MACAROONS & MACARONS: History & Recipes for National Macaroon Day!

Today is National Macaroon Day. Now I know that macaroons are not really the same thing as the "French" macarons, but the word has the same root.

The words both come from the Italian maccarone or maccherone which is derived from ammaccare, meaning crush or beat -- referencing almond paste as the principle ingredient. Most macaroon recipes contain egg whites, almonds or nuts. Sometimes coconut -- and definitely sugar! I grew up with macaroons that were mainly coconut.

The 'French' macaron is a sweet meringue-based confection filled with ganache, buttercream or jam and is between two 'cookies'. It's smooth and domed. Lots of flavors, including, of course, chocolate! Although French, there has been much debate about its origins. Larousse Gastronomique cites the macaron as being created in 1791 in a convent near Cormery. Some have traced its French debut back to the arrival of Catherine de' Medici's Italian pastry chefs whom she brought with her in 1533 upon marrying Henry II of France.

In the 1830s, macarons were served two-by-two with the addition of jams, liqueurs, and spices. The macaron as it is known today was called the "Gerbet" or the "Paris macaron" and was created in the early 20th Century by Pierre Desfontaines of the French pâtisserie Ladurée, composed of two almond meringue discs filled with a layer of buttercream, jam, or ganache filling.

But for today's post, I thought I'd focus on MACAROONS, since it's National Macaroon Day!

First, you should know that there is an Almond & Macaroon Museum in Montmorillon, France. This museum pays homage to the generations of craftsmen who built the reputation of Montmorillon, Cité of Macaroons.  The Museum reveals the history of the macaroon, from the culture of the almond tree (and the multiple uses of almonds), to the arrival of the macaroon in France.

There are informative panels, interactive terminals, and machines and old instruments used in the kitchen. At the end of the exhibition, a film summarizes the broad outlines of the visit, and dwells on the arrival of the Macaroon of Montmorillon, and on the creation of Rannou-Métivier House. The visit culminates in the opportunity for tasting in the Winter Garden of the museum.

And, a few recipes to help you celebrate the day! Stay posted for Macaron recipes another day!

CHOCOLATE MACAROONS

Ingredients
1 1/3 (8 ounces) cups dark (70%) chocolate, chopped, divided
2 large egg whites
pinch of salt
1/4-1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sweetened fresh flaked coconut

Directions
Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Place 1 cup chocolate in microwave-safe bowl; microwave on low setting at 10-second intervals until chocolate is melted, stirring occasionally (or melt in a double boiler). Cool just to room temperature.

Using electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt in medium bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, then vanilla, beating until whites are thick and glossy. Fold in melted chocolate and coconut, then remaining 1/3 cup chocolate (broken into small pieces the size of mini-chips).

Drop batter by heaping teaspoonfuls onto prepared sheets, spacing 1-1/2 inches apart.
Bake cookies 10 minutes. Reverse sheets. Bake until tops are dry and cracked and tester inserted into centers comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 10 minutes longer.

Cool cookies on sheets on racks.

Three More Chocolate Macaroon Recipes:

CLEO COYLE'S MOCHA DIPPED RUM MACAROONS

CHOCOLATE CHIP MACAROONS

SCOTTISH MACAROON BARS FROM CATRIONA MCPHERSON
And for those of you who like to drink your Chocolate Macaroons: 

Chocolate Macaroon Martini

6 ounces vodka
1 ounce chocolate-flavored liqueur
1 ounce Amaretto
orange twist

Combine liquid ingredients in cocktail shaker with cracked ice and shake well.
Strain into chilled martini glass and garnish with orange twist.

Almond & Macaroon Museum: National Macaroon Day

May 31 is National Macaroon Day.  I did a post on Chocolate Museums the other day for National Museum Day, I forgot to mention the Almond & Macaroon Museum  in Montmorillon, France. This museum pays homage to the generations of craftsmen who built the reputation of Montmorillon, Cité of Macaroons.  The Museum reveals the history of the macaroon, from the culture of the almond tree (and the multiple uses of almonds), to the arrival of the macaroon in France.

There are informative panels, interactive terminals, and machines and old instruments used in the kitchen. At the end of the exhibition, a film summarizes the broad outlines of the visit, and dwells on the arrival of the Macaroon of Montmorillon, and on the creation of Rannou-Métivier House. The visit culminates in the opportunity for tasting in the Winter Garden of the museum.

The Macaron (French spelling) or Macaroon (English spelling) 1) is a sweet confectionery. Its name is derived from an Italian word "maccarone" or "maccherone". This word is itself derived from ammaccare, meaning crush or beat, used here in reference to the almond paste which is the principal ingredient. 2)It is meringue-based: made from a mixture of egg whites, almond flour, and both granulated and confectionery sugar.

Macaroons can be Italian merinque cookies such as amaretti or fancy and colorful French sandwich cookies filled with ganache or jam, according to The Nibble. Their common ingredient is almonds, though the nut may take the form of ground almonds, almond paste, or almond liquor. Although they originated in Italy, France is the country that has an Almond and Macaroon Museum – Musee de l’Amande et du Macaron – in Montmorillon. Spain makes its own version with hazelnuts; India uses cashews.

