French chocolate macaroons !!

the macaroon remains one of the star delicacies of French pastry. This shiny smooth almond jewel, it consists of two shells glued together by a ganache. It is characterized by a slightly crunchy crust and a melting interior.

Much easier than it seems.

INGREDIENTS :

• 6 eggs (to recover 200 g of egg whites)
• 250 g almond powder
• 400 g icing sugar
• 50 g caster sugar
• 25 g cocoa

For the chocolate ganache:

• 1 orange (untreated to recover 5 cl of juice and the zest)
• 50 g liquid cream
• 100 g dark chocolate in small pieces (or grated)
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 pinch of nutmeg

INSTRUCTIONS FOR MADE :

1. For the cookies : separate the whites from the yolks (Keep the yolks for something else). Attention, it is preferable that the whites are at room temperature!
2. Weigh the blanks and adjust the other ingredients in proportion.
3. Whisk the egg whites (firm, but not too much). At the end, add the powdered sugar and continue to whisk for 30 seconds.
4. Sift together the almond powder, icing sugar and cocoa; mix well.
5. Gradually add the white almond powder / icing sugar / cocoa powder to the white, mixing gently with a spatula until you obtain a homogeneous, smooth and shiny paste.
6. Place small heaps (round) of dough on a sheet of parchment paper placed on a plate, either using a pastry bag, or with 2 small spoons.
7. Try to make heaps of the same size! The macaroons will spread out slightly so they must be placed in staggered rows and a little away from each other. Count about 1 plate per egg white.
8. Let stand for about 2 hours.
9. Preheat the oven to 160 ° C (thermostat 5-6).
10. The ideal is to put the plates of macaroons to cook on 2 empty plates and already hot (during the preheating of the oven), that helps to « seize » the macaroons.
11. During this time, prepare the filling which must cool before being used …
    Each plate must cook between 10 and 15 min depending on the ovens.
12. The best is to check the cooking after 10 min: the crust must be firm but the macaroon must still be soft in it.
13. To facilitate the detachment of macaroons, 2 possibilities:
    1) Pass a little cold water between the plate and the sheet of parchment paper (by tilting the plate above the sink), being careful not to wet the macaroons!
    or
    2) Place the plate on a cold surface (for example tiling), being careful not to step on it!
14. For the ganache: boil the cream with the orange juice.
15. Remove from the heat, add the grated chocolate or cut into small pieces and mix well until the chocolate is completely dissolved.
16. Add the orange zest, cinnamon (between 1/2 and 1 teaspoon) and a little bit of nutmeg.
17. Mix well, transfer to a cold container and let cool before putting in the fridge (not too long, it should not harden too much).
18. For the assembly of the macaroons: mix the ganache a little to soften it. With a small spoon, place a little ganache on one of the two half-macaroons
19. Assemble the cookies in pairs, of the same size and shape.
20. Assemble the macaroon, turning the cookies over one another to stick them together and distribute the ganache evenly.

Enjoy !!