I decided to jump on this “Macaron Monday” bandwagon that so many people are doing right now.
Besides making Macarons, I also love styling Macarons. There are so many different ways to style them. It seems like my favorite way is to put them with flowers, right? I just really love what flowers can do to a picture. They give food an upgraded look, adding beauty to it. So, I’ll probably continue to have at least one picture of each type of Macarons with flowers.
This week I made Strawberry Lemonade Macarons. The sweet strawberries and tart lemons in the Curd filling make a great combination. Sweet and tart. Yum! I always start with making the filling he night before. The only time I don’t do this is if I’m making a buttercream filling.
Chop fresh strawberries and place them in a pot with sugar and lemon juice. Cook the strawberries until they are soft. Don’t over cook them because you don’t want all of the juice to cook away. Then you let the mixture cool. Blend it until it’s a smooth purée, then strain it to get out the seeds and any small chunks. Then I make the curd. Add 1/2 cup of the purée to the lemon curd recipe. Let the mixture chill in the refrigerator overnight.
The next day, fill the Macarons with the mixture. They are the perfect balance of tart and sweet. You have to make this for whatever is the next party that you go to. No one will be disappointed!
Strawberry Lemonade Macarons
Ingredients
Macarons
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup almond flour
- 3 egg whites
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- pinch of salt
- red food gel
Strawberry Puree
- 1 cup strawberries, hulled and chopped
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Filling
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup strawberry puree
- 1 stick butter
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
Instructions
Strawberry Puree
- Add chopped strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a pot and cook until slightly softened. Puree and strain. Cool completely.
Strawberry Lemon Curd
- !n a medium heatproof bowl, place eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, strawberry puree, and heavy cream and whisk to combine. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (bain-marie). Cook on moderate heat, whisking constantly, until mixture becomes thick, about 10-15 minutes. It should coat the back of a wooden spoon and leave a clear pass if you run your finger through it. The curd will thicken more once cooled.Remove from heat and immediately strain mixture through a sieve. Add butter, a few cubes at a time, and whisk until completely melted and incorporated, and mixture is smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature, then place in the refrigerator overnight.
Macarons
- Sift confectioners’ sugar and almond flour together, discarding any bits of almond flour that are too large to pass through the strainer.In a large bowl, beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt on high speed until foamy, then with the mixer running, slowly add the sugar. When the mixture reaches soft peaks, add vanilla and color. Continue whipping just until mixture forms stiff peaks.Gently pour the almond mixture over the whipped egg whites so they don’t deflate. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the almond flour mixture into the egg whites until the mixture holds a 10 count, meaning when batter falls from the spatula to the bowl it takes about 10 seconds until it fully blends into the rest of the bowl in the batter. This way, the almond mixture is fully hydrated but egg whites still retain some air. The mixture is thick enough to pipe without running everywhere, but the peak at the top of each piped cookie will fall on its own, making a perfectly smooth cookie. This takes about 45 turns, but depending on how aggressively you fold, it can be more or less.Transfer the batter to a decorating pastry bag with a 1A tip. Pipe 1 inch rounds of batter onto the parchment lined pans, spacing at least 1 inch apart. Tap the pans hard on the countertop 4-5 times to release trapped air, and then let sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes or until the unbaked macaron form a skin and do not stick to your finger when touched. Allowing the macaron to crust over is what leads to their signature “feet,” the holey ring that arises during baking at the base of each cookie.Bake for 17 minutes on a shelf in the center of the oven. If baking 2 pans at a time on different oven racks, rotate the pans from bottom to top midway through baking. There isn’t a great visual on how long to bake macaron. When underbaked, the centers can be wet. When overbaked, they start to brown slightly and become very crunchy instead of crisp on the top with a softer interior.Cool the macaron completely on a cooling grid before sandwiching with your filling. Makes 36 to 48 sandwiched cookies.
Anthony’s Almond Flour 2lbs
This post contains affiliate Links. For more information, visit my Disclosure Page.
