Macarons origin story. French macarons

Macarons (fr. Macaron; /makaʁɔ̃/) are one of the most popular delicacies today. They are given for the holidays as a sweet present, they are made with beautiful bouquets and compositions, and they just buy it for tea, because macaroons are one of the lightest and low-calorie desserts. From confectionery to one of the most popular pasta desserts in the world, they have come a long way for 200 years. About the origins of their creation, popularity and name - read our article.

The Renaissance is in full swing. Europe is recovering from countless wars and epidemics of the Middle Ages, science, schools and art are being revived. Bright minds in all fields of knowledge are beginning to produce a series of experiments and impressive discoveries. The power of knowledge covers literally everything - from travel and geography, to literature and confectionery art, which, thanks to the emergence of new products, begins to develop intensively and give birth to many delicious desserts.

1533. All Venice is preparing for a major event - wedding of Henry II and Catherine de Medici. Culinary experts and chefs come from all over the palace to contribute to the menu of the royal wedding. It comes to desserts, and then Catherine de Medici invites Italian confectioner, a man from his retinue, who until then had acted only as an adviser in preparation for the holiday. The confectioner decides to serve something completely new at the wedding, something that no European monarch has ever seen. So on wedding table a large vase appears with multi-colored small cookies, which the confectioner dubbed "macaroni". The same pasta was decorated a wedding cake, and they were also sent to guests along with wedding invitations. The cake makes a splash at court and has been one of the most popular ever since. European desserts. Also, thanks to this invention, the fashion for light little cakes, soufflés and airy creams enters Europe.

But everything new is, as you know, well-forgotten old. This axiom has not bypassed the creation of the Italian confectioner. It turned out that the basis of the recipe, the master took an old monastic recipe from two sticky cookies, smeared honey cream. This simple recipe came up with two sister nuns from the Lorraine city of Nancy - Marguerite and Marie-Elisabeth. In monasteries, as you know, the diet is quite strict. But the sisters wanted something sweet so much that in the end they came up with a dessert of two cookies based on rye flour, smeared first with honey, and then with honey egg yolk. This happened in 791, according to the version published in Larousse Gastronomique book. Then the dessert did not get a name, although in the villages nearby the monastery, local residents began to make it and even sell it as a dessert.

The real glory of the liver had to wait for more than 700 years. After the grandiose wedding of Catherine de Medici and Henry II, the whole Old World finally learned about cookies. At the same time, people became interested in the recipe in France, which, as you know, is the birthplace of many gastronomic recipes, desserts and improved delicacies. It was there that the pasta acquired its name and a look that is already close to our time. The name "macaroni" comes from the word ammaccare (maccarone/maccherone), which in Italian means to crush or crush. This concerned one of the main ingredients in the updated recipe - almond powder, which was made under pressure. By 1830, pasta was being served with various fillings: liquor, spices, jam and even jam. The stuffing was clamped between two light cookies, which were applied air cream. hallmark such cakes is their diverse colors - the dye must be natural, and for their miniature and multi-coloredness, in some regions of France they were called "buttons". It is noteworthy that despite the abundance of classic recipes”, canonical fillers and legends around the delicacy, there is no definite, the right recipe pasta. This is because at the time when pasta was made in French pastry shops, in each region their recipes changed depending on the availability of products and taste preferences clients. For example, in Amiens, fruits, almonds and honey were most often used in the recipe, while in Burgundy, wine was added to the cream. And the base itself is prepared with the help of egg whites, ground almonds and sugar.

But still, there is a place in the world where pasta is believed to have its original origin and are prepared here according to a certain recipe, which is recognized as the most canonical. This French patisserie Ladurée, where many tourists stand in line for more than 3 hours to buy a small box of pasta as a gift to their loved ones. Macarons from this pastry shop became so popular that they even appeared in the film. Sofia Coppola, a talented director, in 2006 released the biographical film Marie Antoinette, the plot of which is dedicated to the young years of the last queen of France. It was the pasta from the famous pastry shop Ladurée that the character Kirsten Dunst ate in the film. And in 2010, celebrity designer John Galliano released a limited edition of rum and ginger flavored pasta for sale, repeating the experience. Christian Louboutin. Louboutin produced his batch of red and black macarons in collaboration with the Italian company Marni. It is also interesting that the popularity of pasta has reached such a level that the mega-popular French-Italian dessert began to be sold in the French McDonald's. This led to the fact that since 2010 the popularity of the dessert has crossed the ocean and reached the United States, where it began to be used as Easter gift, displacing the figurines of the traditional chocolate rabbit and egg. This event was caused by the fact that the multi-colored and miniaturized pasta gave Easter basket with sweets special holiday look. Unsweetened pasta, with seafood and caviar, is produced in Japan, where they are also popular, along with traditional desserts. The flavor variety of pasta knows no bounds. Today they produce pasta with pistachio, chocolate, almond, coffee, strawberry, raspberry, lemon and even flower and pollen flavors. The famous confectionery Ladurée sells over 15,000 of these cookies every day. Cookies are also packaged with special grace, stacking macaroons in square, round and rectangular boxes, decorating with gold patterns and satin ribbons to give this dessert real look holiday. Especially since air taste, light almond flavor and different colors they carry the feeling of a real holiday.

