200 grams Dark Chocolate
Earl Grey Chocolate Ganache Macaron
I sat in the car this morning listening to a man who hears music in the distance at all times. It was medically proven that this is an actual condition. He spoke about how in the beginning, the conductor of his mind would mess up the tempo to certain songs and it drove him nuts. As if the constant songs playing in his mind wasn’t to drive him nuts. As he spoke these songs out loud for us all to hear and told his life story, I couldn’t help but think how poetic? How poetic to have every moment of your life to have an appropriate song played? When I imagine conversations, I wish I had or could have had, I like to think there’s some melody that just fits to what I’m saying. Thoughtful, lovely, and poetic is how I wish I could write to you sometimes, but sometimes I find myself on food blogs who do do that and I’m reading over their heart’s words because I just want to know their recipe. I laugh because I want that for my journal, often times knowing you’ll just scroll over the words I took the time to write. If you happen to do it today, that’s fine, these Earl Grey Chocolate Ganache macarons play their own tune and make up their own lyrics. 
I hope to share many macaron recipes with you. Macarons are hard, and you won’t get them right the first time you make them. I didn’t get them right until the fifth time I made them.
Chocolate Ganache
(from Chef Steps)
80 grams butter
240 grams cream
20 grams sugar
Earl Grey Shells
212 grams almond flour
212 grams powdered sugar
2 bags of Earl Grey tea
82 grams egg whites
90 grams egg whites
236 grams granulated sugar
158 grams water
What you need to do!
(I age my egg whites the night before. In two separate bowls, weigh out in one 82 grams and in the other 90 grams. I usually use a smaller bowl to represent the smaller number so I don’t forget)
Start with your ganache. This recipe is a traditional ganache, but I love the video and the extra details Chefsteps gives this recipe. Weigh all of your ingredients out before you get started. I have found this helps with organization when the time to bake actually occurs.
∙Chop chocolate- set aside
∙Cube butter- set aside
∙Heat cream and sugar until it comes to a boil. As soon as it comes to a boil, pour over chocolate. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before mixing.
∙After those 10 minutes start mixing that chocolate into the cream.
∙Fold cubed butter in until everything is well incorporated.
∙Allow to sit undisturbed on counter until at room temperature.
for the shells!
∙sift together your almond flour, powdered sugar, and the tea leaves from 2 tea bags (just cut the bag open and dump the insides out)
∙make a well in the dry ingredients and add the 82 grams of egg whites
∙fold everything into each other-this will be paste-like; just be sure there isn’t anything dry in the bowl
∙in a small saucepan, add sugar and water over medium heat-you want 248℉
∙your 90 grams of egg whites should be in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment
∙when your water and sugar are at 230, whisk to soft peaks-I mess up here, so when my whites get frothy, I throw in 1/8tsp cream of tartar to help stabilize
∙when syrup reaches 248℉, pour into bowl and aim for the side of the bowl. beat until stiff peaks
∙fold your meringue into your delicious looking paste you made
∙if you hold your spatula up, and it ribbons off and dissipates into itself in 10 seconds, you can stop folding; you’re ready to pipe!
∙I do not own a piping bag. I use good old zip lock and cut the tip off. I couldn’t tell you how to properly pipe, so I’ve just been watching videos. I’d suggest you do the same
∙you can have your circles drawn out, or you can free hand, which is what I’ve been doing lately.
∙pipe shells on baking trays lined with parchment paper
∙if you have a little “top hat” game going on dip your finger in cold water and push it down gently, and let your macarons know they’ll be pretty on their own – no need to add to the occasion
∙tap your tray after shells have been piped to knock any possible air bubbles out-this scares anyone in the house that doesn’t know what you’re doing
∙set oven to 350F
∙once tray goes in set it to 325F and timer for 12 minutes
bringing it all together
∙let shells cool completely!
∙pull paper from shells, not shells from paper
∙find their dates-meaning find two shells similar in size
∙pipe ganache in the middle and put the other half of the shell on top
things to note
∙every oven is different, so your temperature and time may not be the same as what I have found works best for me
∙Because my oven isn’t the greatest, I bake one tray at a time
∙these are best eaten after they’ve sat in the fridge for a day
∙if you give them to your friends, they will expect you give them one every time you make them
Please let me know what song is playing in the distance of your mind.
Leave a Reply