Lavender Macarons
Ingredients:
80g egg whites
65g lavender sugar
80g almond meal
140g icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
food coloring
dried lavender seeds
Filling
115g soft Philadelphia cream cheese
2 tablespoon lavender sugar
Lavender Sugar
1 cup of caster sugar (caster sugar is somewhere between granulated and powdered sugar)
2 tablespoon of edible lavender
muslin cloth
Instructions:
~ 2 weeks ahead ~ wrap lavender in muslin cloth, secure with kitchen string. Pour caster sugar in an airtight container, and place the lavender sachet in the container. Give it a good shake everyday.
~ 3 days before making macarons ~ separate egg white from yolk. Refrigerate.
Making Macarons
- Egg white at room temperature
- Pulse Almond meal with icicng sugar for 5 minutes. Sieve. Set aside.
- Mix the egg white and castor sugar in a heatproof bowl.
- Making sure that the bowl will snuggly fit the pot, bring the water to boil then lower the heat to a gentle simmer.
- Place the bowl on top of the pot, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the simmering water… aka double boil method.
- Whisk the egg white mixture until the sugar is dissolved and the temperature reads50–55Con the sugar thermometer.
- Transfer the egg mixture into the mixing bowl with the balloon attachment.
- Add lemon juice.
- Whisk on medium speed until soft peak or ‘shaving foam’ consistency.
- Add in food colouring.
- Using a flexible silicon spatula, fold in sieved almond into the meringue one third at a time. And start counting the strokes.
- Continue to fold until all dry ingredients are fully incorporated and it forms a shiny batter with a thick, ribbon like consistency…
- Pour the mixture into a piping bag fitted with 10mm nozzle, and pipe onto prepared baking sheets.
Sprinkle with lavender.
- Leave the tray at room temperature for 30 minutes or more until the macarons surface are ‘drier’ to touch.
- Preheat oven to 150C (300F) and bake each tray for 15-20 minutes depending on the oven.
- Cool for 10 minutes then carefully peel off the baking sheet.
- Leave to cool completely before piping in the filling
- Filling~ beat the cream cheese and lavender sugar until smooth. Pipe the filling onto the shells.
- Macarons tasted better…after an overnight refrigeration
Love Food Cookbook, mykeuken.com