Macarons

Macarons, the one recipe many bakers approach with trepidation. Now these aren't the same as macaroons, the American coconut cookie dipped in chocolate. These are sandwich cookies consisting of a meringue cookie exterior and filled with buttercream, jam or ganache. They are also gluten free because the base is almond flour which is ground, blanched almonds.

Yes there is a certain technique to getting the batter just right, letting the piped macarons form a skin and having the oven at the correct temperature but ultimately the recipe is not something that can't be mastered with a little practice. And after all the successful things we've made thus far from the book, I was confident this recipe would pull through. So did it?

Taking a look at the photos from fellow bakers below, I'd say they mastered it. Tres bien! The macaron shells all developed the desired "feet", where the meringue rises just so that it looks like a hamburger bun, flat on the top, shiny and smooth. Bravo!

vanilla macarons

Tools of the Trade: Tile/Icing Comb

 

To create the impressive wave pattern on the florentine cookies, Thomas Keller uses a tile comb (if purchased from a hardware store) or if you'd prefer a baking-specific tool, it is referred to as an icing or decorating comb. Note, for this recipe you need a comb that has a rectangle edge, not triangle.

This is an inexpensive tool and worth having for more than just the cookie recipe. Cake decorators use it to smooth out buttercream or create patterns on the sides of their cakes. 

1. Sur la Table- Union Square location, online, Amazon I purchased this Ateco metal version from Sur la Table. Ateco also makes a plastic version but after doing some research, found that the metal version will give a cleaner look particularly on cakes.
   
   
2. Lowes (thanks Leticia)- surprisingly a hardware store is one of the best places to get baking equipment. Leticia found this tile comb at a bargain for $2.

Tools of the Trade: Orange Peel

The florentine cookies ask for candied orange peel. There is a recipe in the book which is a bit involved so I went on a search in the city to look for them. If you are looking in your area, I'd check gourmet shops or Italian markets where candied orange is commonly used in panettone.

1. Mollie Stones- Pacific Heights location (featured in the above photo)
   8 oz for $5  
2. Whole Foods- Noe Valley location (thanks Tania!)

Substitutions:

1. Boulettes Larder, Ferry Building
   As of winter 2013 they have candied Meyer lemon that you can purchase by the ounce. I'm sure they'd do candied orange at some point as well.