Designing macarons

We love creating macaron centre pieces and what makes it so magical when working with macarons is that you can create fantastic individual designs.  When it comes to macarons it is not just the colour but also the flavour, shape and finish.  Creating unique bespoke deserts is one of our specialities and Fondant & Chocolate.

The macaron may seem like a fairly simple treat, two meringue shells filled with ganache or jam.  However the variations and possibilities are endless.

Colour

Your first taste is with our eyes and with macarons this can be bright, neutral, pastel or extravagant.  We have used bizarre colours not normally seen in foods like black, dark green or bright blue.  Alternatively you can use two colours, or one colour for the meringue shell with an alternate contrasting colour for the filling, for example orange and green.

The baking process is the same with the difference being the food colouring.  We try and use natural colours however you can’t find all varieties in nature.

Flavour

Most of the taste of the macaron comes from the filling, however we can add flavours to the meringue shells.  Our flavours can come in nut, fruit or any flavour in between.  Some of the more unusual requests we have received include Earl Grey, Rooibos, geranium or basil.

Shape

Although usually round, the shape of macarons can be changed on request.  Our favourite shape that we have produced is heart-shaped macarons which we created as a nuptial centre piece as an alternative for a local Hertfordshire wedding cake.

Size

The size depends on your style and reason for creation, from the small bit to the big mouthful.  The smallest will have a diameter of 1cm and the largest up to 6cm.

Texture

A macaron would have the same texture as any other however texture can be amended by adding popping candy.  This is a unique can of bringing your childhood memories back in an instant.  Sweet, colourful and popping in your mouth, they make the best macarons in the world.

Decoration

And finally you can decorate the top of your macaron in any way to personalise them.  Decorations can be from a brush of chocolate, sprinkle of salt or a painted design.  When you have 1,000 macarons all with the same design, the effect can be unbeatable and will wow any guest you have, like at a recent St Albans macaron party we catered for.

Further interesting macaron bites

It is worth noting that a macaron is not the same as a macaroon.  Macarons are a Parisian light confectionery, usually filled with cream, jam or ganache.  They are available in a wide variety of flavours, colours and sizes.  They are meringue-based sweet, made from almond flower, egg whites and sugar.

Macaroons are simple biscuits made with large amounts of almond flour, more dense and don’t have the wide range of flavours available.

The appeal of the macaron

The appeal of the macaron is understandable to those who obsess about them as much as we do at Fondant & Chocolate.  However some people can’t understand how we can fall in love with a confectionary.

For us it was a matter of love at first sight when we first entered a Ladurée store in Paris, stoked full of macarons with a queue of people out the door (imagine, an orderly queue in Paris).  The bakery had an inviting glass display filled to the brim with colourful macarons both in pastel and bright colours.  The sight alone is enough to seduce curious foodies, but it takes a taste to convince you to join the ever growing macaron movement.

The macaron is essentially a blank canvas for chefs to explore the everlasting diversity of flavour.  No matter what your personal tastes are, there is likely to be a macaron with a flavour that you will enjoy.  From the classic fruit flavours like raspberry, strawberry, orange and lime to the nutty flavours of coconut, hazelnut, brazil nut and chocolate.  There are more adventurous flavours like earl grey, champagne, rose and jasmine.  Finally risky types like some of our clients in the Hertfordshire town of Watford macarons are enjoyed in some savoury flavours like sweet corn, garlic, pumpkin, bacon or truffle.

Macaron flavours

Macaron flavours

Macarons come in a large variety of flavours and colours.  The flavours can be sweet or savoury; however we would only recommend a sweet macaron, who would want a tuna, garlic or even onion flavour macaron?  The flavour will have an impact on how the macaron is presented and what the filling will be.

Macarons are made of meringue biscuits and fillings.  The meringue is usually coloured to match the filling but with the exception of chocolate or nut flavoured, the meringue would not be flavoured.  Since your first sense of taste is with your eyes, strongly coloured macarons make them more enjoyable.  The filling is made from either ganache, butter cream or fruit jams, with the fillings depending on the flavouring you want. 

Traditional macarons are fruit flavoured and filled with jams or preserves.  We make our macarons with the finest jam or when the fruit are in season and the orders are large enough we make a large batch of jam ourselves.  Conventional English berries such as strawberries, raspberries and blackcurrants make good flavourings. 

Butter cream fillings are our favoured choice and can be used for all types of macaron.  Fruit flavoured macarons go well with butter cream and ensures the final result is not too sweet as can be the case with jam fillings.  Butter cream also makes a larger variety available an flavours can be mixed: champagne & strawberry, coconut & lime.

Finally, ganache, is chocolate truffle like the centre of a Swiss chocolate or Ferrero Rocher.  Made with chocolate and cream, the result is a thick a decadent treat.  Any chocolate lover would enjoy a chocolate macaron and never want a milk tray again.  At a recent sale in St Albans macarons with chocolate filings were the best sellers by far.

Finally, nut macarons are one of our specialities.  Coconut, hazelnut or pistachio make macarons and they are required to be added to the meringue biscuit as well as the filling.  This makes a flavour explosion that carries through the entire macaron.

Please see our website at Fondant & Chocolate for a full range of flavours and contact us for any requests, most sweet desires can be catered for.

Introduction to our blog

Welcome to our Macaron blog.  On this site we will be discussing everything to do with macarons, who we like them, why we think they are the best sweet a patisserie can produce how you can make the most from them. 

As an introduction to us, we are an independent bakery currently working from a kitchen without a shop front.  We are a new business looking to take our brand to Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, London and beyond.  We sell through our website Fondant & Chocolate and from our contacts.  Many people have met us through wedding shows and from seeing our products through past orders.

We will start this blog with an introduction to macaroons.

Macarons (sometimes mistakenly spelt macaroons) are a sweet meringue based biscuits made with eggs, icing sugar and almond powder.  They are willed with ganache, butter cream or fruit preserve, depending on the flavour choice. 

Although they are of French origin, the name is Italian from the meringue biscuits they are made from.  The exact origin is unknown and steeped in confectionary legend.  Historians have traced their provenance to the time of Henry II of France.  Henry married into the influential Italian Medici family with his union of Catherine de' Medici's.  It is though Catherine de' Medici's brought Italian pastry chefs with her in 1533 and through this Franco-Italian gastronomy the macaron was born.

The company which more than anyone else has brought the macaron into the 21st century is the Parisian luxury bakery and sweets maker house Ladurée.  In 2005 Ladurée opened its first international brand in London and the high art of macaron making and eating finally came to the UK.  At Fondant & Chocolate we are continuing the traditions handed down from the first macaron makers by creating these wonderful treats for all to enjoy.