After making cotognata I had some left over “quince water” in which I had cooked the quinces… that liquid makes some fantastic quince jelly! But I did not want to eat the jelly by itself… I wanted to make something unique to celebrate a special occasion, but more on that later. What’s more special than the most delicate, light, delicious and elegant of all cookies? Yes, you guessed it right… I made another batch of macarons and sandwiched them with the quince jelly. And let me tell you, they were delicious!!! So, what’s this great occasion that we are celebrating? This is my 100th post! I almost cannot believe it, but it is true! And to show my readers a little love, I have decided to have a giveaway… my first! But we’ll get to it in a bit. For now let’s have a look at my quince jelly macarons and if you read the post till the end, you will find out all you need to know about my giveaway! Enjoy!
Ingredients
For the shells:
63 gms ground almonds or almond meal, sifted
50 gms egg whites (aged) and brought back at room temperature
103 gms pure icing sugar, sifted
30 grams sugar
Pink and/or orange food coloring (powder or paste)
For the quince jelly:
Remaining liquid from cooking quinces to make cotognata
Sugar (1:1)
For the shells:
The first thing to do is to “age” your egg whites. You can either leave them in the fridge for 4 days or keep them out on your kitchen’s bench top for a couple of days. I covered mine with a sieve, to prevent small particles to get into it. Remember to take bring them back at room temperature BEFORE whisking them. You can use your egg yolks in many other recipes… you could make a yummy Carbonara or some Genovesi Ericine for example.
On the day you want to bake your macarons, make sure you have everything ready, BEFORE you start making your shells. Prepare the piping bag with the right nozzle (a normal circular nozzle of about 1 cm in diameter) and line your oven trays with baking paper or with a silicone cookie mat.
Now you are all set to start making your macarons. Sift the almond meal and the pure icing sugar and mix them together in a large bowl.
The next step is to make the meringue. Put the egg whites in a bowl and start whisking them with an electric mixer. Add the sugar and the food colouring little by little and keep whisking until you get very stiff peaks. The meringue has to look translucent and pear like.
Add the meringue to the almond meal and icing sugar mix and stir well using a spatula. When all the meringue has been incorporated, you need to do what is known as the “macaronnage”. Using a pastry scraper (or the same spatula that you were using to mix), scrape the batter back and forth against the bowl to remove air bubbles, until your batter ribbons off the scraper (or “flows like magma”).
Now you are ready to pipe it! Fill your piping bag and pipe out circles of batter on the lined baking tray/cookie sheet by squeezing the bag while keeping it in one spot.
Let the macarons rest between 30 to 60 minutes or until they harden a bit.
If you have read my post on Chocolate Macarons with White Chocolate and Mint Ganache, you already know that baking the shells is actually what gives me the most problems. I am still experimenting with my oven as I find that when I bake light coloured shells at 150°C (fan forced) instead of 160°C they still tend to slightly change colour! Anyhow… in this case I did not mind as they paired well with my quince jelly! So, depending on your oven, you can bake them either at 160°C for about 12 minutes, or at 150°C for 15-17 minutes… it is all about experimenting and getting to know your oven. I also suggest that you buy a small oven thermometer if you have problems, to check the actual themperature of your oven (mine for example heats up to 20°C more than what I set it to)!
When ready, take the shells out of the oven and let them cool down BEFORE attempting to detach them from the baking paper/silicone mat… if you try to detach them before, they may break and you will ruin those nice feet on the macaron! So be patient. If you still cannot detach them easily, you can also put them in the freezer for a couple of minutes… they will come off easily then.
Once cool, put them in an air tight container and keep them in the fridge till you are ready to assemble them.
For the quince jelly:
Weigh the left-over water from the cooked quinces and put it in a pot with the same amount of sugar by weight.
Put it on the fire and cook on a medium flame until it thickens. It should become thick and amber in colour, but still be quite transparent. To test it, put a drop on a piece of baking paper and let it cool down for 1 minute. If it solidifies like a jelly, it is ready. I slightly overcooked mine, so it became a bit too chewy when cold… beware!
When it cools down slightly, pipe it on half of the shells and put the remaining shells on the top, like a sandwich.
Do NOT put the assembled macarons in the fridge as the jelly may harden and become chewy. Keep them in an air tight container and enjoy them the day after.
On another note… Manu’s Menu is participating to Your Best Recipe Roundup over at Spicie Foodie! Each participant has to chose and share their best recipe of the month. For June I chose my Samosas. Come check out all the amazing posts listed in this month’s roundup!