The fashion for a small French dessert reached us in the early 2000s. Moscow confectioneries were the first to produce them, borrowing recipes from French masters. And with the advent online confectionery Mon Bon, pasta reached one level of popularity, in particular, due to the fact that the dishes of this confectionery were noted by Jamie Oliver. Small cakes have become popular all over the world, and many Ukrainian confectioneries, cafes and restaurants began to include this dessert in the menu. The first experiments began in the 2010s, but then the pasta recipes were very different from the correct ones, and naturally, they did not cause much excitement. But every year the art of Kyiv confectioners improved. You can try pasta in many Kyiv confectioneries, we have collected some of them for you in

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Macaroon, macaroni, macaroni, macaroni - as soon as they don't call it French delicacy in Russian. And although from a phonetic point of view the right option is the latter, many try to avoid it - apparently, so as not to be confused with another famous dish, - therefore, most often you can hear that this bright puffy cake is called macaron. What, however, would argue with foreign gourmets: sweets called "macaroon" are popular, in particular, in North America. Yes, and they look different - they look more like air coconut cookies.

One way or another, and both names came from Italian word maccherone, which in translation means “crush, smash” - this is due to the method of obtaining the main ingredient for making pasta, almond powder. The origin of this confection is still debated. Gastronomic Encyclopedia Larousse Gastronomique notes that pasta was invented in 1791 in a convent near Cormery in central France. There is another point of view: pasta appeared in 1533, which is associated with the arrival in France Italian chefs Catherine de Medici, who married King Henry II. In the 1830s, macaroni was served with jam, liqueur and spices, and in the form we know it now, it appeared in the famous French pastry shop Ladurée, although there are discrepancies: the invention of pasta is attributed to two different pastry chefs - Pierre Defontaine and Claude Gerbay. In honor of the last pasta, it was even called "zherbe".

So, pasta is two small round meringues, fastened, as a rule, with ganache filling (chocolate cream, butter and cream) or jam. An obligatory component, along with almond powder, is food coloring, it is he who visually distinguishes pasta from a number of other confectionery products. You can not only try pasta in various city coffee shops, but also cook it yourself. There are several recipes with different proportions ingredients, but their composition is unchanged: several proteins, almond powder, sugar, powdered sugar and water, as well as cream, cocoa and milk for making ganache (you can also take black or White chocolate). You can also take honey or jam. Pasta is baked in a preheated oven, but the ganache layer must be prepared the day before the cookies, as it freezes for a long time. It is cooked on fire and taken out of the refrigerator a couple of hours before use. Special gourmets and lovers of experimenting are now preparing pasta with curry, tomatoes, foie gras. They say that such pasta goes very well with strong drinks.

Glory to this dear french dessert has spread all over the world - not to mention its homeland, France, where pasta is prepared differently in different cities. In the Lorraine city of Nancy, for example, there is a legend that pasta was invented by two nuns who wanted to dilute their lean diet with this cake. They were nicknamed the "Macaron sisters" and in 1952 a street was named after them. And in the town of Montmorillon, for example, there is a whole pasta museum! In neighboring Switzerland, pasta is called "Luxembourgerli" - this kind of pasta is more light and smaller. In Japan, pasta is cooked in the traditional style. Japanese sweets wagashi, replacing almond powder for peanut flour.

