Shadowing Practice: Complete Guide to Making Macarons | Macaron Recipe - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
B2
If you ever wanted to make macaron but are intimidated by this finicky French cookie,
All Sentences239 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
If you ever wanted to make macaron but are intimidated by this finicky French cookie,
2
then fear not.
3
I'm here to save you with all my tips and tricks to make them right the first time.
4
And if you like this video,
5
don't forget to hit that like button and subscribe.
6
You're watching Preppy Kitchen, where I,
7
Jon Kanell, teach you how to make delicious homemade dishes to share with your family and friends.
8
These macaron will be ready before you know it.
9
So let's get started.
10
First off, let's talk about the eggs.
11
I'm using three large egg whites for this recipe, but there's a catch.
12
I'm not gonna use exactly three large egg whites,
13
so I'll be using my scale.
14
Best practice is to crack your eggs separately,
15
one at a time, and then separate the yolks out.
16
You don't wanna throw away all the egg whites because one egg broke.
17
Zeroed my scale out, so let's add the egg white in.
18
Your clean hands are the best way to separate egg yolks.
19
Okay, repeat that process for the other three eggs.
20
So I have 110 grams right now.
21
I'm gonna spoon some out so I have exactly the right amount.
22
100 grams exactly.
23
Set this aside, wash your hands,
24
and we're gonna get the rest of our ingredients out.
25
For this recipe, I will be using my food processor.
26
Here's a little bit of a secret.
27
If you look at any brand of almond flour, it'll say, super fine.
28
This is technically true, but when you open the bag up,
29
you're gonna see fairly large pieces of almond in here,
30
And in order to get a professional looking smooth macaron,
31
you wanna have pulverized, very, very fine ingredients.
32
So this is gonna go into the food processor to break it up and we'll be sifting and processing,
33
sifting and processing.
34
So I'm adding 140 grams or about one and a half cups of almond flour in here.
35
And you can see there's like big lumps in here clumped up.
36
You really wanna break it up.
37
Okay, the other primary ingredient in the macaron is sugar.
38
So, we're gonna use 130 grams of confectioner's sugar.
39
Zero the scale out.
40
So this is about a cup of confectioner's sugar,
41
but really you can pack it down,
42
you can fluff it up,
43
and change the amount that you're actually having in your measuring cup.
44
The scale is so much more accurate.
45
Set our scale aside, and now we're gonna process this up,
46
whiz, whiz, whiz, so that it breaks all the pieces up and mixes it together.
47
And I'll show you a couple of things that I do to get things the right way.
48
If you don't have a food processor at home,
49
you could actually blend this up in your blender and then sift.
50
It's gonna give you a very similar result and it's what I did before I got a food processor.
51
It's kind of crazy, but every once in a while I will take the top off and give it a good shake.
52
A lot of the super fine pieces fall to the bottom and you wanna break those up and let it all mix.
53
So it really whizzed away.
54
I don't wanna turn it into almond butter.
55
Like right now we've processed it up,
56
but look at these giant lumps.
57
And right now I'm gonna just kind of force everything through the sifter the first time,
58
and then I'm gonna sift it again,
59
and if there's any big pieces, I'll just discard them.
60
So you'll be folding this into your meringue,
61
and that is a whole process.
62
You don't wanna be folding in like big clumps or have a clump you have to worry about,
63
so get a nice powdery, fine mixture.
64
I discarded some of the big clumps,
65
and this is ready to go.
66
I'm gonna set it aside and now we will be making the body of our macaron,
67
which is composed of a meringue.
68
A really common mistake when people are making these cookies is the meringue.
69
It's not stiff enough, so I wanna show you what it should look like.
70
I'm gonna use my scale one last time.
71
I need 90 grams of granulated sugar for this and that is around half a cup,
72
but it's a little bit less.
73
Who washed this bowl?
74
Do you know who washed the bowl?
75
If you're circumspect, go ahead and just wipe it down with vinegar or lemon juice.
76
You don't want any grease in there.
77
Pop that whisk on.
78
We're gonna add the egg whites right into the bowl.
79
And before you get started,
80
just make sure you have some cream of tartar handy.
81
This is an acid that actually comes from the wine making process,
82
and it's gonna help stabilize the egg whites in the meringue.
83
You could also sub in like a couple drops of white vinegar instead.
84
You're subbing it out for a different acid basically.
