Les Petits Macarons: Colorful French Confections to Make at Home [Hardcover]

Kathryn Gordon (Author), Anne E. McBride (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 4, 2011

Macarons, the stuff of bakers’ candy-coated dreams, have taken the world by storm and are demystified here for the home baker, With dozens of flavor combinations, recipes are structured with three basic shell methods—French, Swiss, and Italian—plus one never-before-seen Easiest French Macaron Method. Pick one that works for you, and go on to create French-inspired pastry magic with nothing more than a mixer, an oven, and a piping bag.

 

Try shells flavored with pistachio, blackberry, coconut, and red velvet, filled with the likes of sesame buttercream, strawberry guava pâte de fruit, crunchy dark chocolate ganache, and lemon curd. Or go savory with shells like saffron, parsley, and ancho chile paired with fillings like hummus, foie gras with black currant, and duck confit with port and fig. The options for customization are endless, and the careful, detailed instruction is like a private baking class in your very own kitchen! All recipes have been tested by students and teachers alike and are guaranteed to bring the flavors of France right to your door.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Susan G. Purdy,  author of Pie in the Sky, Family Baker, and Have Your Cake & Eat it, Too
“I thought I had to go to Paris to find these luscious confections, but now I have them in my own kitchen. Thank you Kathryn and Anne for sharing the technique and demystifying the method! With these detailed recipes and clear explanations, we can all create dazzling French macarons in every imaginable  flavor. A must for serious bakers.” 

Nick Malgieri, author of Bake! and The Modern Baker
“Kathryn and Anne have put together a great collection of Parisian macarons, today’s top must-have sweet indulgence.”

Anil Rohira, World Pastry Champion
"This is a wonderful book on a on a mouth watering delicacy - macrons. I am amazed, impressed and educated with  your contribution, research, diversity and skills. I enjoyed the simplicity and the depth of information in the book. Well done Kathryn."

About the Author

Kathryn Gordon is a professional baking instructor and chef with sold-out classes at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. She lives in New Jersey.

 

Anne E. McBride is the co-author of three books and the director of the Experimental Cuisine Collective at New York University. She lives in New Jersey.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 270 pages
• Publisher: Running Press (October 4, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762442581
• ISBN-13: 978-0762442584
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 1 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (58 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,833 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Baking > Pastry
  • #6 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Baking > Cookies
  • #19 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > European > French

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 53 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT book! September 29, 2011

By CAC

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I just received this book in the mail, after pre-ordering it prior to publication, and I am thrilled. I couldn't wait to try the recipes.

I love macarons,and I have purchased several books on the subject, but this one is by far the best. Although it has several amazing recipes (such as the key lime with marshmallow fluff -- YUM!), it also offer endless variations on shells and fillings. Fillings include ice milks for frozen treats, jams and pate de fruit, ganache, and buttercream. Shells include variations in nuts, flavors, and colors -- even savory recipes such as a maple bacon bourbon filling. You are limited only by your own imagination in flavor combinations. And BONUS -- you get really wonderful recipes that are excellent all on their own for jams, ice milks, and buttercream.

The troubleshooting chapter at the end of the book, complete with thumbnail visuals, is especially helpful. I spotted several of my own mistakes in this chapter, and I now have the guidance to correct them.

If you have unsuccessfully tried to make macarons in the past, or if you are an experienced macaron maker, this book would be great for either the novice or the expert (and everyone in between). The directions are very detailed, the recipes are professionally written in language that is easy to follow, and the book is beautifully designed. I also love the fact that measurements are listed by both quantity and weight. The recipes range from simple combinations to complex presentations.

I'm so glad I purchased it.

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Great pictures, bad recipes January 28, 2012

By Penelope

Format:Hardcover

I am a hobbyist baker; I've made plenty of macarons in the past. I sell them on the side and I've always had great success when making these delightful cookies. So, when I saw this book at a local store and saw that there were variations on the recipes that I have tried, as well as an "easy" way to make macarons, I caved and bought this. As one of the other reviews mentioned, the "easy" recipe was anything but successful. It instructed to not age the eggs, and not to set them before putting them in the oven. My "easy" macarons turned into one big blog that barely rose and really didn't taste all that great. I was shocked!

I thought I had messed up on my own, but no, after 2 more tries, it really wasn't me. It was the recipe. And the other recipes? Why mess with cooking the meringue when hundreds of other bakers have successfully instructed otherwise. Honestly, this book instructs the baking of macarons in a long, complicated, and/or completely unsuccessful way.

But on the other hand, the pictures are nice and the fillings suggestions are quite inventive.

Sorry, Gordon & McBride, I just wasn't happy with this.

~~An unhappy baker

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What a beautiful book! October 8, 2011

By Joles44

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is very well written and easy to follow. I love the pictures and the classy look of the book. I can actually make macarons now! I love the trouble shooting section - every cookbook needs that.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Recipes March 12, 2012

By Mags

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I tried baking macarons in the past with internet recipe. They didn't look great, and I felt the recipe called for too much sugar. Thanks to this book I know there was too much sugar and why they didn't look great (troubleshooting section). So far I've tried the book's Italian and french meringue techniques. Both came out great, but I do prefer Italian. I did not like the sizes offered (1 or 2 inch) and created 1.5" macarons by following baking directions for the largest and cutting the final baking time in half. Few prior reviewers mentioned the cost of ingredients, but considering these babies cost a minimum of $2.50/each at a patisserie... Yes, nut flours are expensive and recipes call for a lot of egg whites. I have been using my scale to measure the ingredients and found that using large eggs you need less egg white than the recipe calls for. I do refuse to spend money on flavor compounds recommended by the authors so to make fruit flavored macarons I have been using freeze dried fruit powders by following the espresso recipe and replacing coffee with fruit powders. You can add a little more than 1 tbsp, just don't go overboard and enjoy!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as exciting as it originally appears. July 17, 2012

By kcbranaghsgirl

Format:Hardcover

At first glance, this book appears comprehensive both in terms of base recipes (French, Swiss and Italian methods) and flavor combinations. Most macaron books only employ one method, and, with the exception of recipes that add cocoa or espresso powder to the shells, rely largely on the filling to flavor the finished product.

I often successfully use this book's French method recipe to prepare the macaron batter, although many purists scoff at the idea of using cream of tartar in macaron shells (I have made it without). However, I had to use the book's troubleshooting guide to figure out why my macarons weren't coming out of the oven right. This is the only macaron book I've seen that recommends oven-drying of the piped macarons - others prescribe letting the piped batter sit out for at least 20-30 minutes prior to baking. As it turns out, the oven-drying of the piped macaron batter prior wasn't drying out my macarons - it was baking them, and at too low a temperature. I never oven-dry them anymore.

But my biggest complaint about this book is its reliance on the use of "flavor compounds" to achieve the dazzling array of flavored shells promised by the recipes. Using the list in the book, I could find only two online sources of flavor compounds. One of them sold flavor compounds by the kilogram. Not only was this expensive, but since each recipe typically calls for 60g of flavor compound, you'd have to bake 16 batches of the same flavor macaron shells to keep your purchase from going to waste. Maybe that's practical for a commercial kitchen, but not for the home baker. The other source offered smaller quantities of flavor compound, but for higher unit prices - 1/10 the quantity for about 1/4 the price.... So, you'd only get one batch of flavored macaron shells, have nearly half of your purchase left over, and it would cost you more than a Jackson.

Forget it.

Thumbs up for describing the multiple methods, the troubleshooting guide, and some nice filling recipes.

Thumbs down for the baking instructions and the impracticality of using flavor compounds. Read more ›