Now to the GIVEAWAY.
I cannot believe this is my 100th post… that means that I have already shared 99 recipes/posts with you all! Yet it feels like yesterday that I started blogging. In the last 5 months I have met some wonderful people that have actually become friends! It’s a shame we live so far away that we cannot meet in person, otherwise I know we would have great dinner parties and chat till late! I have learnt so much from each one of you: you are my inspiration and the reason I push myself to try new recipes, new ingredients, new techniques. It has been a great journey, tiring at times but so rewarding! And to celebrate this special milestone and to thank all my readers I have thought of hosting a giveaway!
The first difficulty that I face when I read other people’s recipes is trying to understand their measuring systems. I was born and brought up in a country that only uses a metric system: grams, millilitres etc. Now I live in a country that mixes up grams and cups/tbsp/tsp. And I know that many of you use ounces, pounds, cups… Messy, isn’t it? As the majority of my recipes are in grams (and some cups), I thought… “How can I make my readers’ life easier?” Easy answer… I am giving away a digital scale that I bought specifically thinking of all of you as it measures both in grams and pounds (you can adjust this by pressing a button), so you can weigh your ingredients in whatever measuring system your recipe calls for without having to worry about using conversion tables! Isn’t that cool???
HOW TO ENTER:
Each entry in the giveaway is based on a comment. There is a minimum of 1 comment/entry (see REQUIRED ENTRY) and a maximum of 6 comments/entries per person (see EXTRA ENTRIES).
REQUIRED ENTRY:
Write a comment on this post telling me what is your favourite autumn food/ingredient.
The required entry must be done otherwise any extra entries will not count.
EXTRA ENTRIES (for more chances to win):
You can do any or some or all of the 5 options below. Note that if you already follow me on Twitter and/or Facebook and/or already subscribe to Manu’s Menu you must comment for each one if you want the additional entries, as each one counts as an entry. PLEASE make sure you provide your Twitter user name and your Facebook user name on your comments for validation.
1. Become a fan of Manu’s Menu on Facebook.
2. Share the link for this giveaway on your Facebook profile and tag @Manu’s Menu on FB in your message.
3. Follow @manusmenucom on Twitter.
4. Tweet the following: I entered Manu’s Menu giveaway to win a digital scale via @manusmenucom http://bit.ly/mlacyG #giveaway
5. Subscribe to Manu’s Menu updates by email or to my RSS feed.
PLEASE REMEMBER: Leave a separate comment for EACH of your entries or only one entry will be counted.
The giveaway will end on July 10, 2011 at 11:59 pm GMT. One winner with a valid entry will be selected at random through random.org. I will announce the winner on the blog soon afterwards and email the winner. He/she will have to respond to my email within 3 days to claim the prize or another winner will be selected. You may NOT enter using multiple email addresses and there is a maximum of 6 entries per person. This giveaway is open to EVERYONE no matter where you live (I always feel a bit left out when I read “USA only”!). So… GOOD LUCK everyone! <3
THE ABOVE GIVEAWAY IS NOW OFFICIALLY CLOSED! THE WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY IN A NEW POST!
Congrats on your 100th post! Those macarons look absolutely divine. I haven’t had luck with macarons yet (ok, I’ve only tried once and was discouraged). I’ll have to follow your recipe and step-by-step instructions next time 🙂 Great giveaway! I have a scale like this and it is so useful.
Congratulations Manu!! How very exciting! Your macs look gorgeous 🙂
Congratulations Manu..
You are one of the most talented,hardworking and gentle bloggers I know…I love your blog and wish you all the success in the world.
Those macaroons look amazing! I haven’t built up the courage to make macaroons…soon I hope
My favorite autom ingredient is apples
MANU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congrats on your 100th post! WOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! And congrats on macarons success once again! 😀 And… my favorite autumn ingredient is sweet potato/yam! Have a great day! P.S…. I voted for you on babble.com!!!
Congratulations on your 100th post! That’s an amazing amount of work.
The macarons look beautiful. I will get brave enough to try them soon, I promise. 🙂
Your give-away is great. I have always used scales and I can’t imagine how people manage to cook without them. Good luck to the winner!
Congratulations on your 100th post Manu! This is definitely a great way to celebrate!