By the way, fashion brand Kenzo released a pasta-shaped clutch a couple of years ago, and jewelry house Boucheron released jewelry as a tribute to the popularity of the delicacy. In general, this cake is popular with handmade lovers: on the online auction of homemade things Etsy, you can often find accessories in the form of pasta. Estee Lauder, for example, recently released a spring collection of nail polishes inspired by colorful cakes. Macaron (ma-ka-rong) is also popular in South Korea: they add mashed green tea or its leaves - it turns out a special variety (and, by the way, It’s Skin Macaron moisturizing lip balm recently appeared in Korea in a pasta-shaped package). They also love pasta in Turkey, Canada and the USA. In France, pasta is sold, in particular, in the same Ladurée, Pierre Herme confectionery, McCafe, a coffee shop chain owned by McDonald's. Now this cake, which has become the same symbol of France as the croissant and the Eiffel Tower, can be found in many network and not only institutions in Moscow and ordered on the Internet.

Recipe.

So, for about 30-40 cakes, you will need 110 g of ground almonds (it can be almond flour bought in a store, but you can cook it yourself at home by crushing the almonds in a coffee grinder - it is only important to make sure that it does not stick together), 4 egg whites, 225 g of powdered sugar and 50 g of fine sugar, as well as helium food coloring (about 30 drops) and 25 g of cocoa. To make ganache you will need heavy cream(30 g), milk and dark chocolate(125 g each).

Mixing powdered sugar, almond flour and cocoa powder in a blender while preheating the oven to 150 degrees Celsius. Place this mixture on a baking sheet covered with parchment and leave in the oven for 5 minutes, and then remove and sift through a fine sieve. Then we combine it with whipped with granulated sugar proteins, mix, add helium dye and mix again - you should get a viscous mass. We put it in a pastry bag with a nozzle with a diameter of approximately 8 millimeters. We make circles with a diameter of 3 centimeters on a baking sheet covered with parchment, and leave for an hour. A thin crust should appear on the circles. If it is not there, the pasta will crack and nothing will work. If nothing sticks to your fingers when touched, the cakes can be baked - 12 minutes in a preheated oven. The filling for pasta, as already mentioned, is prepared in a day: milk mixed with cream, bring to a boil and add chopped chocolate to it, after which it is necessary that the mixture boil again. Then take it off the heat and put it in a deep bowl. Let cool and put in the refrigerator. Ganache should be ready a couple of hours before cooking. Squeeze the filling onto one half of the cakes and cover them with the second halves.

When I tried to figure out which is which, everything turned out to be not so simple! The information was conflicting. And in order to get to the bottom of the truth, I had to study various sources.

Macaroons and macaroons are descended from a common ancestor, the macaroon. Which in French sounded like macaron, and in English macaroon. Over time, macaroons and macaroons have become two independent desserts. Today french macaron known as a light meringue cookie. And English macarons are chewy, moist, and flavorful. The difference in pronunciation was superimposed on the peculiarity of the development of this cookie in different countries, resulting in confusion.

Nowadays, some recipes exclude the use of the word "macaroons" to refer to a French confection. While others believe they are synonyms. You can also see the inscription macarons at the French bakery, and there will be macaroons on the windows. In my opinion, macarons and macaroons are two different types almond cookies. Therefore, they still need to be separated.

So let me introduce. This is pasta:

Macaron is a small, light meringue biscuit, similar in shape to small hamburgers :-) They are made from egg whites, ground almonds and sugar, and baked in the oven. The resulting halves are fastened with a soft creamy layer. It could be anything like chocolate ganache and fruit jam.

For perfect pasta characterized by a smooth, domed top with a flat base and ruffled circles. Usually these "ruffles" are called "foot" - that is, "leg", "leg". However, in Russia it is most often called a “skirt” :-) It feels like pasta should be slightly moist inside, with a crispy crust, and melt easily in your mouth, mmm :-) However, if you managed to cook even perfect pasta, unfortunately, it cannot be stored for a long time.

Macarons are very varied in taste. They come in fruity, pistachio, vanilla, coffee, coconut, mint, and cotton candy, gingerbread, or green lemon and ginger flavors. Sometimes there are more exotic variations, such as violet, or with foie gras and white truffles. French confectioners even came up with ice cream with pasta! But this is far from full list. Only the classic round shape remains unchanged.

Despite its popularity in Europe and France, macarons did not have much success in the United States. One reason is the high prices. And if it was sold at a reasonable price, then most likely it is not as good as it should be: either too dry, or prepared with cheaper ingredients. But among Americans, another representative of macaroons is loved and popular - macaroons.

