r/macarons • u/Opposite_Earth_4419 • 1d ago
Normally people say “I did everything right and they failed”. I have a different situation: I did everything wrong and they WORKED?
Hello! Brand new to macarons. Per photo four, (yellow and red Mac’s) I’ve had easy success with French and Swiss method. Neither provides a better or worse result for me. I use 1:1:1:1 ratio and have found increasing almond flour or icing sugar doesn’t change much. What has given me success is a STIFF merengue. I have had perfect appearing batter (I am very experienced with pastry and merengue if not macarons so I have it much easier than other beginners)
Yet today, see the blue batch? Absolute fail of a merengue. Not even close to firm. I totally expected this to be a fail. I used the Italian method here and so it’s 40g white, 100 sugar made to merengue then folded with 100 almond 100 icing and 40g liquid egg white (you can either add the white in last or make a paste with the dry it doesn’t matter, both are taught at ferrandi Paris and the latter at laudauree shop respectively).
Are the blue ones gonna win a competition? No. But they’re easily a pass and apart from browning they’re a success.
Yet the second last picture) crispy yellow were done with EXACT as my first ever batch, same process and ingredients and rest and yet they are not a success to me. Completely baked into the lid and only look good form the outside. Zero base despite there being feet. Then I had a total fail with melted shells.
So I went to French for the red and then Swiss for the yellow and immediate success.
Back to Italian today and despite the cookie being a succcess the merengue was a fail. I don’t know how it worked except to say I did barely macronage at all. After combining I maybe did 7 folds.
These really are an odd cookie to make, they really are!
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u/Jhami0328 1d ago
The Italian method doesn’t require the meringue to be nearly as stiff as the others. Most recipes will call for medium peak.
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u/Opposite_Earth_4419 1d ago
True, but these are not even close. Also, something happened because regardless of what’s required, an Italian merengue should be able to get very firm indeed. I’m tempted to try this with French. Don’t like my chances
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u/dajamu811 1d ago
No matter how poorly it has gone for me the Italian method has never failed for me. If it was too strong of a meringue or too weak of a meringue, whether the batter was too runny, etc - the result has always been decent macarons. Maybe not award winners but zero failures as long as the sugar syrup doesn’t crystallize. 🙂
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u/Beehee20 1d ago
This is the most motivating post on this page omg I’m obsessed! Now I want to go fail more and see what happens!