Mogador Macarons (Pierre Hermé)

With a little delay, here is the recipe for the famous Mogador macarons by Pierre Hermé, filled with a milk chocolate and passion fruit ganache. Now available in tarts or giant macarons, the Mogador flavor is quite emblematic of Pierre Hermé pastries, and since this macaron is one of my favorites, I decided to give it a try. The recipe has been published in several books and magazines in recent years, so it is very easy to find.

Preparation time: 1h – 1h30 + 10 to 15 minutes of baking per tray of macaron shells

For about 30 macarons

Macaron shells:

128g of icing sugar
128g of almond powder
47g of egg whites (1) at room temperature
47g of egg whites (2) at room temperature
32g of water
128g of granulated sugar
2.5g of yellow coloring
0.25g of red coloring (obviously, it’s quite complicated to weigh such a small amount, I recommend adding just a tiny pinch with a knife and adjusting later to avoid ending up like me with a dough that is too red)
QS of unsweetened cocoa powder

Sift the icing sugar and almond powder, then add the egg whites (1) while mixing well.

Next, prepare the Italian meringue: make a syrup with the water and granulated sugar. When it reaches 110°C, start beating the egg whites (2). When the syrup reaches 118°C, pour it in a thin stream over the egg whites and continue beating until you obtain a shiny meringue.

Take half of the Italian meringue and pour it into the first mixture to loosen it, adding the colorings.

When the mixture is homogeneous, add the rest of the Italian meringue while mixing with a spatula or a rubber spatula (this is called macaronage). You need to loosen the dough so that it is homogeneous and flexible, but definitely not liquid; it should form a ribbon.

Put the macaron batter into a piping bag fitted with a smooth nozzle, then pipe the shells onto a tray lined with parchment paper. Then sprinkle them with cocoa using a sieve.
Personally, I let them dry before baking, but some people don’t do this and it works well too, so it’s up to you ;-) Once the dough no longer sticks when you touch it (about 15-20 minutes), bake the shells in the preheated oven at 145°C for 12 to 14 minutes (the oven temperature and baking time are given as a guideline; you will probably need one or two tries to find the right combo at your place).

Once the shells are baked, let them cool before peeling them off the parchment paper.

Mogador ganache:

275g of milk chocolate (Jivara from Valrhona)
125g of passion fruit puree
50g of butter

Melt your chocolate in a double boiler.
Bring the passion fruit puree to a boil, then pour it in three times over the melted chocolate, mixing well with a spatula after each addition. You should obtain a smooth and shiny ganache (you can blend it with an immersion blender, but it’s not mandatory).

Place the ganache in the refrigerator to harden for at least 2 hours.

Assembly:

Pair your macaron shells two by two. Place your Mogador ganache in a piping bag fitted with a smooth nozzle, then fill half of the shells and close them.

Place your macarons in the refrigerator for one night; they will be better after resting in the cold ;-)