Matcha flavoured shells paired with a rose petal jam and a milk chocolate whipped ganache.

My first adventurous bake from early last July. They were the first of my now ever-growing list of macaron flavour combinations that I have tried and yet to try.

Macarons are addictive to eat and make to say the least, despite their infamous reputation for being one of the toughest cookies to make. They impart troubling questions among amateur bakers and non-bakers alike as the extensive research macaron novices go through are nothing like any other baked good.

Everyone has their own way of going about these finicky gems which provides little to no help to fellow beginners. Some swear by the use of certain ingredients (e.g. aged egg whites, albumin powder, powdered food colouring, etc.) as the sole catalyst(s) of their (and to them, should be everyone’s) success. Others opt out of these and instead shift their focus to external factors that could potentially alter the result of these cookies. Some go all out and combine both so as to ward off any evil macaron-failing spirits that probably lurk in every kitchen regardless of the frequency of its usage.

𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴 — if there’s an easier way to do something, you bet I’ll do it that way. I adore making macarons with French meringue; it’s quick, easy, and oh so little fuss (no sugar syrups, no bain-maries). The only downside would be the stability of this meringue. It’s the least stable out of the prime trio and much, much more time and touch sensitive.

Not to exaggerate but the many times I failed when first attempting to make macarons will forever be up there as one of my most trying times. And when I finally succeeded, that was quite the start of my macaron enslavement.

The shells were baked at a respectable 150°C, after developing a matte finish on their surface, for 4 minutes without fan force, and a further 10 minutes with. The first 4 minutes are for building their feet while the other 10 are to give them a thorough cook.

These vivid shells were flavoured with just a few grams of matcha powder. Finding a good quality matcha is important, not only to bestow a vibrant colour, but to also lend its signature slight bitter, earthy notes with just a small amount. With all good things, a little goes a long way.

𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘫𝘢𝘮 — to say I was in awe at the colour of this jam would be an overt understatement. Its beauty is an ode to all things rose-tinted.

The jam was cooked to a strict temperature of 104°C as all jams would be, with a splash of lemon juice at the end to bring back the colour lost during the intense boil and to also aid in the activation of the pectin’s setting ability.

It was then cooled at room temperature then loaded into a piping bag for filling.

𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘬 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦 — as I mentioned earlier, this macaron was and is the first of my many past and future macaron endeavours. To this day I am still learning how to create better flavours and textures best befitting for these little parcels of decadence.

At that time I never played too close to the edge when dealing with ganaches. Albeit simple as it is with just a mix of cream and chocolate, there can be a multitude of other ingredients added at varying ratios to give one a smooth and supple ganache.

But being the beginner I was (and still am), I opted for something simple first. Hot cream poured over any chocolate of choice at equal quantities and whisked to emulsify. Chilled then whipped to just shy of a stiff peak. Any aromatics would be left to infuse into the cream.

But like I said, this is just the beginning.

At first glance, you may think these flavours as ones that would never appear next to each other. Yet, here they are.

The earthiness from the matcha complements the floral perfume of the rose with the milk chocolate rounding everything off with its full creaminess and subtle chocolate profile.

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