Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Black Sesame Macarons with Black Sesame Buttercream and Adzuki Beans


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If you love sesame seeds, you’ve got to give this Black Sesame Macarons a try, even though you’re not a big fan of Macarons.  I mean, is that even possible that someone doesn’t like Macarons?  Maybe, if you haven’t tried one that is made with “real ingredients” as I mentioned here.  I don’t blame you.  That’s why, I preferred to make my own rather than getting them from the bakeries because I know exactly what’s in it. (Also because I am cheap, I admit it!)  Plus, I can create whatever flavor combinations that I would prefer.  You can imagine how much fun I’m having in the kitchen with these Macarons!  At least, I haven’t came across any Black Sesame Macarons with Black Sesame Buttercream and Adzuki Beans in any bakery out there, have you?

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If you missed my post “Tips on How to Make Perfect French Macarons”, no big deal, here it is again for your reference.  I reassure you, these are not hard to make at all as long as you follow the few basic steps from my How-To post.  You only need the basic technique and you can add your own flavor and ingredient combinations to the basic recipe.  That’s one of the reason why I love Macarons so much because they are like blank canvases for your creativities to flow freely. 

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I've made these Black Sesame Macarons for many times but I haven’t get a chance to take pictures for them before they were all gone... too quickly!  So here they are as I promised some of my blog-friends that I’ll post the recipe as soon as I have a chance.  Smile Sorry for the delay and here they are.   

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The nutty flavor from the black sesame seeds really came through in these macarons.  The black sesame Swiss meringue buttercream was amazing.  It was creamy, fluffy and silky; packed with the wonderful black sesame seed aroma.  The little adzuki beans in the center were the little surprise jewels that you get when biting into one.  The adzuki beans are tender and slightly starchy. It created a nice contrast in the texture.  I sprinkle a few toasted sesame seed on top of the macaron shells right after I’ve piped them on the baking sheet, for a little decoration and crunch.     

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hm….and this batch was all gone soon after the photo shoot as well.  Smile
Thank you for reading and visiting.  I hope you’ll visit again soon.  Happy Baking!

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Black Sesame Macarons with Black Sesame Buttercream and Adzuki Beans:
(Printable Recipe)

Makes: 35 to 40 filled macarons

For the macaron shells:
90 grams egg whites (about 3) preferably aged 3-5 days in the fridge
pinch of kosher salt
30 grams granulated sugar
185 grams powdered sugar
60 grams almonds
55 grams black sesame seeds, toasted
1 teaspoons of vanilla powder

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites and salt on high, gradually add the sugar until stiff peak forms.

Place the powdered sugar, almonds, sesame seeds, and vanilla powder in a food processor and process until the nuts and seeds are finely ground.

Add them to the meringue. Fold the mixtures carefully until you obtain a batter that falls back on itself after counting to 10. The whole process takes about 40 to 50 strokes.

Test a small amount on a plate; if the tops flatten on its own after counting to 10, the batter is ready. If there is a small beak, give the batter a couple more folds.
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip with the batter and pipe small rounds (1 inch to 1.5 inches in diameter) onto parchment paper or silicone mats lined baking sheets. 

Preheat the oven to 280F. Let the macarons sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour to harden their shells and bake for 18 to 22 minutes, depending on their size. Rotate baking pans once half way through baking. Cool completely on wire rack before removing macaron shells from baking sheets.


Filling:
Sweeten Adzuki Bean (I used store bought this time) & Black Sesame Buttercream (recipe followed)

Black Sesame Buttercream:

1/2 cup sugar
2 large egg whites
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup black sesame seeds powder
A pinch of Kosher salt

In the bowl of a stand mixer or a heat proof bowl, add the sugar and egg whites together. Whisk constantly over a saucepan of simmering water. Keep whisking the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch and foamy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and place the bowl back to the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat the meringue on medium high until it cools.

Switch to the paddle attachment and add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, beating until smooth. Once all the butter is in, add the sesame seed powder. Beat the buttercream until thick and very smooth, about 6-10 minutes.

To Assemble:Fill sesame seed buttercream in a pastry bag fitted with a medium round tip. Then, pipe the buttercream on the outer rim of one macaron shell and dollop a small amount of adzuki bean in the middle. Then, top with another macaron shell, repeat until all shells are filled.


37 comments:

  1. Are these for real? They are INCREDIBLE!!! I am blown away....

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  2. OH MY... I have seen so many options for flavors... Something new here! And your usual simply stunning photos!

    Dave

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    1. Thank you, Dave. Glad you like these new flavors for Macs. ;)

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  3. Wow, your macaroons are too gorgeous to put into my mouth! Are you a professional baker?
    What a great idea to add black sesame and red beans for filling. I love them both. I am a huge fan of glutenous rice ball soup as a dessert in Chinese restaurant, especially the one with black sesame paste filling.

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    1. Thank you for your sweet comment. I'm just a home baker who's crazy about food and love to try new things. I wish I'm a professional baker. :)

      Oh yeah, I love the black sesame glutenous rice ball soup dessert too. Those are so good.

      Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you back again soon. Have a wonderful day.

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  4. Hello Amy,
    I've always admire people who baked and post their macarons. Browsing all those different flavours posted have made me crave for it sometimes. But macarons could be too sweet for me which is why I hesitate to bake again. This black sesame macarons must be full of aroma in taste, right? Wish I can have one from yours!

