Perfect French Macarons #1 - Simple to Sensational

This lecture explains the purpose of the this section, which includes theoretical lessons that are not mandatory, but are highly recommended. If you don't have time to watch them you can safely skip to section 3 and start working on the macaron batter. 

It's time to take a bit of time to plan our project. Specifically, we need to make some important decisions before we start baking our macarons. In this lesson Irit explains how to choose the size, color, flavor and presentation of the macarons based on the occasion you’ll be serving them as well as based on other considerations. Considering these factors in advance is highly recommended!

In this short lecture Irit explains that baking macarons should be treated almost like science: every small detail matters and everything needs to be measured. Before you dive into the recipes you should understand that there are no shortcuts here, and that perfection requires focus and precision.

The macaron batter is the base recipe of the macaron cookies. It's a bit tricky to master and getting it perfect is crucial. In this lecture Irit goes over all of the important steps you should follow in order to make perfect macaron batter. She explains how to choose the right ingredients, and demonstrates how to make meringue, how to properly fold the ingredients and how to color the batter. Along the way you'll discover many tips, trick and troubleshooting advice, that ensure you make great batter consistently.

In this lectures Irit elaborates on important options you should consider prior to piping and baking the macarons, including various silicone mats and baking trays, their advantages and disadvantages. These options have considerable impact on the macarons, so make sure to go through the tips and tricks presented here. 

In this lecture Irit walks you through the important steps of piping the macarons so they are even in size and without air bubbles. There are several options here that need to be considered, and you'll get detailed demonstrations of piping on silicone mats, specialty macaron baking sheets and even on parchment papers. You’ll also learn how to properly bake the macarons, explore the different trays you can use and understand how they affect your results. Most importantly you'll discover a great technique for finding out the precise baking time and temperature for the macarons in your oven, which is a fairly tricky aspect of the process. 

In this lecture irit summarizes the previous two lectures, and reiterates all of the crucial steps you should follow to get perfect macaron shells consistently.

Irit recommends ganache as the best filling for the macaron cookies, because its soft and creamy texture provides a nice balance to the crunchiness and chewiness of the cookies. In this lecture Irit explains in general what is ganache, and how it's made. Then she goes over the four different kinds of ganache recipes we’ll work on in this course and how each of them will be used. 

In this lecture you’ll learn a fantastic recipe for decadent dark chocolate ganache. You’ll discover how to choose the type of chocolate for the ganache, and the differences between different kinds of dark chocolates. You'll also learn how to infuse the ganache in order to change its flavor and make it more interesting.

Get the ins and outs of making white chocolate ganache and learn great techniques for flavoring it with fruits such as raspberries. Discover how to create uniquely flavored ganache that has a strong vibrant colors, which also complements the sweetness of the macarons with tangy raspberry flavor.

In this lesson we’ll work on making white chocolate ganache and flavor it with apricot. It's similar to the raspberry ganache you learned in the previous lesson, so you can see how the technique for making fruit-flavored ganaches works with different kinds of fruits.

Traditionally ganache is made of white or dark chocolate and cream, but in this lecture we’ll make a special kind of ganache by also adding caramel to the mixture. The resulting caramel ganache has a decadently rich flavor, and is a very useful recipe. As an example, you can use use it to make addictive and delicious chocolate candies.

Chocolate mousse is a very versatile recipe that can be made using any type of chocolate: dark, milk or white. it goes really well with many kinds of fruits, and this gives us many options for creating well balanced and fantastic flavor combinations. In this lecture you'll learn the secrets to great chocolate mousse , which you can use for many kinds of cakes and desserts. You'll also learn how to add flavors to the basic recipe, such as coffee, to give it a unique taste.

Pastry cream is probably the most outrageously decadent pudding you’ll ever eat. Most often it is being used as a light filling for desserts and pastries such as cream puffs, eclairs and napoleons. In this lecture you'll get a detailed demonstration on how to properly make pastry cream, and how to flavor it.

Macaron Lollipops are quite trendy these days, because they're so cute and fun. In this lesson you’ll discover how to use macaron shells and fillings to assemble some really cool macaron lollipops that you can serve in almost any party as bite-sized sweets.

