YOLO Baking Challenges: Ep. 2 - The Ispahan Macaron

So spring break was last week and while everyone was off traveling to beaches, Disneyland, basically anywhere but Ithaca, I decided to stay here and work. And work. I mean, it's what I've been wanting to do anyway but still...it was sad for the first few days...until I decided to start another crazy baking project. 

Remember in July when I wrote this extremely long, passionate, rambling thing about macarons? And how I haven't really mentioned it since then (which is weird, considering how basically obsessed I was about them for months before I started this blog)?

So what happened when I got back to school is that a few weeks into the semester, I did indeed try to make them. My first time was an extreme disaster. I was unprepared and also stressed about the amount of work I was not doing trying to make these things. But after a few more tries (like 4 to be exact), I've gotten better to the point where I can pretty much guarantee that I'll get feet but all the shells that I get are sadly hollow. I'm not sure what exactly I'm doing wrong, seeing how much research I've done on the subject and how careful I am about every critical step, but my guess is that I let the whipped egg whites sit out too long because I tend to do an extra sift of the dry ingredients before I mix them together. I guess no one is perfect, right (maybe I should have just added a hashtag of #OCDbakerproblems to the end of this sentence)?

But I was right about one thing and it is that they are indeed extremely delicious things, no matter how ugly they turned out in the end. Chewy and crunchy and so pretty to look at, I think they may still be my favorite dessert of all time. But when my best friend came to visit NYC in September and I trekked up to the city to see her, we went especially to Ladurée and Francois Payard Patisserie to get macarons (spent like $20 on them haha) and bottom line was, although they were phenomenal and delicious, they were definitely not as awesome as I had previously imagined because...well I hadn't the experience of making them and therefore, couldn't truly appreciate how extraordinarily perfect they were despite knowing how difficult they are to make.

So for Ep.3 of my YOLO Baking Challenge, because I was going crazy working in lab everyday, I decided that I wanted to attempt something crazy, the all time quintessential macaron dessert: the Ispahan Macaron.

So what is it exactly? Well, it's essentially a larger pink macaron that is filled with raspberries and lychee rose cream. Sounds crazy exotic right? Especially the use of lychees. I mean, I thought only Asian people knew what lychees were! The funny story behind this Ispahan Macaron (Ispahan, for people who don't know is the name of a Middle-Eastern Rose) is that it was actually created by a extraordinary pastry chef named Pierre Hermé for Ladurée a number of years ago. After it became wildly successful, quickly becoming Ladurée's signature dessert, Pierre Hermé decided to leave Ladurée to create his own macaron business. And from then on he and Ladurée have been unofficially competing on and off for the title of "best macaron-producer in the world." The general opinion on this contest has been literally split for years. While Ladurée is known more for its consistent and classic flavors, Pierre Hermé is more known for his innovative macarons that use all sorts of weird flavors and ingredients from all around the world. And different people prefer different kinds of macarons. It's an eternal debate I don't think will ever end. For now, I'm on Ladurée's side, since they're the only French macaron's I've ever tasted. Payard's macarons don't count because they're produced in America (even though Payard is a French pastry chef haha.) 

So now onto my crazy Ispahan Macaron endeavor! 

*A note of warning, I would not advise attempting this if you: 1) have never had experience with macarons before 2) get frustrated and angry easily or 3) are under a severe time crunch. Because I guarantee they will not work out  I know, I have tried.

Ispahan Macarons

Macarons (from Tartlette)
Ingredients
90 g egg whites room temperature (approximately from 3 eggs)
25 g sugar
200 g powdered sugar
110 g almond flour
food coloring gel

Directions:
1. Measure out all ingredients exactly using a kitchen scale.
2. Sift powdered sugar and almond flour together. Make sure there are no lumps. Set aside.
3. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add food coloring.
4. Dump all of the dry ingredients into the egg whites. Start gently folding the ingredients together. Fold no more than around 50 strokes until the batter is the consistency of molten lava. This part takes a lot of practice but if you can test this by raising your spatula and watching it fall. It should drip slowly but shouldn't be runny. If this happens, you've over-mixed your batter and you're basically screwed. It's better for the batter to be under-mixed than over-mixed
5. Pipe batter using pastry bag onto baking sheet with parchment paper. Set out to dry and harden.
6. Meanwhile, turn on oven to 300 degrees F.
7. After around 30 min -1 hour, put pans in to bake and bake for around 20 minutes. My macarons are never done around this time but you know when they're done when you can lightly tap on the shells and they don't jiggle and you can gently peel them away from the parchment paper. 

Rose Cream (from the Baked Road)
Ingredients:
3-4 canned lychees, sliced, drained and patted dry
~12 ounces fresh raspberries
50 g white chocolate
100 g heavy cream (separated into 50g/50g)
1 teaspoon rose syrup (I used 1 tsp rose water and the rose taste is a little strong but blends nicely with the white chocolate)

Directions:
1. Chop the white chocolate into fine pieces and place into a medium bowl.
2. In a saucepan, heat up 50 g of the heavy cream until it’s almost boiling\
3. Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate. Lit it sit for 30 seconds, before stirring from the inside out. Continue until a smooth ganache is formed. Add the rose syrup, mix well, and let it cool to room temperature.
4. In a separate bowl, start beating the other 50 g of heavy cream. Once the heavy cream reaches the same consistency as the ganache, slowly start pouring in the ganache while beating the heavy cream. Once all the ganache has been added, continue beating until the cream starts to thicken. Be careful not to over beat. The mixture should not hold a shape yet, but don’t worry, because the white chocolate will help it solidify in the refrigerator.
5. Cover the cream, and let it refrigerate for 1-2 hours (or if you can stick it in the freezer for 15-20 hours for a faster option).
6. If you’ve washed your raspberries first, make sure the raspberries are completely dry, as even a little bit of moisture can make your macaron shells too soggy.
7. Pipe some of the cream onto the middle of a macaron. Place a ring of raspberries around it. Add some lychee pieces on the cream, and pipe some more cream on top so that it reaches the same height as the raspberries. Place second shell on top, and if you would like, serve with a raspberry and/or rose petal on top.

8. Refrigerate at least overnight before serving.

My little baby is SO PREEETTTYYYY :)

There you have it, folks. Solid proof you don't need to travel to have a fun time, as long as you are doing something you love. This was incredibly fun to make and so freaking delicious in that weird exotic way I absolutely can't wait until that day I can go to Laduree and sample this. The one downside to this is that I have no clue what to do with this large bottle of rose water. Suggestions, anyone? Anyone??