"Pure" Powdered Sugar [split from San Francisco]
The starch is an anti caking ingredient. I don't have the book so not sure .Does he specifically say without cs? Sometimes wheat or tapiocca starch is used. The real key to the macarons is to use the finest sugar you can.
http://www.chsugar.com/consumer/powde... maybe what referring to.
I use what is called fondant sugar which most professional pastry chefs use for macarons....
I get it from India Tree on line or from a friend in the business as it is more readily available commercially.
I do think it is possible you might find a "pure" product commercially , it will be very fine . Ill ask around.
By celeryroot
on May 4, 2010 10:11 AM
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There's no such product. Numerous bloggers and reviewers have cited that and other errors in the book, e.g.:
"... the book says not to use confectioner's sugar containing cornstarch (cornstarch-free sugar is not available in the US as far as I can tell). However, the product sample pictured in the book, by Woodstock Farms, actually does contain cornstarch."
http://www.amazon.com/o/asin/0811868710/parisbreakfas-20
"Under ingredients you'll need, it says to use powdered sugar that doesn't have cornstarch added, which the author notes can cause the macarons to crack. Readers are advised to find one that contains 'oligosaccharide' which, as someone who's baked professionally for a few decades, had no idea what that was. ... I used regular powdered sugar, with cornstarch, and had no problems."
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives...
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I have no idea if it exists in this country, but it certainly is possible that a product exists ,most probably, commercially in Japan or Europe. Corn starch is not the only anti caking product that exists. Also, I believe the corn starch contained in powdered sugar varies from 1 to 3%.
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Cornstarch isn't the only thing you could use, but the "pure" powdered sugar called for in the book does not exist. It's as nonsensical a recommendation as the bit about oligosaccharides.
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Look there is a product called"pure powdered cane sugar" . The OP asked for pure powdered sugar without cs. I suspect the translator mixed it up an took it literally. The pure was to pertain to the cane.
The knock on cs I was told was that it dulled the icing and probably the macaron , also will lose some shine . Also maybe cracking if too much cs as it absorbs moisture and will cause a dry macaron.
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FWIW, it exists in Australia. It's a routine baking shelf item along with powdered sugar WITH cornstarch added. It's also always lumpy in the box and a total PITA to work with because if requires sifting and/or a food processor to soften it. But like I said, FWIW and not useful to the OP here...
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Also available in UK and France . Oligosaccharides are not nonsensical , they are used in many things...powdered milk , beverages , matcha etc by the food industry especially in Japan. According to food science expert friend they are thought to be benifical and most probably used in some powdered sugars.
I suggest OP ask a local bakery where they buy their commercial agents an call and ask. Their are a few places online that will sell commercial iingrediants.
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Interesting, but from reviews and blog posts about the book the recipes don't work without major adjustments, so going to a lot of trouble to get ingredients that might be errors by the author or translator doesn't make much sense.
Here's a thoroughly tested recipe by an American pastry chef living in France who got tips from a friend who made macarons at Fauchon:
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives...
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I am quite aware of Lebovitz and ran into him many years ago when he hung arnd here........I think he is competent but didnt know he was a pastry chef. His recipe is standard for a home cook....it will get you a decent macaron most times but will also fail. There are too many things missing from it. Fauchon are good not as good as many others. But a place like Herme or Fauchon does not have a person doing all the macarons, it is very industrialized. I had the good fortune 5 or 6 years ago of peeking in at Herme and it is very organized. They use climate controlled rooms and do not break 5000 to 10000 eggs a day to get the whites. They use a combination of pure egg white powder., fresh and old eggs. One normally does leave them sit to allow for shell, but then you have to be in a cooler controlled room. Humidity s important. You want an older egg white, or leave them out uncovered for a day or two inorder to reduce water. I use a porforated pan with another pan under. I ran across the cs problem somewhere a few years ago. It is my understanding that america is one of the few places that uses cs in powdered sugar as a norm. Also, in his recipe he should be straining the dry mixture with a fine drum sieve. It is really hard to get a macaron at home likeyou buy in Paris. You need commercially available products , that usually come in 100 pound quantity.
So unless you know someone your out of luck. Can you make great ones at home, yup......but you will have as many disappointments also.
There are much better recipes around then that one with better details. But keep in mind the majority are for the home cook so you will not get the same as a Paris one.
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Not only is David Lebovitz an accomplished pastry chef but worked for years under Lindsey Shere at Chez Panisse who is of course their original pastry chef. Any recipe he writes can be trusted completely. As Robert has pointed out, many books offer recipes either poorly tested or completely wrong and unless one is an experienced baker the unfortunate thing is the baker blames him/herself instead of the book. In fact with baking books the likelihood is that many are inaccurate as the science involved highlights errors where other type of cooking would be less obvious. I think it makes little sense to track down an elusive ingredient without knowing if the recipe itself works. Try a recipe that works....David's for example.
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Chez Panisse
1517 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94709
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so sorry but many real experts recommend not using cs in powdered sugar. I
personally dont find his recipe that great or helpful in techniques an Im intitiled to my opinion just as you are. Lots of people have worked for CP , many very excellent some not so. I dont consider someone working for CP means they can do no wrong. Some of his comments show to me a lack of knowledge on the subject.
I just find it unfair to diss a book based on a review on Amazon which seems to shill for a food blog . It is all the more appalling that no mention is made of large majority of excellent reviews the book got. These reviews are written by competition all the time , so please dont pick out one review an hiighlight it. The review has errors in it also.
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Has anyone ever tried making their own powdered sugar at home by pulverizing regular sugar in a blender?
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yes and it didnt work for me........ I couldnt get it fine enough. I think you probably could do it pretty well with a vita mix/prep.
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Per Rose Levy Beranbaum: "While it is possible to achieve a very fine granulation in the food processor, it is not possible to make true powdered sugar. This can only be done commercially. ... it is ground in a steel magnesium rotary which turns against varying degrees of fine screens, each one determining a different fineness of the grind."
http://www.realbakingwithrose.com/200...
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You cannot make powdered sugar. You can make very fine sugar. i have a well reviewed macaron store in NJ. Climate control and mixing technique arethe keys to texture. I use regular commercial confectioner's sugar. The quality and care you take with the flavorings is the other component also important. A good macaron should have great texture and bold, clear flavors. Every batch I make goes through the robot coupe and is then sifted.
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