Quantity: 30 filled macarons
Time: 40 minutes
Macaron Shells
135g Pure Icing Sugar
135g Almond Meal
50ml Egg Whites (A)
135g Sugar
35ml Water
50ml Egg Whites (B)
Pinch Cream of Tartar
QS Red Gel Colour
QS Edible Gold Metallic Powder
- Crack the egg whites 24 hours in advance if possible and leave them at room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 150°C.
- Trace 4cm circles onto a sheet of baking paper that fits your tray, leaving space in between each circle. Turn the sheet over. You will need to prepare 2-3 trays.
- Combine the icing sugar and almond meal in a KitchenAid Food Processor and grind to a fine powder.
- Sieve the mixture into a bowl and add the first group of egg whites (A). Mix to form a relatively firm paste.
- Cook the water and sugar to 118°C in a medium saucepan. If you don’t have a thermometer, check the temperature of the sugar syrup by dropping a small amount of the syrup into a bowl of cold water. When you pick it up, it should be a soft and pliable consistency.
- As soon as the syrup starts to rapidly boil, whisk the second group of egg whites (B) and cream of tartar in the bowl of a KitchenAid Stand Mixer.
- Once the sugar syrup has reached 118°C, pour it into the whipped egg whites, down the side of the bowl and ensuring you don’t hit the whisk, to make an Italian meringue.
- Add in the colour (coloured gels and pastes are best) until you achieve a strong colour. Keep in mind that it will dilute slightly when added to the other ingredients.
- Continue whisking the meringue until it cools slightly. Remove from the mixer and gradually incorporate the meringue into the almond paste mixture. Mix until the paste is supple and shiny.
- At this stage, when the mixture is left to sit on the bench for approximately 2 minutes, it should drop and level out in the bowl.
- Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with an 8-10mm nozzle and pipe the macarons, 4 cm in diameter, onto the prepared trays.
- Bake at 150°C for approximately 15-18 minutes. To test when they are ready, gently shake the macarons on the tray: the shell should be firm but stuck to the paper.
- Allow the macarons to cool at room temperature.
Vanilla Filling
100 ml Bulla Pure Cream
Pinch Salt
1 teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste
100g Callebaut White Chocolate
250g Unsalted Butter
- Boil the cream, salt and vanilla in a saucepan.
- Place the chocolate into a bowl.
- Pour the hot mixture over the white chocolate and whisk to create a ganache.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap touching the surface of the ganache and allow to cool at room temperature.
- Whip the butter in the bowl of a KitchenAid Stand Mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. When it is light and fluffy, slowly add in the cooled ganache and continue to whip until combined.
Chocolate Loops
150g Callebaut Dark Chocolate
- Place the chocolate into a plastic bowl and melt in the microwave in 30 second increments until half the chocolate is melted.
- Vigorously stir the chocolate until it all melts. If you have any resistant chocolate buttons, melt them with the hair dryer while stirring.
- Place the chocolate into a zip lock bag and cut the corner off. Pipe 30 loops, approximately 4cm in height, directly onto a sheet of baking paper.
- Set at room temperature or in the fridge for a few minutes.
Assembly
- Turn over every second macaron on the tray.
- Transfer the vanilla filling to a piping bag fitted with a 10-12mm round nozzle.
- Pipe onto the flat base of the turned over macaron shell and then place the second one on top and sandwich them together.
- Turn the macarons on their side and place a chocolate loop into each one.
- The finished macarons can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to six weeks. The macarons are best eaten after they have been stored in the fridge for at least a few hours and then bought back to room temperature before eating.