In this lecture you'll learn everything you need to know about serving the macarons in unique arrangements. Explore how to serve macarons in various occasions, such as a social gatherings or a parties, and how to package them as elegant and personal presents for birthdays, or as wedding favors. 

Macaron Towers offer a great serving option for fancy special occasions, where you want to amp-up the wow factor using an impressive edible centerpiece. In this lecture Irit demonstrates how easy it is to assemble macaron towers, and provides some really important tips that prevent common mistakes. As you'll see, the result is simply awe inspiring!

When it comes to your Xmas table centerpiece, there are plenty of ideas to choose from, but the best kind of centerpiece is actually edible. In this lesson Irit presents a unique and stunning the Macaron Xmas Tree, which is a perfect addition to your festive dinner!

In this lesson you’ll get a step-by-step demonstration on creating the Macaron Xmas Tree. We’ll start by creating a beautiful faux tree-stump which serves as the base for this design, and proceed by assembling the decorating the macarons tower.

This course cannot be complete without covering one of Irit's favorite ways of using macarons, which is plating them as personal plated desserts! This is an unconventional way of using macarons, but CakeNuvo is all about creating unique and innovative edible designs! In this lecture Irit talks about the concept of using large macaron shells as the basis for creating plated desserts, and also discusses how we're going to fill and decorate these desserts.

Fondant flowers bring a fresh and beautiful feel to many cakes and desserts. In this lecture Irit covers quick and easy techniques for creating beautiful fondant daisies and roses, and explains how to customize their colors and size as well as their shape. In the next lectures we'll use these edible flowers to decorate the macaron desserts. 

In this lesson we’ll preview four stunning presentations for plated desserts that are all based on large macaron cookies and on the fillings we made earlier. Get a sneak peak into all four designs, and decide which one you'd like to make. 

Learn how to assemble and plate the Mocha Dreams dessert, which has a strong chocolate and coffee flavors, and a dominant brown color.

Learn how to assemble and plate the Strawberry Heaven dessert. Here we’ll use a combination of pastry cream, raspberry ganache & strawberries.

Learn how to assemble and plate the Summer Daisies dessert. Here we'll use a nice combination of flavors: apricot ganache, pastry cream and fresh strawberries.

Before saying goodbye, Irit takes a moment to review and summarize what you learned and accomplished in this course. First and foremost you mastered the macaron cookie recipe and preparation process. You learned all the tips, tricks and pitfalls you need to know in order to create perfect macaron batter each and every time you make it. You also practiced a consistent and reliable method to properly pipe and bake the macarons to perfection.

Then you learned how to make many filling recipes: 4 kinds of flavored ganache, chocolate mousse and pastry cream. You also learned how to assemble yummy macaron cookies and how to create several designs of macaron-based plated desserts. Last, but certainly not least, you discovered how to use macarons to create incredible edible centerpieces, such as macaron towers.

Here you can download all course materials for "Perfect French Macarons #1: Simple to Sensational":

1. Class Companion: 16 pages eBook with all recipes, additional important info, tips and tricks
2. Special Guide to Making Perfect Macarons: summary of the tips, tricks and troubleshooting advice
3. Project Timeline: a bird's-eye view of the macarons' preparation process 
4. Macaron Baking Assistant: a chart to help you to figure out the proper baking time in your oven
5. Baking Time Reminder: a useful sign you can use to remember baking time and temperature
6. Standard Macarons - Template: used in the course to pipe standard-size macarons
7. Large Macarons - Template: used in the course to pipe large-size macarons
8. Metric Conversion Guides: US/EU metric conversion tables
9. Fahrenheit to Celsius conversion table
10. Food Cost Calculator: calculates cost to make various kinds of macarons (requires Microsoft Excel)
11. Class Store: a PDF document that lists most tools and materials used in this course

Watch this lesson to learn what else you can do with your macarons (hint: there's so much you can do!) - Learn about the second course in the Perfect French Macarons series, "Designer Macarons". Don't forget to download and open the attachment to this lesson to get great discounts to all CakeNuvo courses!