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    1. Oh, I wish I can share some with you, Mel. Just like you, I don't like desserts that are overly sweet. That's why, I adjust and experiment with my Macaron recipes for a while to cut down the sugar. Also, if you pair the flavor with strong nutty flavor, bitter tone dark chocolate or something tart (such as lemon) to off set the sweetness, they could be out of this world delicious. These sesame ones are packed with the sesame aroma. But my all time favorite Macarons are still the Meyer Lemon ones. Which are sweet and tart at the same time. You might want to try that recipe first. Here's the link to that recipe for your reference. Hope you like it.

      http://utry.it/2010/12/meyer-lemons-macarons-with-limoncello.html

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    2. I wish I am staying nearby at your place so that you can show me more. I do wanted to bake macarons again but the thought of the sweetness just stop me. I did thought of pairing with something less sweet to go with it. I never make lemon curds before and wish we can have meyer lemons here but just the normal types.

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    3. Yeah, wish we're living closer to each other. We'll definitely have fun cooking and baking together. Maybe I'll include a pictorial or video on my next Macaron recipe. ;)

      By the way, you don't need to make lemon curd for the lemond macarons, but they definitely will taste great in them. They are super easy to make and so delicious on toast. Check the link below for the lemon curd recipe. And you don't have to use Meyer Lemon, the regular lemon works just fine. Just keep in mind that regular lemons are more sour than Meyer lemon and not as juicy.

      Here's the Lemon Curd recipe if you're interested to give that a try first.

      http://utry.it/2011/07/meyer-lemon-curd-with-vanilla-sugar.html

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  5. Wow! This is such a creative combination of ingredients and gorgeous too!
    You never cease to amaze me, Amy! xo

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    1. Thank you for your sweet comment, Lorraine. How have you been? Are you going to submit your recipe/video for the RWOP contest? I would love to see one from you. :)

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  6. I know these are delicious as I have baked macarons with black sesame seeds before. But yours with bean filling looks definitely better!

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    1. Thank you for your sweet comment. Yes, the black sesame seeds are so aromatic. Glad you like my red bean fillings. :) I love surprises in my desserts. hehehe...

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  7. Glad you like this recipe, Shannon. I'm sure you can make them as good as I did. Check out this post for more tips on making Macaron if this is something new to you. Hope it helps. :) Let me know how they turn out if you tried.

    http://utry.it/2011/06/tips-on-how-to-make-perfect-french.html

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  8. Yeah, I have to agree with Angie. Your mac looks simply amazing. wish I can have some right now. Isn't great if we live nearer. haha....
    Enjoy your day, dear.
    Blessings
    Kristy

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    1. Thank you, Kristy. Yeah, it'll be fun if we live closer. We can even organize a cook-out gathering. :)

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  9. My mouth IMMEDIATELY began watering as soon as I saw that photo.

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    1. Thanks. Glad you like these sesame macarons.

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  10. Hi Amy,

    I made these last night. They turned out so good. Thank you so much for the recipe.

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    1. Thank you so much for trying the recipe and let me know that you've tried. I'm glad you like them, and you're very welcome. It's always my pleasure to share the good things in life. ;)

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  11. Oh these look so delicious!! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe.

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    1. Thank you. I'm glad you like it. Have a wonderful weekend.

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  12. Awesome! I have always been a fan of black sesame! I am curious what sesame and macarons would be like together. :)

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    1. Thank you. Black sesame and macaron are pretty awesome together. Hope you'll give this a try. I'm crazy about black sesame too. ;) Have a wonderful weekend.

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    2. Since you like black sesame, I think you should go to try the black sesame shaved ice from Blockheads Shavery in Los Angeles. I just had it today. It was pretty good!
      http://www.yelp.com/biz/blockheads-shavery-los-angeles

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    3. That looks really good. Thanks for the recommendation. I'll give that a try next time I'm in that area. :)

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  13. Amy those macarons look divine. OOh never seen one with sesame and adzuki beans.

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    1. Thank you Rinku. I wonder if anyone would start making these in the bakery...they are so good.

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  14. What BEAUTIFUL macarons! I have yet to make them successfully... after my previous disaster with them, I'm a little intimidated! But yours look amazing!

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    1. Thank you, Maria. Sorry your last attempt on macaron didn't work out for you. I have a post with some great tips on making perfect macaron. I hope that can help and hope you won't give up on trying them again. :)

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  15. Yumm! I love Adzuki beans! Boy! do I have some delicious catching up to do on your blog! Thank you for always sharing your yummy creations!

    I have been out of the blog loop! But after my 3 month blog break, I have finally posted my recent post and also wanted to do some blog visiting of those blogs on my sidebar. Hope all is well and I surely miss dear blog visits from those such as you!

    Blessings & Aloha!
    If you have a chance, I hope you stop by.

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    1. It's always wonderful to hear from you. Welcome back to the blogging world. ;) What a wonderful break with family and celebrations. Thanks for stopping by and hope you're doing fantastic.

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  16. What a fantastic creative macaron recipe. The shot with the bean in the middle is just gorgeous.

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    1. Thank you, Lora. Glad you love the recipe. Have a wonderful day.

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  17. Hi! I'm Anjo from Munchcraft, and I just wanted to let you know that I posted a picture and link of your macaron as part of my eatpraylove series. Because your macarons are awesome and deserve lots of love. And eating. Hope it's okay? If not, let me know and I'll take it down ASAP. Thanks! :D :D :D

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  18. Oh, sorry, I forgot to leave a link...*face palm*

    http://munchcraft.anjosblogzine.com/2013/02/eatpraylove-day-2.html

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