Macaroons

[Melbournemumma]

Hello oh wise baking ladies of BB.

I have a question for you. My friend is trying to master Macaroons and she made some the other day and said they were too almondy. She thought it might have been the almond meal she used (she just bought it from Woolies). Is there a special type she should look for? Where would she get it if there was?

TIA

[Miss_Dee]

I've never made them but my friend makes the most amazing macaroons. Better than any I've bought anywhere! I'll ask her what she uses.

[bellany]

Did she sift the almond meal?

[Melbournemumma]

Yeah she did. She said they just tasted really almondy.

[Miss_Dee]

So my friend uses blanched almond meal. She goes to a speciality food place to get it, but she has also bought blanched almonds and ground them herself, though that was pretty hard work and she found that she didn't get the almonds ground quite fine enough.

[STARRYSKY]

I've always used the almond meal from woolies..lucky brand? they do tend to taste quite almondy (they are made from almonds! LOL) depends on fillings used as well... (you do mean the french Macarons, not the coconut like grandma used to make macaroons?)

[Melbournemumma]

Yep the French Macaroons. She got the Adrian Zumbo recipe book and was making them from that. I think she tried the macaroons before she added the filling, which prbably would have lead to them tasting quite almondy cause that's all she was eating. Anyway, I think she was going to give them a try again and see how they went She said the consistency and texture was fine, it was just the almond taste.

[STARRYSKY]

They also taste better after filling when you put them in the fridge overnight or for 12-24 hours...I think he does mention that in the book, the shells then do take on the flavours of the filling, allowing the taste to "develop"