Molnar told \"Good Morning America\" that upon the summer reopening of Robert Et Fils in Chicago, she wanted to introduce a \"creative and practical\" frozen dessert to the menu that could incorporate her recent recipe testing of the beloved French cookie.
\"We begin by making and decorating our macaron shells. We then make our ice cream bases and any inclusions, such as caramel, jam, or chocolate chunks,\" she said. \"The following day, we spin the ice cream, swirl it with our inclusions, and freeze it in circular molds that are the same size as our macaron shells. Once these are fully frozen, we remove them from the molds and build our Macaron Glacé.\"
The delicate texture of the macaron cookie stands up \"very well\" to the ice cream, Molnar said. \"As with most macarons, our Macaron Glacé are great right away but only improve after a night's rest in the freezer. During this time, the moisture from the filling begins to soften the inside of the macaron shell, and the flavors mingle and become more than the sum of their parts.\"
She added that \"unlike a regular American cookie or brownie, macaron shells are a little too delicate to withstand being smushed together around a fresh scoop of ice cream, so that's why we freeze the ice cream in discs first.\"
\"I wanted a dessert that, while clearly rooted in the French classics, would be endlessly adaptable to different flavor profiles, allowing me to showcase the amazing farm produce and other ingredients available regionally to Chicago,\" Molnar said. \"I wanted this dessert to evoke a sense of fun and nostalgia.\"
Molnar drew inspiration from \"versions of the Macaron Glacé made by French greats Pierre Hermé and the famed Parisian ice cream parlor, Berthillon.\" As for the technique, she followed in the footsteps of American pastry chefs and entrepreneurs Jeni Britton-Bauer of Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream and Dana Cree, author of \"Hello My Name is Ice Cream.\"
Pastry Chef's Tips to Try at Home
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/GMA/RobertetFils_MacaronGlace_1628709828566_hpMain_4x3t_384.jpg\")
Robert et Fils
PHOTO: Pastry chef Cati Molnar created a Macaron Glacé that reinvents the classic ice cream sandwich with French-style ice cream and cookies.
For home bakers who want to try their hand at macaron glacé making, Molnar explained its an advanced technique, but advised \"if they don't have an ice cream machine, there are plenty of delicious options at local ice cream shops or the grocery store.\" Plus, she said you can \"get creative and have fun with mix-ins.\"
Here are some of Molnar's top tips when it comes to French macarons.
1. Invest in a digital scale that weighs in grams. They're inexpensive, widely available and will completely change your baking game.
2. There is no one recipe -- rather, there are many well-tested and substantiated recipes that are all based upon the same underlying ratio of ingredients (with a few exceptions). There are also a variety of meringue (French, Swiss, Italian) and mixing (stand mixer, hand mixing) techniques. So, if you're new to macarons, my advice is to do a little reading or watch some instructional videos, and choose the recipe and method that feels most accessible to your equipment, space, and skill level.
3. Don't be afraid to experiment with different recipes and techniques until you find something that works for you.
4. If you want to get good at making macarons know that it takes practice! We all have good and bad macaron days, even professionals. Enjoy the good days and give yourself grace on the bad ones.
","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/GMA/Food/au-revoir-ice-cream-sandwiches-bonjour-french-macaron/story?id=79400782","legacySlug":"/food/story/au-revoir-ice-cream-sandwiches-bonjour-french-macaron-79400782","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"14:52","publishDate":"08-12-2021","updatedTime":"13:40","updatedDate":"08-13-2021","socialImage":{"alt":"Pastry chef Cati Molnar created a Macaron Glacé that reinvents the classic ice cream sandwich with French-style ice cream and cookies.","credit":"Robert et Fils","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/RobertetFils_MacaronGlace_1628709828566_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"8/12/2021 14:52:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":79400782,"headline":"Check out this French macaron ice cream sandwich","mediaAssetTitle":"MACARON ICE CREAM SANDIWCH","description":"Plus, tips to try your hand at this French dessert at home. ","duration":"0:31","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2021/08/210812_gma_digital_MacaronIceCream_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["77961315","78825492","74502671"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"story","date":"May 31, 2021","headline":"Famed Chicago bakery shares sweet summer dessert ideas using cheesecake","section":"food","slug":"/food/story/iconic-chicago-bakery-shares-sweet-summer-dessert-ideas-77961315","id":77961315,"image":{"alt":"Famed Chicago bakery shares sweet summer dessert ideas using cheesecake","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/dipper-summer_1622230941142_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"Elis Cheesecake ","ratio":"1x1"}},{"contentType":"story","date":"July 14, 2021","headline":"You have to try this giant confetti cake ice cream sandwich","section":"food","slug":"/food/story/giant-confetti-cake-ice-cream-sandwich-78825492","id":78825492,"image":{"alt":"You have to try this giant confetti cake ice cream sandwich","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/confetti-icecreamcake_1626205514864_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"Nico Norena, Succulent Bite","ratio":"1x1"}},{"contentType":"story","date":"December 2, 2020","headline":"Jon Favreau helped recreate blue macarons from 'The Mandalorian'","section":"food","slug":"/food/story/jon-favreau-helped-binging-babish-recreate-blue-macarons-74502671","id":74502671,"image":{"alt":"Jon Favreau helped recreate blue macarons from 'The Mandalorian'","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/platter-macarons-the-mandalorian_1606932617391_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"YouTube/Binging with Babish","ratio":"1x1"}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"Check out this French macaron ice cream sandwich","description":"Plus, tips to try your hand at this French dessert at home. ","duration":"0:31","uploadDate":"08-12-2021","publication":"08-12-2021","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2021/08/210812_gma_digital_MacaronIceCream_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2021/08/210812_gma_digital_MacaronIceCream_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/food/story/au-revoir-ice-cream-sandwiches-bonjour-french-macaron-79400782"}},"playlist":[{"id":"133749799","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133777519","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133748258","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133730535","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133712423","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133694181","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133688738","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133616358","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133616342","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133522899","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133584123","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133579397","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133482839","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133390157","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133415361","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133414032","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133380485","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133358298","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133350119","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133307515","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:food:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"food","title":"Check out this French macaron ice cream sandwich","pubTime":"10:52","pubDate":"08-12-2021","modTime":"09:40","modDate":"08-13-2021","taxonomyTags":"none","id":79400782,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"Check out this French macaron ice cream sandwich","mediaAssetTitle":"MACARON ICE CREAM SANDIWCH","videoId":79400782,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/food/story/au-revoir-ice-cream-sandwiches-bonjour-french-macaron-79400782"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/79400782","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/79400782","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};
