Head pastry chef Ken Thomas tells you how to make the perfect French macaron
Ken Thomas, head pastry chef at Hong Kong’s DALLOYAU Paris, teaches us his tricks of the trade to making the delicious sweet, two-sided meringue biscuits
Delicate, tender, dainty and bite-sized – French macarons are the epitome of a luxury treat.
Whether I’m in a dessert shop or sitting down somewhere for afternoon tea, I never leave without first indulging in the delicious two-sided meringue biscuits with their sweet filling.
Of course, the easy part is eating them; making and baking the perfect French macaron takes a whole other level of skill that I’m still not sure I possess.
To recreate this 300-year-old Parisian recipe, we have to first create what the French chefs call “tant pour tant”, by blending almonds, icing sugar and egg whites.
Thomas says French macaronage – when you put together the meringue and almonds to make a macaron – is a highly important step that ensures your macarons have a good texture.
Then you fill a piping bag, and start piping your macaron shells onto a baking sheet, or piece of baking paper.
