Mad about Fruit Ganaches
It’s been more than a month since I last made a batch of macarons. The grand macaron recipe revision plan is NOT going according to schedule. Progress is exceedingly slow; yesterday was only revision attempt #1. Verdict for attempt #1: improving these tough cookies (pun intended!) are going to take a lot more work than I thought! 
On the bright side, I finally got to try a few macaron flavours that have been on my to-do list for some time now. The common element these flavours have is fruit ganache. The basic idea in fruit ganache is to replace some of the cream that goes into making a ganache with either fruit juice or fruit puree. The tricky part is getting the right ratios so that the ganache will still set and not be too soft.
Flavour #1: Chocolate macaron shells sandwiched with yuzu dark chocolate ganache. Since fresh yuzu is unavailable this time of the year, I went with bottled yuzu. I loved the citrus overtones and the slightly bitter taste of the yuzu peel in the ganache. Just for fun, I topped the macarons with homemade candied orange peels. I was more than happy to finally make use of the citrus peels that I’d bottled more than 6 months ago!
Flavour #2: Passion fruit macaron shells with passion fruit milk chocolate ganache. I’ve longed to try this combination since reading about it on several blogs more than a year ago. After eating Pierre Herme’s Tarte Mogador and milk chocolate & passion fruit macaron at Mezza9 last Friday, I knew I HAD to try this flavour combination at home.
I’d already bought a couple of passion fruits at the local market 4 days earlier with the intent to juice them and make the ganache right away. Except that I had absolutely no idea how to tell if the fruits were ripe. I’d picked darker ones with smooth skins over a pre-packaged bunch with deeply wrinkled skin. When I got home, I did a quick search online and found that if I wanted ripe ones that I could use right away, I should have bought the old and wrinkley looking ones!
When the fruits were finally ripe, I strained the yellow pulp. I was surprised by how a small amount of juice could impart such a deep passion fruit flavour. This ganache is definitely my favourite out of the three!
Flavour #3: Peanut macaron shells sandwiched with banana dark chocolate ganache and a peanut butter centre.
This flavour was made on a whim, inspired by a dessert created by Amrita for her stint at House @ Dempsey. Her inspiration, in turn, comes from Elvis’ (yes, THAT Elvis) favourite dessert of peanut butter and banana sandwich. In my opinion, it’s a combination of flavours that’s completely American (think Reese’s peanut butter cups and banana muffins). I doubt I’ll make this flavour again, although I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the shot glass version that Amrita made!
Next up, purple macarons: lavender, violet and ubi! I do hope the shells turn out better …
April 23rd, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Karen these look awesome I’m particularly interested in whether the yuzu one really works heehee….
I’ve tasted the Mogador and it didn’t work for me….hmmmm…
The last one looks awesome!!
April 23rd, 2008 at 10:50 pm
Thank you, Stef! I loved the passionfruit milk chocolate ones. The yuzu one worked great. The combination is similar to orange chocolate, but with a very slight bitterness. The closest thing I can think of is bitter orange marmalade.
One thing to note though is that the fruit ganaches tend to give off more moisture than regular ganache. The shells turned really soft by the 2nd day. I’ll need to adjust the amount of fruit juice/puree.
April 23rd, 2008 at 11:22 pm
Those look amazing. Especially the peanut butter picture.
where do you live again and can I come lick the bowls? YUM!
April 24th, 2008 at 6:42 am
What a fantastic blog! The flavors and photos are amazing! The passion fruit macaroons would probably be my favorite too!
April 24th, 2008 at 6:44 am
Oh I forgot to ask…are you going to post the recipes…I would love to try them out!
April 24th, 2008 at 7:14 am
These look beautiful. Such a pretty cookie! I’ve never had a macaron but maybe someday I’ll try to make a batch.
April 24th, 2008 at 9:35 am
Hi Karen,
The macarons are So pretty !! Makes me hungry…. Can i check with u where can i buy valrhora chocolates ?
Tks,
elizabeth
April 24th, 2008 at 9:45 am
Hi Karen!
I too am experimenting with fruit puree in the ganache as well as some liquor. I’ve tried Alice medrich’s mint citron vodka chocolate as a ganache filling and it is great. My next is a mango puree and chocolate. I think you could boil down the puree first before incorporating. I love the sound of your passion fruit and milk chocolate…sounds like a winning combination!
