Macarons

To Make the Tant pour Tant:
Tip - Tant pour tant always refers to equal parts powdered sugar and almond flour ground together. So, in this application, you are using 165 grams almond flour and 165 grams powdered sugar totaling 330 g. Other recipes might refer to tant pour tant as an ingredient and rely on you to know what it means and do the math.

Method - Regardless, work in batches to pulse the almond flour and powdered sugar in a food processor. Although you are trying to create a finely ground meal, you do not want to process the mixture so long that the nut flour begins to give up its fat. Sift each batch with a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl. There will be chunkier bits that will not fall through the sifter. Put these into the next batch to be ground, working your way through all the tant pour tant. If you have a few rogue bits at the end of the process that will not grind any finer, throw them over your left shoulder for good luck!

To Make the Meringue:
Tip - Make sure your egg whites are at room temperature, you will get better volume in the meringue. If you are in a hurry or forgot to take them out of the fridge, warm the cold whites quickly by stirring them in a bowl over a bowl of warm water. Both the powdered egg whites and cream of tartar are optional ingredients. Powdered egg whites are created by freeze-drying pasteurized whites. The powder will strengthen the protein bonds of the fresh whites without adding to the water content of the meringue. Cream of tartar is an acid that helps stabilize the egg white foam. Think of them as cheap insurance against humidity, age of egg whites and all other manner of things that are supposed to thwart success.

Method - In a clean, grease free bowl of a stand mixer, begin to whip the egg whites, salt, cream of tartar and powdered egg whites on medium speed. The goal is to build a small network of uniform bubbles. Once the mixture is foamy throughout, increase the speed to medium-high and gradually add the granulated sugar in a steady stream. Do not dump all of the relatively heavy sugar on top of that gorgeous network of bubbles. There is no need to be in a rush here. This isn't a race to make the fastest meringue. When all the sugar is added, you should have a glossy meringue with very firm peaks. It should not look grainy or broken.

Macaronage:
Tip - Macarons are often dyed with bold colors that reflect the flavor of the shell and/or the filling. Some like to dye the meringue, while I prefer to add the coloring during macaronage.

Method - With a spatula, fold the sifted dry ingredients into the meringue. I like to add the tant pour tant in thirds, folding about 10 strokes before the next addition. Add the food coloring with the last addition of the dry ingredients and then continue to fold until the batter is slightly deflated, smooth, shiny and falls in a wide ribbon from the spatula.

To Pipe the Cookies:
Spoon the batter into a pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch round tip. Pipe the batter on a parchment lined baking sheet to your desired size. I like cookies about 1” to 1 ½” in diameter and ¼” tall. Leave at least 1” space between each macaron. Bang the sheet tray against the counter several times to remove excess air and remove piping tails. Let the piped macarons rest, uncovered for 15 minutes to dry the surface. If you pipe the shells this size, you should get about 80 halves.

To Bake the Cookies:
Preheat a convection oven to 300 degrees or 325 for a non-convection oven. Bake the macarons for approximately 14 minutes. After the first 5 minutes of baking, open the oven door briefly to let the steam out. Let the baked macarons cool completely before taking them off the sheet pan. Once cool, the top of the macaron should be crisp and the bottom should be slightly soft. If the macarons are too hard or are browning, reduce the baking time by a few minutes. 

To fill cooled macarons:
Pipe your filling of choice on half the shells leaving ¼” to the edges. Place another shell of matching size to make a sandwich. Twist lightly. Store the finished macarons in an airtight container in the refrigerator overnight before eating. They can be refrigerated up to three days and frozen up to three weeks. Bring to room temperature to serve.