And here is the macaron:

Macaroon is a traditional american cookie low Fat. It is not as legendary, light and refined as French macarons. This dessert has a different taste sensation. However, I'm sure it's no less luxurious.

In fact, coconut macaroons are most often hidden under this name. His basic recipe consists of egg whites, with the addition of grated coconut and sugar. But sometimes almonds, pecans or cashews are added to the dough. Also after baking, some people dip the cookies in melted chocolate.

Many people do not see the difference between these names. However, if only one letter differs in the words themselves, in fact, two different sweets are obtained. This also applies to color, shape, and even place of residence :-) The first prefers France, and the second America.

When I tried to figure out which is which, everything turned out to be not so simple! The information was conflicting. And in order to get to the bottom of the truth, I had to study various sources. As a result, there were three posts about macaroons and pasta :-) Let's start with the differences!

Macaroons and macaroons are descended from a common ancestor, the macaroon. Which in French sounded like macaron, and in English Macaroon . Over time, macaroons and macaroons have become two independent desserts. Today, French macarons are known as light meringue cookies. And English macarons are chewy, moist, and flavorful. The difference in pronunciation was superimposed on the peculiarity of the development of this cookie in different countries, and as a result, confusion arose.

In modern times, some recipes exclude the use of the word "macaroons" to refer to a French confection. While others believe they are synonyms. You can also see the inscription macarons at the French bakery, and there will be macaroons on the windows. In my opinion, macarons and macaroons are two different types of macaroons. Therefore, they still need to be separated.

So let me introduce. This pasta:

Macaron(Macaron) is a small, light meringue biscuit, similar in shape to small hamburgers :-) They are made from egg whites, ground almonds and sugar, and baked in the oven. The resulting halves are fastened with a soft creamy layer. It can be anything from chocolate ganache to fruit jam.

The perfect pasta is characterized by a smooth, domed top with a flat base and ruffled circles. Usually these "ruffles" are called " foot "- that is," leg "," leg ". However, in Russia it is most often called a “skirt” :-) It feels like pasta should be slightly moist inside, with a crispy crust, and melt easily in your mouth, mmm :-) However, if you managed to cook even perfect pasta, unfortunately, it cannot be stored for a long time.

Macarons are very varied in taste. They come in fruity, pistachio, vanilla, coffee, coconut, mint, and cotton candy, gingerbread, or green lemon and ginger flavors. Sometimes there are more exotic variations, such as violets, or with foie gras and white truffles. French confectioners even came up with pasta ice cream! But this is far from a complete list. Only the classic round shape remains unchanged.

Despite its popularity in Europe and France, macarons did not have much success in the United States. One reason is the high prices. And if it was sold at a reasonable price, then most likely it is not as good as it should be: either too dry, or prepared with cheaper ingredients. But among Americans, another representative of macaroons is loved and popular - macaroons.

And here is macaron:

Macaroon

French macaron almond cake (fr. macaron) - the most delicate and very gourmet delicacy in the form of two thin meringue cookies and a layer of filling made of chocolate, ganache or butter cream. There is a cookie with a similar name - macaroon. The two desserts are very different in appearance, but due to their similar names, it is easy to confuse them.

Pasta and macarons. Isn't it true that they don't look alike?

Variety of pasta cakes

Color and flavor variety pasta amaze the imagination and delight taste buds the most demanding sweet tooth. These cakes are simply adored in Paris (and throughout Europe), where they have long become a fashion trend, and therefore are served for any occasion: for breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea, for birthdays, weddings and corporate events. And they are especially delicious in the morning with a cup of tea or coffee!

Pasta cakes have conquered the world with their exquisite look and great taste.

History of pasta

The story goes that pasta, despite its incredible popularity among the French, was first created around 1533 in Italy by the chef Catherine de Medici, who was reputed to be a big sweetie. Later, becoming a wife french king, she moved her little "Italian" weakness to France.

Regardless of who first invented these cookies, they began to spread in France towards the end of the 18th century thanks to two Benedictine nuns who baked and sold them solely for the purpose of earning their own living. Taking advantage of the growing demand for pasta, following the nuns, street vendors in Paris began to sell them en masse.

