Definition: the stage of macaron-making where you fold the almond-and-sugar mixture into the meringue to the exact right consistency.
Macaronage (mah-kah-roh-nahzh) is the make-or-break moment. You’re deflating the meringue just enough: too little and the batter is stiff and lumpy, so the shells bake bumpy and cracked; too much and it’s runny, so they spread thin and lose their feet. The target is “flowing lava” — batter that falls off the spatula in a thick ribbon and melts back into itself in about ten seconds. It’s a feel you learn by doing, and once it clicks, macarons stop being scary.
In practice: fold, pressing the batter against the bowl, and test often — it goes from underdone to overdone quickly.
Related:ribbon stage,macaron feet,French meringue.