I know it may seem typical, but my favorite fall ingredient is apples. I love that you can make so many delicious treats with apples… like apple pies, crisps, and my favorite, apple cider doughnuts! 🙂
Ummm yeah… your macaroons always look so perfect! I have yet to try them as well! Crossing my fingers they turn out as good as yours!!!!
Happy 100th post, Manu! It’s been such a fun ride!! Reading about some of the recipes my nonna used to cook brings so many sweet memories!! Keep it up, girl!
I feel you about feeling left out with the “USA Only”… I mean, what about us living in another parts of the world?? So I applaud your will of making this a worldwide giveaway!!!
My fave fall ingridient is dulce de membrillo, I don’t know if it has an english translation… sorry! 🙂
CONGRATS on your 100th post, Manu!!! Your macarons look fantastic! And your step-by-step instructions are so useful!
Great Giveaway! As I have a scale I will not participate in this Giveaway 🙂
100 posts in 5 months! That’s fabulous 🙂 Your macarons are stunning. I’m still a little terrified of making them…baking scares me. I’m all about eating them though if you want to fed ex me a box 🙂
As for your giveaway, my favorite autumn ingredient is sweet potato. Too bad I’m on the other of the equator right now.
First of all, congratulations for your 100th post! Secondly, your macarons are beautiful and very original. I agree, I often feel left out in give aways, so thanks for including the whole world. Re autumn ingredients, I love pumpkin because it is so versatile in making savory and sweet.
Manu, now I definitely wanna try and make macarons (I never tasted them, either :S)… I swear I’ll try your recipe (maybe the chocolate-mint ones, so I can find an excuse: preparing them for my boyfriend :D) soon!
Congrats from the bottom of my heart on your 100th post… already! It seems yesterday… 🙂
And, last but not least, how could I NOT participate to your giveaway?!
So here it is my favorite autumn ingredient: it’s pumpkin! For me, it’s not a proper autumn, if I can’t eat cream pumpkin soup! 🙂
I already follow you everywhere, and now I publicized everywhere your giveaway! 🙂
I already follow you on facebook (chef in disguise and Sawsan Abu Farha)
Congratulations on your 100th post, Manu! As always, your macarons look awesome!
My favorite autumn ingredients are sweet potatoes and apples! Would love to win your digital scale giveaway! 🙂
A giveaway! You’re the best blogger ever 🙂 Congratulations for your 100th post! I won’t give you my favorite autumn ingredients because I already have a digital scale 🙂
BTW, I love your macarons and your pictures.
Mmm your macaroons look amazing, I wish I could eat one now!! And congratulations on your 100th post! My favorite autumn food ingredient is definitely anything pumpkin flavored 🙂 Feel free to check out my first giveaway that I started today on my blog! <3
Manu, happy centenary! That’s a fantastic achievement in 5 months and every morsel utterly delicious! Here’s to the next 100! Lovely macarons too!
Congratulations! Always surprise me with your phase images, cause i know how complex to shoot every 2 min. but your photos make so clear and easy every recipes.
Congratulazioni Manu!!! Bellissima ricetta per celebrare il centesimo post! Per la verità non mi intendo molto di macarons, ma adoro la gelatina di cotogne che fra l’altro non ho mai visto in questa combinazione: un’ottima idea! La tua sequenza di foto fa venire voglia di cimentarsi con questi dolcetti: se ci provo seguo la tua ricetta!! 🙂
I had so much trouble with a recipe just yesterday asking for 15g of this and 80g of that and 1/2g of something else…..very frustrating!!
I love your macarons, mine have never been that good, i like to blame it on my oven. I am thinking I should get one of those thermometres.
My favourite autumn ingredient is Rhubarb as that is when I discovered how amazing rhubarb is and now I have it all the time, i really love it.
Can’t wait for you next 100 posts 🙂
Congrats Manu!! Great macarons! So pretty with the jelly in there!
My favorite Autumn ingredient to use in cooking is pumpkin.
Congrats on your 100th post and thanks for the giveaway.
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Subscribe to your RSS Feed via Google Reader
Congrats on your 100th post and thanks for the giveaway.
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Following @manusmenucom on Twitter @lyndacooks
Congrats on your 100th post and thanks for the giveaway.
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I am a fan of Manu’s Menu on Facebook as Lynda Clark
Congrats on your 100th post and thanks for the giveaway.
[email protected]
Tweeted this Giveaway @lyndacooks
http://twitter.com/#!/lyndacooks/status/86578502685564928
[email protected]
Shared link for this post and giveaway on my Facebook profile page
Lynda Clark and Manu’s Menu on FB shared a link.