85
Mix on high, once it gets frothy,
86
we'll dump in our quarter teaspoon of cream of tartar.
87
One quarter teaspoon, in you go.
88
Okay, now we're gonna mix on high.
89
Actually, this is one of the most important parts,
90
turning the mixer off for you.
91
You wanna gently, slowly spoon the sugar in.
92
So watch how I do it.
93
It goes in very slowly because the sugar's dissolving as the egg whites mix,
94
gives you the best meringue.
95
If you just dump the sugar in,
96
it's not a good scene.
97
Slowly, ever so slowly.
98
You spoon it out, you're in no hurry.
99
Now we're at the soft peak stage.
100
This is what it looks like.
101
You lift it up, it's a beautiful peak,
102
but it flops over at the end.
103
That's totally fine.
104
This is the stage where we're gonna add our vanilla,
105
And if you're inclined, the food coloring as well.
106
Two drops should be good.
107
Okay, mix it up on high.
108
After just a little bit of mixing,
109
I can see a stiff peak.
110
Maybe it could go a little bit.
111
You just wanna have a peak that holds up against gravity.
112
The final test is to see if it holds up against gravity over your head.
113
I'm gonna finish whisking it by hand.
114
I know how the meringue should feel.
115
It'll give me some resistance.
116
And this way, you won't over mix the batter.
117
You wanna have a stiff peak,
118
but if your meringue is too stiff,
119
it could lead to hollow macaron, which is not good.
120
This is not as close as I thought.
121
I'm gonna run the mixer more.
122
Okay, take a look at that.
123
Perfectly firm, nice and stiff.
124
And the final step is to see if it's totally ready.
125
It is because it's not falling on my head.
126
It should stay in the bowl.
127
Ready to fold.
128
Get your dry mixture out and we're gonna spoon maybe around a third of a cup into our meringue.
129
There we go, like two big spoonfuls.
130
We're gonna fold this in now.
131
The folding is a crucial step.
132
It's called the macaronage.
133
Not with that accent though.
134
So here, you're gently folding in the dry ingredients.
135
It's really funny because normally,
136
if you're making a cake and folding in egg whites with the dry ingredients,
137
you're gonna be so delicate.
138
You're like, oh my gosh,
139
every single air bubble is very important to me in my baking.
140
For a macaron, it's a little bit different because yes,
141
you wanna be gentle, but you're also gonna have to be a little rough with this.
142
You wanna get some of the air bubbles out.
143
It has too many right now.
144
That little bit is folded in.
145
We're gonna add in like another half of the mixture and fold that in as well.
146
And when I fold, I am scraping the bottom of the bowl,
147
cutting down the middle, scraping and cutting.
148
You're not mixing, you're folding things in gently to preserve the meringue.
149
Once that's mostly incorporated, we can add the rest of the dry ingredients in.
150
We're down to one bowl.
151
This is a success.
152
You want this to gracefully fall from your spatula.
153
It should be able to form a figure eight.
154
Right now, nothing is drizzling down,
155
so I need to keep folding.
156
Okay, so it's all folded in now,
157
but look at these big air bubbles.
158
This is unacceptable.
159
So the next stage of macronage is to start pressing out the air bubble.
160
So gently press the meringue up the sides.
161
And as you do so,
162
you're changing the consistency of the batter.
163
Okay, this batter is looking beautiful.
164
I'm very excited.
165
Here is the test.
166
As it drips down, you should be able to form a figure eight.
167
It just formed an eight.
168
So that means I'm ready to stop.
169
I'm gonna pipe my macaron out with a 1A tip.
170
It's like a medium large round.
171
Normally I would say just snip the tip off the piping bag,
172
but the piping is really important for these cookies because if you go into an angle,
173
if they're a little wonky,
174
you'll be able to see that in the finished product.
175
I actually like to use a heavier weight baking sheet with walls.
176
I found that if I was using a cookie sheet which didn't have any walls,
177
I would just get uneven rises in my little macaron,
178
so the walled one I feel is the best.
179
We're gonna add just a dab of meringue to the corners to hold our sheet down.
180
And now put a piece of parchment paper on.
181
I've made these using silicon mats and I find the parchment paper is just better.
182
If you have any flavor requests,
183
let me know in the comments, I'm all ears.
184
I kinda wanted to try a chocolate macaron next,
185
but maybe green tea, I don't know.
186
Now we're gonna pipe things out.
