Anniversary Celebration Macaron Gift

Making my unique creations don't earn me a lot of money for the given effort put in. Many ask me then why do I do it? Because of the joy it brings the recipients. I get requests that mean something special to the recipients and I try my best to let my creations express that "specialness", like this one. 

A lady wanted to gift her friend a bake that commemorates her achievement that took her 15 years, something she worked long and hard for. I was given the 2D logo of MDRT and caricature of the two ladies, and thought why not make a 3D round table version of it out of macarons. 

The challenging part about this bake is the human figures. It is often nerve wrecking for me to draw human faces because the positioning of the strokes have to be extremely precise. A little off and it will look weird, or like someone else instead. I usually make an extra set and pick the one that looks better. Bakers with fine arts background probably have it easier here and I don't have this advantage. 

I used the Swiss meringue method to make the macaron shells. Here are some pictures of the piped batter. 

I decorated the macaron shells with edible marker and vodka to blend the colours in. A little white gel colouring with royal icing for the white parts of the eyes. 

Practising on a macaron shell made with extra batter first because i wasn't confident I would get it right on first try 🤣

Decorated figures 

Here is a look at the side view. Look at the awesome feet! 

I filled the macarons with vanilla bean white chocolate ganache and dark chocolate ganache as requested. 

The recipe for dark chocolate ganache can be found here. I will share the vanilla bean white chocolate ganache that is firm, tastes really milky with vanilla fragrance and surprisingly not too sweet. If you live in a temperate climate, feel free to use more whipping cream. Over here in Singapore room temperature is 26-32°C all year round 😅. 

Vanilla bean white chocolate ganache

Ingredients:

60g white chocolate, finely chopped or use couverture 

15g unsalted butter

12g heavy cream (whipping cream) 

1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract) 

1/4 tsp salt

Steps: 

1. Place all ingredients in a heatproof bowl. Set it over freshly boiled water and make sure the water doesn't touch the base of the bowl. 

2. Use a spatula to mash the ingredients together until well combined and chocolate is melted.  Alternatively, you may melt using microwave oven. Be careful not to overheat. 

3. Chill the mixture in freezer for 2 min. Whip it with a spatula. Repeat chilling and whipping until buttercream-like texture. Alternatively, you may use an ice bath to chill and whip the chocolate mixture. 

Transfer to piping bag and fill the macarons. 

Always let the macarons to mature in the fridge for at least 24 hours before consuming. Store macarons in airtight condition. When ready to consume, leave the airtight container out at room temperature for 15-20min  before opening. This is to prevent condensation from forming on the surface of the macaron shells. 

With love, 

Phay Shing