Quince Macarons and My First Giveaway
http://www.manusmenu.com
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Ffbshare.me%2FAcWE0&h=9a894
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Yay! Beautiful macarons to celebrate your 100th post! Congratulations Manu! My favorite food is chestnut (in Japan this is fall food, but maybe not so in the US…not sure). I have a scale…..so maybe I should pass the giveaway so others can get a chance. I’ll still share on facebook and twitter, but don’t count it as entry. 😉 I’m already following you via facebook/twitter/RSS.
I like using persimmons during the autumn season 🙂
Manu! Congrats on completing one hundred posts! I’m amazed how you were able to complete that in just five months – you are truly very talented and diligent!
Can’t wait for the next hundred :D. Keep posting!
P.S. My favorite autumn ingredient is butternut squash.
Congrats on 100 posts Manu! These look so pretty you did an amazing job- I’ve heard macarons are so tempermental and yours came out perfect. My favorite autumn ingredient is pumpkin!!
And I follow you on twitter! (MsLindselicious)
And I just liked you on Facebook! (Lindselicious) Great giveway- hope i win! LOL
YAY Manu .. your 100th Post 🙂 Congrats dear and HUGE HUGE HUG 🙂 Hope you have many many many more years of celebration.
So i was following you in twitter and and FB from long back .. and subscribed too ! and shared too in Twitter 🙂
Yay! Congrats on your 100th post! 🙂 That’s so awesome… This is a great giveaway & I’m crossing my fingers and toes for two reasons – a) world-wife giveaway is something I always miss seeing 🙂 b) I don’t have, and really need a kitchen scale! So I am going to use up all my 6 entries (as silly as that might look!)… Autumn ingredient I love – pumpkin!
I have been following you on twitter for a while now 🙂
I already like you on facebook
I already subscribe to your posts via email
Shared it on my facebook page, and tagged @Manu’s Menu on FB 🙂
Just tweeted the giveaway 🙂 @theharriedcook
And I must mention that your macarons look fabulous! I am going attempt my first macarons soon, and I hope mine look as nice as yours! 🙂 Thanks again for the awesome giveaway! 🙂
I shared a link on Facebook with the tag @Manu’s menu on FB
I follow you on Twitter – not a surprise 😛
I am your fan on Facebook
I twitted I entered Manu’s Menu giveaway to win a digital scale via @manusmenucom http://bit.ly/mlacyG #giveaway
I subscribed your RSS via Google Reader 🙂
Ok, now I’m finished! Sorry, I included everything in one comment!
Congratz on the 100th post! Your recipes always look so tasty and Nami and I love visiting your blog. Your recipes cover a wide spectrum of dishes we don’t make at home so we really enjoy learning new food from you. Keep up the amazing work.
Congrats on your 100th post! Have you really only been posting for 5 months? Your site is so beautiful that it looks like you have been doing it alot longer! I love macarons and yours look awesome!!
Oh, Manu, your macarons are perfect!!!!! My Mad About Macarons just arrived this week, so hope to join you in baking these soon. THANK YOU for all the great hints. And congrats on your 100th post, my friend!!!!
Pumpkin is my favorite autumn ingredient. More entries later 🙂
100 posts! AMAZING! Congrats Manu. You know how much I love your blog right?? I wish some of us bloggers lived closer too, how fun would that be?! But, dont worry when I make it out to your part of the world you can bet Ill be inviting myself for some authentic Italian cooking 🙂 Such a great giveaway! PUMPKIN is my favorite fall ingredient and I am seeing it everywhere now Israel!
Tweeted (thatskinnychick)~
Shared on fa~cebook (Liz Weber Berg)
I follow your FABULOUS blog~
I am a fan of your FB page~
I follow you on Twitter ~
oh cute.
ive never made macroons before they look epically hard!
Pumpkin! It’s sooo delicious in curry!
I love the look of your macarons! I would eat the whole lot!
Congrats on 100th post! And great job on those macrons! Keep up the good work your posts are amazing!
These look delicious YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM! ty for posting..and sharing..