All your macarons are amazing!
April 24th, 2008 at 10:06 am
Thank you, Sarah, Melody, Megan and Veron!
Elizabeth: I’ve replied the 1st time you asked under this post here. Happy baking!
April 24th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
wow Karen, these all look sooooo good!!!
They all look so beautiful and tasty…
I’ve not been making them because I’m on this crazy diet.
I’m trying to change a life style now.
How are things going for you?
Are yuzu pomelos?
April 24th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
Karen, hollow shell syndrome again?
I still think they look good, anyway.
Here’s an idea for another Elvis macaron: Peanut shells, honey buttercream and a banana compote center. Oh great, now I feel like making some too!
April 24th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
They are absolutely delicious! Hope to have some of them for tatsing.
April 24th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
I just re-read my 1st post…gosh they must have looked so good I didn’t even realise I typed the word ‘awesome’ twice…haha…you see the effect your macs have on me?
=)
Yes,I notice that fruit ganaches tend to soften easily.
The only one I never had a problem with was the cherry one.
In which I stone fresh cherries, snip with scissors (chopping would crush them up too much) and mix with brandy,sugar and some kirsch extract. I then stir it into ganache that has been made with less cream so as to accomodate the liquid from the cherry. Excellent….
April 25th, 2008 at 11:07 am
Thanks, Millie! I hope you’ve had success with the macarons! Speaking of diets, I haven’t been eating as well as I should lately. You’ve reminded me to get back on track.
Amrita: Thanks for the suggestion! The shells weren’t hollow, but I’m not satisfied with the texture of the insides yet. MAYBE I’ll give french meringue another chance.
Auntie HN: I haven’t got any left. But will let you have some on attempt #2.
Stef: The cherry ganache sounds wonderful!
April 28th, 2008 at 2:00 am
“Flavour #3: Peanut macaron shells sandwiched with banana dark chocolate ganache and a peanut butter centre” sounds divine.
April 28th, 2008 at 2:27 am
they look delicious, but are they easy to make?
April 28th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
well, I think they all turn out ok.
I hope the feet to be taller, I did try to make a batch of macarons with french meringue lately. Maybe you can come check it out = ) I made opera flavor and used this Vietnamese coffee mix, and the flavor came out so great.
April 29th, 2008 at 5:51 am
Karen, your macarons look phenomenal!! Is it a secret recipe or can I have the pleasure of making these delicious cookies at home? I can’t wait to hear what the verdict is on the new flavors you’re experimenting with : )
April 29th, 2008 at 9:59 am
so friggin’ pretty they’re making my mouth water.. almost feel like whipping up a batch and eating them myself
will get the bf to order some next time i’m in town yeah?
May 1st, 2008 at 8:13 am
These all look so amazing!!
May 4th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
I’m with you…I vote for the ones made of passionfruit. They look out of this world.
Natalie @ Gltuen a Go Go
May 6th, 2008 at 11:43 pm
Just wanted to drop a note to say hi, i got here from Lynn’s site..
Gosh you found so much time to bake, especially macarons despite having a full time job!
I’ve not been baking as much!! *shame on me*
May 10th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
I found a recipe for the Macaroons. As I live in Washington state. And cannot order from where you live. It is in “The Best Of America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook” of 2008. After seeing your website. I can make them now in the United States. Thank you so much. Millie.
May 10th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
hi !!!
ur cakes n everything else is soo pretty!!! 
do u take orders??? ((:
May 18th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
Hi.. i’m in Australia n much to my surprise many don’t know about macaroons here. I tried one recipe from the internet and it looked similar but too sweet.
Could you share your recipe so that i don’t have to keep craving for them. Thanks love. Kay
May 19th, 2008 at 3:43 am
I have been working on citrus fruit gananche lately which says a lot because I don’t like citrus and chocolate together. They look wonderful and I love the peanut butter and chocolate one. I just made a btach of Snickers’ ones for a friend’s birthday and that was fun! You are always fantastic with macarons!
May 22nd, 2008 at 1:45 am
These all look amazing, but I want one of the peanut butter ones in a bad way!
June 1st, 2008 at 1:10 pm
oh gosh, your macaron prictures are making drool all over the keyboard!