187
Roughly the size of a quarter,
188
maybe a bit bigger or smaller,
189
It's kind of up to you and what size cookie you want.
190
And give them about an inch of space in between.
191
Here's how it goes.
192
You're gonna squeeze it out,
193
stop squeezing, and then give it a twist.
194
That will finish it off and it'll have a nice shape.
195
Squeeze straight down, stop squeezing, give it a twist.
196
And then just repeat that process.
197
And your macaron will sag and spread a bit, that's okay.
198
If they really turn into a soup, that's not okay.
199
We worked so hard to get it exactly right.
200
There's still a couple air bubbles hiding in here, waiting to sabotage you.
201
So what do we wanna do next?
202
We're gonna tap it down.
203
You're just gonna shock those air bubbles out and bring them to the top.
204
And if you see a couple just below the surface and they're not popping,
205
you can use a skewer or a pin and then just give them a little bit of a deflate.
206
When your macaron are ready,
207
You'll see they're less shiny,
208
they're more matte, and they're dry to the touch.
209
I'll be able to put my finger gently on top,
210
and I won't get any meringue on my finger.
211
All right, set these aside and be back in a flash.
212
After about 40 minutes, my macaron have become less glossy on top,
213
and I can run my finger across without disturbing the surface.
214
These are ready to go into the center rack of your oven,
215
which is preheated to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
216
They're gonna bake for about 14 minutes,
217
give or take, and I like to flip them over halfway through.
218
It really depends on your oven,
219
so keep an eye out for them.
220
You know they're ready once they've risen up dramatically and they're dry underneath.
221
My macaron spent 14 minutes in the oven at 300 degrees.
222
Once they've cooled down a bit,
223
you can fill them with anything you like.
224
A whipped ganache, American buttercream,
225
everything will be delicious in this.
226
My all time favorite, which I'm using today, is French buttercream.
227
It has a lot of egg yolks,
228
butter and sugar, and it's pure magic.
229
Pipe along the edge, and I'm using a small round tip,
230
and then fill the inside,
231
and sandwich those two pieces together just like that.
232
They're ready to enjoy.
233
Although, they're gonna taste best and have the most amazing texture if you let them sit in the fridge,
234
cover them up in a container,
235
of course, for a few days.
236
If you like this recipe,
237
check out my French playlist.
238
So good.
239
I'll see you in the next video.
Download App
AI scoring for every sentence you speak
TRENDING
Popular
4.9/5 on App Store & Google Play
Shadowing English
On Mobile
Learn English anytime, anywhere with the Shadowing English app. Improve your communication skills today!
Track your learning progress
AI grading and error correction
Rich video library
About This Lesson
In this lesson, you'll practice English through the lens of a delightful cooking tutorial focused on making French macarons. As you go through the video, you'll learn about essential cooking vocabulary and gain insights into the preparation process of these intricate cookies. This engaging content not only teaches you how to create macarons but also offers ample opportunities to improve English pronunciation by emulating the speaker’s tone and speed. Remember, using the shadowing technique can be particularly beneficial in enhancing your English speaking practice.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Egg whites - The clear part of an egg that you separate from the yolk.
- Confectioner's sugar - A finely powdered sugar used in baking.
- Almond flour - A gluten-free flour made from ground almonds.
- Food processor - A kitchen appliance used to chop, slice, and mix ingredients.
- Sifting - The process of passing dry ingredients through a sieve to remove clumps.
- Pulverized - Ground into a fine powder.
- Scale - A tool used for measuring weight accurately.
- Whiz - To blend or mix quickly.
Practice Tips
When practicing with this video, consider utilizing the shadowspeak method where you imitate the speaker right after you hear a phrase. The way Jon Kanell shares tips seamlessly allows you to pick up nuances in speech and pronunciation. As the video progresses quickly, focus on the rhythm and flow of his instructions, which can enhance your fluency in English speaking.
To get the most out of this exercise, pause the video after each segment and repeat aloud, mimicking both inflection and tempo. This will challenge you to keep up with the speaker's pace while improving your English pronunciation. Additionally, if you're unsure about certain words, refer to the vocabulary list and practice those words separately. Using this shadowing site will undoubtedly aid your understanding of culinary terminology, while also boosting your confidence when speaking in English.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.
☕ Buy us a coffee
ShadowingEnglish remains 100% free thanks to your support. Server and AI costs are high — your coffee keeps us going! 🙏