Congrats on your 100th post, this is first post i have read, those macarons sound yummy,
my favourite at the moment is sweet potato
Hi Manu! Congratulations on your 100th post! Keep it up! 😀
I love your cute macarons! Look like tiny mini burgers! 😀
As you know, Singapore is a whole year round in summer season, I shall tell you my all time favorite food then, and that is fish! All kinda fish, almost any fish that are edible, cooked in any methods coz I’m a fish-lover! Maybe a cat in my previous life!? LOL
Congrats again and have a wonderful weekend! ^.^
Bravo, Manu! 100th post? Amazing – and what fabulous macarons with the quince paste. You’ve definitely got the macaron bug now – great to see you’ve got all the tips, too!
Hi Manu! I’ve shared the link for this giveaway on Facebook. 🙂
Hi Manu! I’ve tweeted “I entered Manu’s Menu giveaway to win a digital scale via @manusmenucom http://bit.ly/mlacyG #giveaway”
Hi Manu! I’ve followed @manusmenucom on Twitter. ^.^
Hi Manu! I’ve subscribed your posts via email. 🙂
Hi Manu! I’m your fan on Facebook! ^.^
Have a wonderful Sunday! 😀
My favorite is Bosc pears.
My favorite autumn ingredient is cinnamon.
Congrats on your 100th post Manu!!!! My favorite autumn food is apples!
I follow you on Facebook….
also follow you on Twitter….
…and I’m subscribed to your RSS Feed!
..and finally I have tweeted that I have entered your giveaway!
Congrats!! Hmmm, there are so many things I LOVE about Autumn but I’d say pomegranates because they’re extremely healthy and it’s great to take advantage of the low in season prices 🙂
I have shared your post on facebook too!
Manu, congratulation on your 100th post. The macarons are just perfect. I love eating them but making, but my type of baking :))
My mom used to make us quince jelly, I haven’t eaten in years.
p.s. no need to enter the giveaway, I already have 2 digital scales 🙂
Ah, I love a new macaron recipe! I’m still perfecting the technique (I wish my macarons piped as round and clean as your!) but they’re on their way. Thanks for the recipes and advice!
Happy 100th!! I have recently become a subscriber to your beautiful blog. I adore your talent. I perused your previous entries and have tried several of your recipes. My parents have a quince tree and we are always trying to come up with new ideas on how to prepare them, and my very first try at macarons your these lovely quince macarons. Mine are not as pretty as yours are, but I am nowhere near as talented as you are. They were, however, delicious. Thank you for this delectable treat. I look forward to all your posts.
Hi Manu, I just got my internet connection finally up and here I am..:) Congrats on the 100th post, congrats on making top 9 since I saw it but couldn’t comment:)) and finally what a awesome giveaway..we do have some kind of connection hahaa..
I follow you everywhere, you know that :)) I will tweet about it:) after I tell you my favorite Autumn dish..well I got to go with pumpkin pies..they are always more delicious at that time:)
Manu,
Congrats on your 100th post!! It’s wonderful to see you so committed.
I have been contemplating entering the blogosphere for a while now but haven’t yet mustered the courage to take the plunge!! Your blog is one of the few which have led to this contemplation.
I have never tasted macarons but am highly intrigued by all the woot-feet & oh-no-feet worries around it. I do not have the equipment (read electric beater, digital scale) as yet to make macarons. Hopefully this digital scale will be one of my first steps to making them 🙂
My favorite autumn ingredient is apple and I would love to make warm apple crumble!!! So easy & deliciously yum.
Congratulations on 100 posts!
My favourite autumn food is apples – they’re available year round, but they’re so much better fresh off the tree.
I just recently celebrated my 100th post and my first blog anniversary:) So I can wholeheartedly congratulate you – it is not an easy endeavor, and you should be proud of your work:)
It’s hard to think of fall food when the summer is in full swing, but I have to say that my favorite ingredient is sweet potato, which I tried for the first time when I moved to the US.
I have been following you on Twitter for some time now as @Bibberche.
I tweeted about your giveaway as @Bibberche
I like you on FB:) as Svetlana Watkins
Wow the macroons luk awesome…and as always I love the way u describe …Love this site….All the best.
For the giveaway …My favorite autumn food is apples….:-)
My favorite autumn food is pumpkin. In pie, cakes, cookies and soups!
Congratulations on your 100th post.
Congratulations on your 100+ post. I’ve been looking for a macarons recipe and this one looks like it’s the one! I will try it as a hostess gift this weekend!
congratulations on your 100th post! These look amazing! my favourite autumn ingredient would have to be apples, although pears come a close second!
I like you on FB!
I tagged you on fb!
ok, i believe i didn’t quite read to the end.. but you still have a great blog and i loved your recipe!