Spiced Roasted Plum Macarons
These macarons combine fall spices and summer stone fruit. Fresh plums are roasted with brown sugar, cinnamon, clove and star anise to warm up and deepen their sweet flavor. Then, they are mixed into Swiss meringue buttercream before being sandwiched between two fresh macaron shells. A taste of summer with the spice of upcoming fall.
“Macarons are notoriously finicky and this recipe cuts out some of the extras like aging your egg whites and making a sugar syrup for the meringue.”
For fruit that still holds it shape after baking choose firm but ripe plums that have a fragrant scent. Roasting the plums concentrates the sweetness while infusion with the spices. Cook your plums until they release their juices and it becomes thick and sticky.
Macarons are notoriously finicky. This recipe cuts out some of the extras like aging your egg whites and making a sugar syrup for the meringue. It’s what works for me. Do some experimenting to find what works best in your kitchen and with your oven. If you find that your macarons have delicate and brittle shells with air pockets between the shell and fluffy interior, you may be over beating your egg whites. Turning your mixer down when you are getting close to stiff peaks and help pin point the magically point. I also like to use a hand mixer to make macarons, I feel more in control of the mixing that way. If your macarons are sticking to your liner/parchment, you probably have under baked them increase the baking time (darker macarons with more added coloring tend to take longer). If your macaron’s feet never seem to make an appearance. It is probably due to the drying time. Make sure that the batter is completely dry to the touch before placing them in the oven. Again this is what works for me. Its all about trial and error with macarons and somedays you can do everything right and then the humidity in the air just makes baking perfect cookies impossible.
Spiced Roasted Plum Macarons
Macaron Shells
3 large egg whites
50g granulated sugar
90g fine ground almond flour
180g confectioners sugar
*edible luster dish for topping
Spiced Roasted Plum SMB
2 rip black plums
2 star anise
4 cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 heaping tablespoon dark brown sugar
pinch of salt
3 large egg whites
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup cold butter, cubed
Macaron Shells: Preheat the oven to 300F for convection (320F for non-convention) I have used the recipe with both convection and non-convection oven. I have found that the convection oven creates a fluffier center but have had equal success with both.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. I have had success with these parchment paper liners and these silicone mats. If you use folded or rolls of parchment you run the risk of wonky unsymmetrical shells.
Using a food processor pulse the confectioner’s sugar and almond flour together several times until fine. Then, sift the mixture using a fine-mesh sieve. If there are any large morsels use a spatula to press them through, disagreed any large lumps, and set mixture aside. I have found that using the combination of processing and sifting helps to produce very smooth tops.
I prefer to use a hand mixer to beat the egg whites. I feel that this gives me more control but a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment will do the job too. Place your room temperature egg whites in a clean, dry bowl and beat on high until the eggs become frothy and lose their pale yellow tint. Then, add the granulated sugar gradually while continuing to whip. Keep beating until the whites get glossy and stick firmly to the sides of the bowl and reach stiff peaks. At this point, add the gel color until you reach the desired color. For these macs I used 1 drop maroon and 1 drop super red to color. It is important not to over beak your egg white, this can cause large air pockets to form in the shells between the outer crust and fluffy feet.
Now mix the dry ingredients into the egg whites in 3 equal parts, fold the mixture gently until it is all incorporated. Once incorporated the tricky part begins, you need to stir out some of the air to make the batter have the right consistency. The batter should run off the spatula in a ribbon. I am still working on finding the perfect consistency here but you want batter spoon on top to standup on itself but then smooths into the batter after 10-20 seconds
Spoon the batter into a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe onto the template allowing for a little room for the batter to spread when it settles. Give the tip a quick flick of the wrist at the end to help smooth the surface but if you have mixed correctly slight peaks should smooth and become even as they settle.
Once all of the macs have been pipped give the tray a firm tap to help any air bubbles to rise to the top and burst. Keep a toothpick handy to coax the larger bubbles to pop. Then, set the tray on the counter to allow the macs to air dry until dry to the touch. This is the key to large ruffled "feet". Depending on several factors this can take anywhere between 30 minutes to 2 hours. Just have patience and you will be rewarded.
Once dry to the touch, place the macs on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 275F (295F for non-convection ovens) and bake for another 7-8 minutes. Every oven is different so keep an eye on them. The foot should be visible after the first 10 minutes. Remove the macs from the oven and let sit to cool. The macs should lift easily from the parchment but a metal spatula can help to release the shells.
Spiced Roasted Plum SMB:
Preheat the oven to 400 Degree F. Halve the plums and remove the pits. Sprinkle with brown sugar and top with spices. Place in the oven for 20-30 minutes until the fruit has released juices and the skins begin to wrinkle.
Remove the star anise and cloves and place warm plums in the food processor. Pulse until pureed. Then, run through a fine-mesh sieve to remove skins. Set aside while you prepare the buttercream.
Add egg whites and sugar to a heatproof bowl and simmer over a pot of water, whisking constantly, until temperature reaches 160°F, or if you don't have a candy thermometer until the sugar has completely dissolved and the egg whites are hot.
Transfer the sugar mixture to the bowl of a stand mixture fitted with the whisk attachment, begin to whip until the meringue is thick, glossy, and the bottom of the bowl feels neutral to the touch (this can take up to 10 minutes or so).
Once your meringue has reached stiff peaks and the bowl no longer feels warm, switch to the paddle attachment and, with mixer on low speed. Begin to add butter cubes, one at a time, until incorporated, and mix until it has reached a silky smooth texture. Mix in the plum puree to taste until incorporated
Assembly:
Fill a pastry bag fitted with the pastry tip of your choice (I used a French star tip) with the SMB.
Top each cookie and press gently to distribute the filling
makes approximately 2 and a half dozen
