French Cuisine
Macaroons ingredients:
- 6 egg whites.
- 1 pinch salt.
- 400 g icing
sugar.
- 250 g finely
ground almonds.
- 1 to 2 drops
food colouring (yellow, pink, brown and green).
Filling
Ingredients:
- 350 g icing
sugar.
- 240 g
softened butter.
- 1 tbsp
vanilla extract.
- 2 tbsp double
cream.
- 1 tbsp lemon
zest.
- 1 tbsp
crushed pistachios.
- 1 tbsp
unsweetened cocoa powder.
- 1 tbsp
strawberry jam.
Macaroons directions:
- Place the egg
whites in a metallic bowl and add a pinch of salt.
- Beat the egg
whites till stiff.
- Add 1 tbsp of
the icing sugar, and continue to beat.
- Sift in ½ of
the remaining icing sugar, and beat till glossy on high speed.
- Sift in the
remaining icing sugar and beat till combined.
- Gently fold
the ground almonds into the egg white mixture. Lift and fold until the mixture
is smooth and ribbon-like.
- Divide the
mixture into 4 separate bowls.
- Mix in 1 to 2
drops of the food colouring to each bowl to create pink, yellow, green and
brown mixtures. You may want to start with one very small drop of food
colouring, as you can always add more.
- Fill a piping
bag with one of the mixtures.
- Pipe small
circles, about 2 cm in diameter, onto a parchment-lined baking tray. Work with
the bag perpendicular to the tray for best results.
- Repeat with
remaining mixtures, working with a clean piping bag for each mixture.
- Preheat the
oven to 170 C / Gas 3.
- Set the
macaroons aside for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile,
make the filling.
Filling
directions:
- Cream the
softened butter with an electric mixer.
- Add the icing
sugar and continue to beat until smooth.
- Beat in the
vanilla and double cream, and continue beating till the mixture is light and
fluffy.
- Divide the
buttercream into 4 separate bowls.
- Stir in the
cocoa, lemon zest, pistachios and strawberry jam into each bowl to create four
different fillings. Set aside.
- After 30
minutes resting at room temperature, bake the macaroons in the preheated oven
for 14 minutes.
- Remove from
the oven and let cool on the baking tray.
- Once cool,
spread the flat side of one macaroon with its corresponding filling. Top with a
second macaroon.
- Serve
straightaway or keep in the fridge in an airtight container.