I was looking for a signature flavor for Marion Macarons, what could be better than the marion blackberry. This berry was developed and is grown in Oregon. It has a somewhat tart flavor that is earthy but with traces of sweetness. This complex and rich earthy flavor has been compared to Cabernet grapes.
Marionberry Haiku
tart earthy flavor
taste that pleases my palate
perfect macaron
The marionberry’s earthy flavors fit my taste profile for foods and deserts that are not overly sweet. This is evidenced by my near addiction to Japanese matcha green tea, which my family thinks taste like dirt. Also, like green tea, it is loaded with antioxidants and other goodness. The marion blackberry is perfect for my signature macaron flavor.
The Oregon marion blackberry preserves I used was from Clearbrook Farms.
I used recipes in the Bouchon Bakery cookbook for the Italian meringue macarons shell and the Italian meringue buttercream.
Vanilla bean paste was added to the macaronage to flavor the macaron shells.
This video demonstrates piping the macaron shells. Everyone describes doing a swirling motion at the end of piping the shell but I have found that if you lift the tip straight up the swirling motion is not necessary. The macaronage will slowly dissolve into itself leaving you with a smooth top for your macarons.
The template for the macarons is printed on a separate sheet of paper that is placed underneath the parchment paper. Once the shells have dried and before they are placed in the oven, slide the template out from under the macaron shells. The template allows for a uniform size for your macarons.
Macaron shells are allowed to dry while waiting to be placed in the oven.
Baked vanilla flavored macaron shells to be paired and filled with marionberry buttercream.
The Italian meringue buttercream was flavored with the Oregon marion blackberry preserves. The preserves earthy, tart flavor balances the sweetness of the meringue. This resulted in a well rounded flavor for the Marionberry Macaron.
The marion blackberry Italian buttercream was piped in a circle. This was followed with a bullseye of the marionberry preserves.
The completed Marionberry Macaron. Complex fruity flavor that is earthy and not too sweet. The perfect signature Marion Macaron.