gently and the jellies should slither out easily onto a plate.
Mini macarons have become incredibly popular in every colour and flavour, but my favourite macaron is a big one that you can share – or for fun I like to pile up lots of them in a tower of diminishing sizes. The method for making them is essentially the same as for an Italian meringue, and like a good meringue, a macaron should be a little crispy on the outside and slightly chewy in the centre.
The recipe makes enough for four big macarons about 15cm in diameter, and the quantities given for each of the fillings will be enough for these, or you can mix and match with whatever you have. And of course you can make the macarons in any size you like.
MAKES 4 LARGE MACARONS
FOR THE MACARON MIX:
300g icing sugar
45ml water
220g egg white (from about 6 medium eggs)
300g ground almonds
300g granulated sugar
FOR THE FILLINGS:
choose from:
½ quantity chocolate ganache (see here)
½ quantity lemon curd (see here)
½ quantity of crème Chantilly (see here), plus a punnet of fresh raspberries
Preheat the oven to 130°C/gas 1.
Put the sugar in a pan with the water and heat gently for about 5–8 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and formed a colourless syrup and small bubbles are breaking the surface. If you have a sugar thermometer, the temperature should be 121/122°C.
Now you are ready to whisk your egg whites. You can do this using a food mixer with a whisk attachment, or use a hand-held whisk, but whichever you use, make sure your bowl is absolutely clean and dry, as water or grease can prevent the egg white from stiffening. Whisk the egg whites until soft, foamy peaks form then stop as soon as you reach this point, as if you over-whisk, the air bubbles that you have created will burst and the egg whites will collapse back into liquid.
Next you are going to pour the hot syrup onto the egg whites. Since you need both hands – one to whisk, one to pour – if you are whisking by hand, then before you start, wrap a tea towel around your bowl and wedge it inside an empty saucepan to hold it steady.
Whisk in the syrup, then mix the ground almonds and sugar together and tap through a sieve into the meringue, folding in with a big spoon.
Snip the corner from a piping bag, if using a disposable one, insert a 1cm plain nozzle and fill with the mixture (see here).
Pipe onto a silicone mat or baking tray lined with baking paper, in spirals starting in the centre – you can make them any size you like. Remember you need two spirals per macaron.
Put into the preheated oven for about 25–30 minutes for a large macaron of about 15cm in diameter, and allow less time, down to about 12–14 minutes, for small ones of about 3–4cm. Keep an eye on them: they are ready when they are firm to the touch on top.
Sandwich the rounds with the fillings of your choice.