There are many stories about the origin of the macaroon. There's one that says they were created and served at the wedding of Catherine de Medici. Another story is that they were created by monks in France in the 18th century. The term "macaron" has the same origin as the word 'macaroni' meaning fine dough, so maybe we should have macaroni to celebrate National Macaroon Day. In any case, the first macaroons were simple cookies made of almond powder, sugar and egg whites. At the beginning of the 20th century, marcaroons went 'double-decker' with wonderful chocolate panache to stick them together. Certainly the sandwich concept for macarons was created in France by Pierre Herme, the Picasso of Pastry.   

Here are links to three CHOCOLATE MACAROON RECIPES:

CHOCOLATE MACAROONS
  
CHOCOLATE FRENCH MACARONS

CHOCOLATE CHIP MACAROONS

National Macaroon Day

May 31: National Macaroon Day

The Macaroon is basically a flourless cookie, but I didn't know that when I was growing up. I thought macaroons had to be coconut and chewy and fairly tasteless. I was familiar with the French macaron from trips in France, but I didn't equate the two. Now macarons or macaroons or whatever you call them are sweeping the country, popping up in bakeries and specialty shops everywhere.

The macaroon is not new, and there are many stories about its origin. There's one that says they were created and served at the wedding of Catherine de Medici. Another story is that they were created by monks in France in the 18th century. The term "macaron" has the same origin as the word 'macaroni' meaning fine dough, so maybe we should have macaroni to celebrate National Macaroon Day. In any case, the first macaroons were simple cookies made of almond powder, sugar and egg whites. At the beginning of the 20th century, marcaroons went 'double-decker' with wonderful chocolate panache to stick them together. Certainly the sandwich concept for macarons was created in France by Pierre Herme, the Picasso of Pastry.

Stacy Finz at the San Francisco Chronicle had a great article on French macaroons last month that also included recommendations for shops in the Bay Area with macaroons. In her article, Chef Kelli Manukyan of Pamplemousse in Redwood City gave a recipe for chocolate French Macarons. Pamplemousse has 35 flavors of macarons (availability varies upon season).

Chocolate French Macarons

• 1 1/4 cups fine blanched almond flour (see Note)
• 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/8 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup room-temperature egg whites
• -- Pinch of cream of tartar
• 3/4 tablespoon granulated sugar
• -- Cocoa powder for dusting
• -- Chocolate ganache (see recipe)

Instructions: Preheat oven to 360°. Sift almond flour, confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder twice. There will be larger granules that do not go through the sifter; discard them.

In a standing mixer with whisk attachment, beat egg whites with cream of tartar at medium speed. Once it is foamy, add granulated sugar and whisk at high speed until stiff peaks form. Be careful to not overwhip; egg whites should be smooth and glossy, not separated.

Take 1/3 of egg white mixture and fold into dry ingredients. Repeat twice, until dry ingredients are fully incorporated. Be careful to not overmix.

Place meringue in a piping bag fitted with a round 1/4-inch piping tip. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. To achieve uniform macaroon halves, trace a circle anywhere from 1 to 2 inches wide on parchment paper with a pencil. Turn parchment paper over, and pipe batter, tracing the circle in a spiral pattern from the outside in.

Once they have been piped, bang the bottom of the sheet pan a few times to smooth out tops. Lightly dust with cocoa powder. Place baking sheet on the top oven rack and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool and remove from the parchment carefully with a regular or offset spatula

To assemble, spread 1 teaspoon of ganache onto a macaroon and top with second macaroon. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Note: We used Bob's Red Mill Almond meal/flour. Specialty grocers, such as Rainbow and Berkeley Bowl also carry almond meal in their bulk or refrigerated section.

Ganache Yields 1 cup

• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 1 cup finely chopped dark chocolate (54%-64%)

Instructions: Bring cream to a boil and pour over chopped chocolate. Let stand 2-3 minutes and whisk together. Let rest overnight unrefrigerated. Whip to spreadable consistency just before using.

Variations: If you want flavored ganache (i.e. orange peel, lemon peel, mint leaves, cinnamon), bring cream to a boil and remove from heat. Add flavoring (if using citrus, use the peel of one fruit; 4 sprigs or a 1/4 cup packed mint leaves, 2 cinnamon sticks) and let steep for 30 minutes . Bring back to a boil, strain and pour over chocolate. Or you can add 1/2 teaspoon of desired extract to hot ganache mixture

So French Macaroons are a very elite pastry made with ground almonds, powdered sugar, egg whites, and piped onto sheet pans before baking. Then they're made into a two cookie sandwich with ganache, buttercream or another filling. But in case you like those gummy coconut drop cookies made with egg whites and sweetened condensed milk that are popular during Passover, here's a recipe I've used for Chewy Chocolate Macaroons from Cookie Madness (2005)

Chewy Chocolate Macaroons

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
½ cup sifted cake flour
2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups lightly packed flaked sweetened coconut
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 250°. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Melt unsweetened chocolate in microwave. Spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with knife. Combine flour, cocoa powder and salt. Add coconut to flour mixture and toss well. Stir in melted chocolate, vanilla and condensed milk.
Drop the batter by level tablespoons 2 inches apart onto a baking sheet. Bake at 250° for 45 minutes. Cool 10 minutes on pan or rack

Yield: 32 cookies (serving size: 1 cookie)

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One of my favorite recipes and descriptions for making French Chocolate Macaroons is from David Lebovitz, no a big surprise. Be warned, these are not easy to make, as you'll read in David's Blog, Living the Sweet Life in Paris.

Happy National Macaroon Day! FYI: This holiday is celebrated on March 20 in France.