my one and only french lover ♥ the macaron { lady grey macarons with salted caramel }

an adventure yet to be over

(uma aventura que está longe do fim)

i love macarons.

i mean... i could eat thousands of them everyday.

(french) macarons are supposed to be hard to nail.

even the French like to emphasize this.

and even the French fail.

I truly envy those who get it right the first time, especially because my first experience was nearly excelent and I ruined everything by underbaking them. it took me a while to finally get the patience and time I needed to give them another try - and the realization that my sifter was actually good enough!

this week i couldn't wait any longer.

first day: all went totally wrong. completely flat shells and a very mad Inês by the end of the day... you really don't want to see me post-failure in the kitchen.

worst part... I really love egg whites, meringue and all else... and I am usually quite good at handling them, understanding them, nuturing them... this could not be something I am not able to do!!

second day: bearing this in mind, I was decided to get back at it again the morning after, and finally got really happy with the results. I stopped watching all these videos and looking up recipes and kind of just followed my gut... they looked gorgeous and I was so happy!...

...except they were kind of hollow. :(

but no worries... I think I just had too much air in the batter... I'll give it another try soon and post the results. nevertheless the combination of flavours in these could not be ignored - it's perfect!

hope you have better luck than me baking them ;)

Macarons de Lady Grey com Caramelo Salgado

- 2 claras

- 5 colheres de sopa de açúcar

- 1/2 chávena de farinha de amêndoa, peneirada

- 1 chávena de açúcar em pó, peneirado

- 2 colheres de chá de chá Lady Grey

recheio:

- 1 chávena de açúcar

- 3 colheres de sopa de água

- 85g de manteiga, à temperatura ambiente

- 3 colheres de sopa de leite, à temperatura ambiente

- 1 colher de chá de sal

Misturar o açúcar em pó e a amêndoa,

Bater as claras até estarem bem espumosas, juntar metade do açúcar,

Bater novamente até estar quase em castelo e juntar o resto, batendo bem apenas até não ter grânulos de açúcar,

Incorporar os ingredientes em pó nas claras aos poucos, envolvendo e espalhando o creme para os lados da taça até obter uma mistura com textura "de lava" - esta parte requer prática - que deve escorrer um pouco mas não demasiado rápido,

Encher um saco de pasteleiro com uma ponta redonda e fazer pequenos círculos de creme sobre um tabuleiro forrado com papel vegetal (cerca de 3 cm, espaçados cerca de 5 cm), trabalhar rapidamente,

Bater o tabuleiro na bancada da cozinha para libertar bolhas de ar,

Deixar repousar cerca de 20 min, até formarem uma crosta que se sente ao toque (a massa não cola aos dedos),

Levar ao forno a 150ºC cerca de 12 minutos, ou até os macarons não cederem ao toque (não abrir o forno nos primeiros 10 minutos),

Retirar do forno e deixar arrefecer completamente; rechear com o caramelo salgado.

Recheio de Caramelo Salgado:

Derreter o açúcar numa panela alta sobre lume médio com a água, mexendo a princípio para dissolver homogeneamente, até obter uma cor âmbar e um aroma de caramelo torrado,

Juntar a manteiga e misturar energeticamente com um fouet,

Juntar o leite e envolver também,

Verter numa taça funda, deixar arrefecer. Pode se conservar no frigorífico.

Lady Grey Macarons with Salted Caramel

- 2 egg whites

- 5 tbsp sugar

- 1/2 cup almond meal, sifted

- 1 confectioners' sugar, sifted

- 2 tsp Lady Grey tea

filling:

- 1 cup sugar

- 3 tbsp water

- 85g butter, room temperature

- 3 tbsp milk, room temperature

- 1 tsp salt

Mix confectioners' sugar and almond,

Beat egg whites until bubbly, add half the sugar,

Beat until frothy, add remaining sugar, beating well just until sugar is completely dissolved,

Fold in the powdered ingredients, slightly deflating the mixture (but not too much!) until its lava-like - needs practice,

Fill a piping bag and draw small circles over a parchment paper lined baking tray (3 cm, 5 cm apart), work quickly,

Bang the tray on the counter so that small air bubbles are released,

Let set for about 20 min, until a slight case is formed that keeps batter from being sticky to touch,

Bake at 150ºC for about 12 minutes, or until macarons are stable to touch (do not open oven in the first 10 minutes),

Remove from oven and let cool; fill with the salted caramel.

Salted Caramel Filling:

Melt sugar over medium heat with the water, stirring at first, until it is amber coloured and has a caramel scent,

Add butter and stir vigorously,

Repeat with milk,

Pour in a deep dish and let cool. May be stored in the fridge.