Where I went wrong. Some Tips for Next Time.

My electric hand mixer broke, so I had to Whisk the egg whites by hand. My arm was so tired, so I didn't fully whip my egg whites into a stiff form. I know I should have done it a little bit longer, but my arm just could not whip any more. For sure when I get an electric mixer, I am going to do it the right way.

You see here in the picture example of nice stiff egg whites, compared to how mine turned out for the Macarons. There is a nice white Gloss to the egg whites, which is what we are looking for, but we also need some stiff peaks.

Adding in Cream of Tartar to the egg whites, helps it stabilize it more, it traps in the air more.

~Some French Macaron Tips~

• I was reading my book, they said that if it is too humid, the Macarons won't turn out right.
• Once the Macarons have been piped out, you want to get the tray and bang it down, a few times to let the air out. This makes a nice little skirt on the french macaron. (One of my class mates let me in on this nice tip)

• We want to have the French Macarons, sit out before we bake them, to let the tops of the macarons develop a dry shell. It usually takes about 15 Mins to 1 Hour. This is very important, part of baking these little French Macarons. This helps them form a glossy, smooth surface. This develops the little skirts/feet. They should not be sticky, or wet. Test with your finger tip.

• Be sure the Almond Flour isn't too course. We want it to be nice and fine. You can use Almond Meal, it saves allot of time, rather than grinding the Almond yourself.

• Leave your egg whites at room temperature.
• Do NOT over mix the batter, after the Almond Flour and Confectioner Sugar is added in. Once it has fully been folded in, leave it alone. Let the mixture sit there for a few minutes, to let it settle and smooth it out.
• There is a few way's to put the Macaron batter, on to the baking sheet with parchment paper. You can use a piping bag, with a round tip 5 cm/ 2 inches across.

• Another way to do it, is to use a small portion scoop, turn it half way where it is almost touching, lightly tap to release.This helps the circles stay tighter and taller.
• Doubling up on baking pans, helps it not to over cook the bottoms of the French Macaron, get the one's with the macarons, and put it on top of the other pan that has been flipped upside down.
• Reason's our Macarons didn't develop the skirt/ feet, batter was probably under-beaten, our meringue might have been broken. It could have been baked at too low of a temperature They could have sat out and been over dried.

• Next time, I am going to use a template, so we have perfect rounds. Look how they are piping straight up and down. it should be at a 90 degree angle the piping bag.
• Look at how when piping its tall, then as you let it rest it will spread out some.
• I didn't use a tip, next time I am going to try both of the techniques for putting the macarons on to the parchment paper.

http://www.themacaronmaster.com/macaron-template/

This is a website, I came across. You can download and print it out to get a template to make perfect shaped French Macarons.

Anatomy of a French Macaron-- This is what we want to see!

I will definitely be doing a "DO OVER". It's okay, I'm happy with the taste. I finally tried it. Next time I will get it right. I am not giving up. After reading the tips and receiving some advice, I think we will accomplish it next time. I noted my flaws, and they will be fixed next time around.

We don't want to overload on sugar right?? Once a week, every Wednesday we will be "Relaxing our sweet tooth". I am going to talk about savory dishes, and I will be cooking some dinner and sharing some recipes. See you on Wednesday!