Macarons are not something to shy away from, with a few simple tips you can create perfect macarons - don't worry I am here to help!
Once you have mastered the basic method then there is no end to the flavour combinations that you can get creative with.
Macarons are light and moreish and therefore make the perfect ending to a meal or a welcome addition to an afternoon tea. I like to serve my macarons piled into a teacup as this complements their dainty appearance.
Top macaron tips:
· It is worth investing in a silicon baking mat, they are inexpensive but are invaluable in the kitchen.
· As soon as the macaroons come out of the oven, pour a little cold water between the baking tray and the silicon mat, this will cool the macarons instantly and create a crisp bottom.
· When you are mixing the meringue mixture into the paste, fold until the eggs whites have completely disappeared into the mixture and then fold for another 30 seconds - the mixture is then ready for piping.
· Macaroons store amazingly well in the freezer, just remove them a few minutes before you are ready to fill them.
· The number of macaroons from a single recipe will depend on how big you like to make them. Try to pipe the macarons to a uniform size so that they are easy to pair up when it comes to filling them.
Passion Fruit Curd
Ingredients
200ml passion fruit juice
200g caster sugar
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
115g butter
Method
1 Place the juice, sugar, yolks and eggs in a bain marie and stir until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has reached 82C
2 Leave this mixture to cool down completely
3 Place the mixture in a blender with the butter and blend till smooth and shiny
4 Store in the fridge
Macarons
Ingredients
150g egg whites
155g caster sugar
155g ground almonds
155g icing sugar
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 150C
2 Place 75g of the egg whites and all of the caster sugar in a bain marie and stir until the sugar has dissolved
3 Meanwhile place the remaining egg whites, the ground almonds and icing sugar into a blender and blend to a paste
4 Whip up the egg whites and caster sugar to a meringue
5 Fold the meringue into the paste
6 Spoon the mixture into a piping bag
7 Pipe onto a baking tray lined with a silicon mat
8 Leave to dry out at room temperature for 20 minutes
9 Bake at 150C for 15 minutes
10 Lower the oven to 140C and bake for a further 4 minutes
To serve: spoon a generous amount of passion fruit curd onto the flat side of half of the macarons and sandwich them together with the other half.
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