make macarons. My first attempt... didn't
go over so well. My major problem was
the lack of experience in the area of
almond meal. I didn't have it, I didn't
really know how to make it. I tried and
ended up with an epic fail. So, I've learned
how to make almond meal the right way.
To be honest, it's pretty easy. My fault wasn't
sifting it in the right way. My parents didn't have
a legitimate flour sifter, so that was an essential tool
that contributed to my failure. However, I'm much
more prepared this time around.
Almond meal/flour is pretty simple. However, you
have to work in smaller increments. Around 1/2 cup
of whole almonds at a time should suffice. You can
either blanch them or use them with their skins on.
If you decide to blanch them, let them boil for a few minutes
in a pot on the stove, then immediately rise them in a
strainer with cold water until they've cooled down.
This "shocks" them. Then, you should be able to slip the
almonds out of their brown skin. I'm told that this is
the fun part. Then, put them on a baking sheet and
bake them at 300 degrees for a few minutes, just
make sure that you don't brown them. 2-4 minutes
should suffice. Then, leave them in the oven overnight,
just to make sure that they're totally dried out. Just make
sure the oven is turned off. We don't want any fires!
To actually make the almond meal, use either a food
processor or a coffee grinder. Use short pulses of a
second or two until it's all crushed up. Don't over grind
them, as it may easily turn to almond butter. When
it is finely ground, put it through a flour sifter. You know,
the kind with a handle and everything. This step is
key, as it filters out any large particles. Repeat this
step until you've ground up and filtered all of the almonds
that you want.
So... THIS is a crucial step in macaron making.
I'll be updating my progress on this blog, as well
as my foray into making pâté. (Yes. I'm culinarily ambitious.)
But, I must conquer macarons first. I have a score to settle!
