Life is always full of surprises, for example:
Who would have thought that the first customer to visit the upgraded Izakaya would be the current Elite Ten Fourth Seat:
Akanegakubo Momo!
And she only ordered one serving of macarons.
Macarons that are even slightly authentic are never cheap. The reason, besides the complex process and high failure rate, is also related to the use of high-quality ingredients.
Whether it's the most basic components or the flavoring in the filling, most of them are imported ingredients.
...
First, prepare the ingredients.
Egg whites, almond flour, fine granulated sugar, powdered sugar, food coloring.
As for the filling ingredients, they include vanilla pods, dark chocolate, roses, sea salt, mineral salt, and so on.
Bring the light cream to a boil, then add the dark chocolate to the light cream and stir until the chocolate melts. After the filling cools, transfer it into a piping bag and set aside.
Whip the egg whites and fine granulated sugar quickly, then add the sifted powdered sugar and almond flour and mix well.
Afterward, add a little food coloring to each portion and mix well, then pipe them onto a non-stick mat.
Lay them flat until the surface of the macarons forms a shell, then air dry them.
After the surface is air-dried, bake in the oven at 160 degrees Celsius for the top heat and 140 degrees Celsius for the bottom heat for 15 minutes.
After baking, remove and cool. Once cooled, take one macaron, pipe the prepared chocolate filling onto the back, then take another macaron and stick their backs together.
Refrigerate until the filling solidifies, and it's done.
...
She picked it up and examined it closely.
It was crisp on the outside and moist and soft on the inside, not hollow, with a subtle sheen under the light, and a particularly smooth feel to the touch.
"Did he really make it?"
Gazing at the brightly colored macarons in front of her, Akanegakubo Momo's emerald eyes darted around excitedly, unable to help but feel delighted.
Don't be fooled, these macarons are very small.
But even for top masters, the success rate is usually only around 40%, earning them the nickname 'LV' of the dessert world.
"Momo, you've come at just the right time tonight. As the first customer to visit the Izakaya after its renovation, I'll specially offer you a free cup of coffee."
Meanwhile, Sosuke brought over coffee, approaching her with a smile.
"Oh! Then I'm really lucky."
Akikubo paused, looked up at Sosuke, and then a slight smile involuntarily appeared at the corner of her mouth.
It was evident that unlike those melancholic customers burdened with worries, her mood was always quite good whenever she came to the Izakaya.
Of course, the reason she was the first to come to the Izakaya tonight was, as Alice and Leonora had thought, that she hadn't been there for too long and missed it greatly!
...
The macaron shells were made into a pearlescent color.
It carried a faint rose scent, and upon taking a bite, the texture was soft and delicate, like a young girl.
Sweet!
Really sweet!
And it was the kind of pure white sugar sweetness.
Coupled with the rose flavor, it had a lingering sensation, like that brought by perfume.
First, there was the thin, crispy outer shell, followed by a tender, dense, and slightly chewy filling.
This made Akanegakubo Momo marvel at the rich layers while also being intoxicated by the unprecedented unique texture on her taste buds.
The word 'happiness' instantly upgraded at this moment!
Then, paired with a cup of coffee, she gently picked up a macaron and took another quarter bite.
Closing her eyes to perceive its layers, from crisp to soft, from dry to moist, slowly blending with her saliva, the sweetness and bitterness all merged into her body.
For Akanegakubo Momo, a sweet tooth, perhaps only such coffee could truly highlight the delicate and elegant oral "sensation" of the macaron.
...
"A perfect macaron."
"The bottom edge of the shell will definitely have a beautiful lace 'foot'."
"Just as the French often use words describing a young girl to describe this macaron 'foot'."
"Shopkeeper, I want to ask."
"How did you achieve this 'foot' effect?"
Then, Akikubo slowly opened her eyes, her face filled with curiosity and amazement, and she couldn't help but ask Sosuke, who was beside her.
"The principle of the macaron 'foot' is that a hard shell forms on the surface, and during the baking process, the temperature rises, causing the batter in the middle to expand outwards due to the crust forming on top."
"Don't think that just because I explain the principle in a few sentences, it's very simple."
"In fact, it's really not easy to achieve a perfect 'foot' effect."
"First, you need to know your own oven very well. The recipes and cooking guides provided by any pastry chef may not necessarily have the most suitable temperature."
"And the temperature of commercial ovens and home ovens differs greatly, so controlling the temperature must be figured out slowly by oneself."
"If the oven temperature is too high, it will cause the batter to crack, become hollow, have too much 'foot', and leak batter."
"If the temperature is too low, it will become an ordinary cookie."
"For ovens with top and bottom heat, the top heat should be higher, and the bottom heat should be a little lower."
Sosuke thought for a moment and explained.
"Is that so? Then... is there a universal technique?"
Hearing this, Akanegakubo Momo lowered her head and pondered slightly, then her gaze returned to Sosuke.
"Yes, if you really don't know how to control the temperature, you can try baking at 175 degrees Celsius with only top heat for 8 minutes. After the 'foot' appears, turn off the top heat and turn on the bottom heat, continuing to bake at 175 degrees Celsius for another 10 minutes..."
"With this method, I wouldn't dare say 100% success rate, but 95% should be achievable!"
"What?"
"A 95% success rate?"
Akanegakubo Momo was shocked upon hearing this.
For a while, her homemade macarons were always cracked, like parched earth.
Finally, she compared many pastry chefs' methods and only then realized it was a problem with whipping the meringue. She never expected it was also related to temperature control!
...
Macarons first appeared in a monastery.
At that time, a nun named Carmelie created this almond flour dessert as a substitute for meat, hence it was also called "the nun's macaron."
In the early 20th century, a Parisian pastry chef, Pierre Hermé, invented a method to present macarons.
He first used the sandwich method, placing a sweet, thick paste filling between the two traditional shells, creating a new small round cookie.
Due to the use of spices and food coloring, and the emergence of new techniques like humidity control.
The nature of macarons gradually improved.
Unlike the outgoing and cheerful Kobayashi Rindo, Akanegakubo Momo usually seems very quiet and introverted, so she must be a person accustomed to solitude, right?
In fact, among the many Elite Ten members, her presence has always been the weakest.
But being accustomed to solitude doesn't mean she won't fear solitude, won't be afraid of solitude.
After all, setting aside her Elite Ten identity, she is also a young girl who loves to pursue "cute" elements, and she never thought she would want to be a background character with no popularity or presence in this life.
At Totsuki, Akikubo has always longed to make friends with whom she could confide.
But her shy personality and Elite Ten status gradually made her relationships with many people even more distant.
...
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