Strawberry Macarons
Serves 40
30 mins prep
45 mins cook
75 mins total
Strawberry flavored macaron shells with strawberry white chocolate ganache filling.
Strawberry macaron shells
Sugar syrup
White chocolate strawberry ganache filling
Prepare the white chocolate ganache filling
Combine strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan and bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat. Puree. Add freeze-dried strawberries and puree again until smooth.
Place the cooled strawberry jam, cream and chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Melt, stirring constantly, over a bain-marie. Add a few drops of pink food coloring. Transfer to a small bowl, let cool completely and refrigerate before using.
Prepare the macaron shells
Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Fit a piping bag with a plain round tip (I use a Wilton 1A tip).
Combine powdered sugar, almond flour and freeze-dried strawberries in a food processor. Pulse until combined. Sift into a large bowl, discarding any large bits.
In a small bowl, place 55g egg whites and a few drops of pink food coloring. Beat together until well combined. Pour the whites over the dry ingredients.
Place the other 55g egg whites and salt the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Set aside until you prepare the sugar syrup.
In a small saucepan, combine the 150g sugar with the 2 ½ tbsp water and place on medium heat. When it reaches 230°F start whipping the egg whites. When the syrup reaches 244°F, remove from heat and pour into the whipped egg whites while mixing continuously, in a small, slow stream. Continue beating until the bowl has cooled slightly, and glossy stiff peaks have formed.
Add the whipped whites over the almond mixture and using a silicone spatula gently fold in until combined and smooth. Work the batter until it flows in very thick ribbons when the spatula is lifted. It is done when it passes the figure 8 check.
Transfer the mixture to the piping bag.
Pipe the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheets in 1-inch circles, evenly spaced one-inch apart.
Bang the baking sheet a few times firmly on your counter top to flatten the macarons and remove air bubbles. Remaining air bubbles can be popped with a wet toothpick or metal cake tester.
Let the macarons dry at room temperature 30-40 minutes, or until skins have formed and they are dry to the touch. Preheat the oven to 300F.
Bake for 20-24 minutes. Macarons are done when their tops no longer wiggle on their feet. Remove from the oven and let cool before removing from the baking sheet.
Pipe filling between two shells and repeat until each macarons has been sandwiched together with an accompanying shell.
Refrigerate for at at least one day before serving. Serve macarons at room temperature.
