Adriano Zumbo Macaron Mix

Macaron by Adriano Zumbo. Honestly, I have never heard of his name before in the macaron world, maybe it is due to ignorance. Do forgive me. The only two macaron makers I know of are obviously, Laduree whose brand name is synonymous with macaron and maybe not so obvious, Sprungli (I know they are chocolatier but I love their macarons too- Luxemburgerli). If you ever visit Zurich you have to try Luxemburgerli macaron because I tell you they are the best!
 
So Adriano Zumbo hails from Sydney, Australia and being able to sell macaron mix commercially he must be pretty good at what he does. Mum tried to make macaron from scratch, twice, and on two occasions failed miserably, so I thought maybe macaron mix won't be that hard, right?

Method:-

1.     remove all the contents from the box and read the instructions on the box and tips printed on the piping bag.

2.     In a mixing bowl add in the meringue mix and 1/4 cup water. Mix until you get a stiff peak.

3.     Sift the almond meal and add in bit by bit and pulse. Continue pulsing if the batter is still too thick. The batter should have the consistency of sliding off your beater.

4.     Pipe the batter using the circles you have traced on the parchment paper.

5.     Let them sit until dry for 10 minutes. When you touch the batter they should not stick to your fingers. This is important because if the shells don’t rest they won’t have “feet” (Macaron lingo for the rough edges at the bottom of the shell)

7.    Bake for 14-18 minutes.

Tips:-

* Sieve the almond meal to obtain a smooth batter.

* Tap tray before putting the macarons in the oven to release air.

* Let your macarons rest for about 10 minutes to let them dry. They are ready to be baked when the batter do not stick when touched.

The box contains a meringue mix, almond meal, passionfruit filing, 2 piping bags and cardboard circle to trace circles on your baking paper.

 

Sift the almond meal into the mixture

Fold the almond meal into the mixture

Pulse, no pulse feature so I whisk

Only 24 shells. I piped out the mixture but the surface wasn't even so I had to use the back of a teaspoon to smoothen the surface.

The macarons wasn't good. It was chewy and did not taste like macarons at all. Maybe cause I add too much water? It was also too sweet!

I'll choose something more familiar next week.

But at least there was something to look forward to that Saturday night. KC's home cooked meal! Pork chop, kimche fried rice, soba noodles and garden salad.

Ok to be fair, the taste of the macaron is not that bad. I ate 1 1/2 macarons after dinner today. I actually like its chewy texture. It is so damn sweet so it will be a good sugar booster. KC said it doesn't taste so bad. Taste more like kuih. Ha ha. Mum tried it and she said I should have baked it longer. 

Ok. I think I am up for trying it again in a few months time.