Monday 17 September 2012

Kaffir Lime and Coconut Macarons


Dear readers,

After over two years of blogging, I thought that it was about time for me to try making macarons. I've heard that they are challenging, and that they were; I baked five batches at various baking conditions. The main problem that I experienced was the cracking of the shells. I have read pages and pages about the making of macarons and I think that I have finally (not) cracked it!



Kaffir lime leaf is one of my most favourite flavours in the world. It is so fragrant, aromatic and invigorating. I believe that kaffir lime leaves are the one ingredient that captures the essence of Thailand - a Thai curry is nothing without them! I searched the internet for kaffir lime leaf flavoured macarons and, to my surprise, I couldn't find one recipe. I decided that this situation needs to be changed.

Kaffir Lime and Coconut Macarons
8 kaffir lime leaves finely chopped
 45g egg white (aged for 2 days at room temperature)
70g + 100g icing sugar
50g ground almonds
22g caster sugar
Green food colouring (powder or gel - the amount will vary depending on the type used)
30g coconut cream

This recipe will make 16 macarons (32 shells).

Sieve the almonds and 70g icing sugar. Whisk the egg whites until they become stiff, then add the caster sugar and food colouring and whisk until stiff again. Fold in the kaffir lime leaves and sieved icing sugar and ground almonds. Stir a few times until the batter has a runny consistency. Pour the mixture into a piping bag and pipe circles of the mixture onto silicone baking sheets. Leave to rest for 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 170°C. Place the macarons in the oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 140°C. Place a wooden spoon in the door of the oven to hold it ajar for the duration of the cooking. Bake for 15 minutes, then set aside to cool before removing from the baking sheet.

Sieve 100g icing sugar and mix with the coconut cream. Pour into a piping bag and pipe onto the bottom of the shells to glue them together.

Notes:
In most meringue recipes, minimal folding is required in order to keep as much air in the mixture as possible. I learned (many cracked macarons later) that macaron batter requires a lot of the air to be stirred out before it is piped. This is tricky, since not stirring enough will ruin the macarons and so will stirring too much! About 10 stirs will leave the batter runny enough so that once it has been piped, it spreads out and flattens a little to yield flat surfaces.

Baking times and temperatures may vary - it depends on your oven and also the weather! This is the recipe that (finally) worked for me.

In winter, rest the macarons near a radiator.

To those who sampled these without knowing the flavour, limey and herby flavours were described. I agree that kaffir lime leaves have lime and herb-like flavours. I think that it was difficult to identify the kaffir lime leaf flavour alone as people are generally used to eating them in savoury dishes with lots of other flavours. Some friends actually said that these macarons remind them of Thai curry! The aromatic kaffir lime leaves and the smooth and creamy coconut do make a fine pairing and are very much associated with Thai cuisine. I think that they make quite a fine pairing in macarons, too!


I am glad that I have now accomplished the "macaron challenge". I think that I will put them to one side for now, but hope to try out a different flavour combination in the future! Has anyone else found these as tricky as I have?

18 comments:

  1. What a fantastiv flavor for a macaron! Yay! They are gorgeous. You should link them unto this this month's Mactweets challenge.

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  2. Sounds incredible. Gunna have a bash at the weekend. Only mine might look more like the marzipan pea you once made me!

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  3. Bravoooo! Muy bien! What an improvement chica! Do we get to try them? :)

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  4. Gorgeous colour and flavour idea! Photos are really pretty too!

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  5. You are so creative incorporating such unique flavours into your macarons. They look very pretty too!

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  6. I have to confess I haven't attempted macarons. They look exquisite and perfectly executed Hazel. Unusual flavours too.

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  7. Only one word needed, having been in the privileged position of taster... Exquisite

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  8. your macarons look stunning - I love the colour and the flavours - I confess to never having even tried them - they are not really my sort of thing so I just don't bother but i always feel that maybe one day I should try them because they do look gorgeous

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  9. How beautiful! I have never made macarons before. Yours sound delicious with the lime and coconut and they couldn't have come out more perfect. Blessings my dear, Catherine xo

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  10. These do look really good and that combination of flavours sounds excellent. I have had problems getting macarons to look quite right in the past and I'm really not sure why they seem so variable at times for me. Then again, I've quite happily abandoned the search for perfection these days. Thai curry macarons sounds an interesting idea - could be an interesting little appetiser.

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  11. aah Hazel these look absolutely beautiful!!

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  12. What an original flavor! Your macarons look beautiful. Great job.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  13. Wow, you're a newbie with baking macarons and they look great! Natural talent, I tell ya:) The flavors sound so exotic and they are real beauties!

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  14. lime-coconut macaroons sounds AMAZING.

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  15. wow you certainly don't look like a newbie with those macarons! I love the flavour combiantion you've used here, but sadly have never taken to macarons before (I'm weird that way) but still must say, well done girl! x

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  16. Those are fantastic! You are a macaron natural, perfect little 'feet' and smooth tops, gorgeous flavour combo too.
    If you have a freestanding mixer, you will have to try the Italian method next!

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  17. Oh here you go again with amazing original flavours. I so agree about kaffir lime leaves but would never have thought of using them to flavour macaroons. I think there is too much talk about perfect macaroons. The cracked look, makes them look home made and that is all to the good I reckon.

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  18. Hola te felicito por tu licenciatura en culinaria, realmente eres original y tus recetas son espectaculares muy bien elaboradas,abrazos hugs hugs.

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