The modern look of pasta was acquired only at the beginning of the 20th century, when Pierre Defontaine, the grandson of the founder of the famous Ladurée confectionery, was visited by the culinary muse, and he combined two cookies into one using ganache cream. The cookie was transformed into a cake, called ‘le macaron parisien’ (Parisian macaron). This delicacy immediately became the "bestseller" of the Ladurée confectionery chain.

Confectioners create pasta cakes in a variety of colors and shades.

Cooking pasta cake

Macaroni cookies are made from a small amount ingredients - egg whites, powdered sugar, sugar and almond flour However, their production requires considerable skill and experience from confectioners. There is even a special word macaronage, meaning the technique of introducing dry ingredients into egg whites because this process is not as simple as it seems. Achieving the perfect texture, the convexity of the outer part and the porous-corrugated surface of the lower (inner) part is a laborious task and requires precise adherence to the recipe. Even if you experienced chef and scrupulously follow the instructions, do not be surprised if the French pasta does not give in to you the first time - try again, fill your hand.

It would seem that add powdered sugar to whipped proteins and almond crumb not difficult at all. However, the technology verified to the gram is very strict and accurate. A little bust or shortage - and instead of a tender cookie, you will get only a viscous mass. You will be surprised, but it turns out that there are dozens, if not a few, of true masters of pasta. It is believed that cookies are very capricious, delicate, vulnerable and love to let the chef down at the moment they are removed from the oven. Only dedicated masters know everything step by step secrets, tools and other small parts to achieve a perfect fit. But the traditional filling-layer, cream ganache, is very simple and can be prepared even by a child.

Features of pasta cake

What are the requirements for the perfect pasta cake?

The filling should be homogeneous, dense (like ganache), light and not viscous. The cake itself does not crumble while eating, and also does not stain your mouth and hands. In addition, the filling should not come out of the cookies and should not stick to the teeth. An exception is made for caramel or jam fillings.

The texture and surface of the cookies are very smooth. Any bulges on the surface indicate that the almonds were not finely ground and sieved.

The top crust of the cookie should be thin and serve as a kind of "protection" for the soft inner layer. Bite and chew real pasta maybe even toothless, this cake is so tender. A dry, semi-solid crust plus a sticky, viscous mass inside is a marriage and a complete mismatch with the recipe.

The texture of the cookies under the crust is light and soft, even a minimum viscosity is allowed.

Cookies should not be too sweet, especially cloying. Macarons are available in such a wide range that you can try them all and choose “your” taste.

If you want to learn how to bake pasta as well as real French professionals, try using the following secrets:

Experienced "pasta makers" advise keeping the squirrels separated from the yolk in cool place and in a closed container 1-2 days.

Proteins must be whipped for 9-10 minutes, no less. The stronger (harder, harder) they become, the better.

Dry ingredients need to be introduced into whipped proteins quickly, and also quickly, but mix them thoroughly. Ideally, the movements of the spatula during mixing should be no more than 35. Knead by hand in a circle, moving towards the center.

Use only a piping bag with a round tip to make sure the macarons are as perfectly round as possible.

Putting the cookies on a baking sheet with pastry bag, let them rest and dry slightly for 15-20 minutes before turning on the oven.

Many manufacturers prefer to create cakes in pastel shades.

Macaron (macaron) or macaroon (macaroon): general and distinctive

Confusion between pasta cake (macaron) and macaroons macaroon is a very common phenomenon. What distinguishes these two works of confectionery art, in addition to one letter in the spelling of their name?

First, they can be called distant relatives with one common past, and secondly, they look completely different.

Distinctive features of pasta and macarons. Macaroon is a coconut biscuit that can be cooked on hastily for suddenly appeared guests from egg whites, coconut and sugar. Macaroon cookies also have a slightly crispy crust on the outside and are soft on the inside, but their preparation does not require exceptional jewelry precision and accuracy, as is the case with pasta. Cookies macaroons are not produced in such a huge assortment, and the whole creative approach to ennobling it lies only in the fact that macaroons are traditionally dipped in liquid chocolate and cool.

What do pasta and macarons have in common? The common ones are ingredients such as egg whites and sugar. Some recipes may vary, but the basis of both treats is actually meringue (or meringue). For macaroons in meringue is introduced coconut flakes, then the cookies are baked, in some recipes they are additionally immersed in melted chocolate.

Macaron, on the other hand, is a meringue cookie with a verified recipe and the exact proportion of added almond flour and sugar, which is then combined in pairs with cream, and the palette of cream flavors is very diverse, and the amount cream variations numerous.