RECIPE OF THE MONTH
Show your love this Valentine's Day with these delicious Macarons. Makes 30 macarons For the Macarons 200g icing sugar 110g ground almond flour 3 medium egg whites 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 70g granulated sugar Food colouring as desired For the filling 25g unsalted butter, room temperature 110g double cream 120g dark chocolate, finely chopped 75g raspberry jam Method Place the ground almonds and icing sugar and half a teaspoon of salt into the bowl of a food processor and pulse about 12 times until the mixtue appears fully combined. Sieve the mixture carefully into a large bowl, making sure that any mixture remaining in the seive is disgarded. In another bowl take the egg whites and the other half teaspoon of salt and mix (using a hand mixer) until soft peaks form. Slowly add the granulated sugar and continue to whisk until stiff peaks form, you should be able to invert the bowl without your ingredients falling out. If your mixture is ready beat in the vanilla extract and food colouring.
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Mix your almond flour mixture in about three parts to the beaten eggs. Gently, using a spatula fold in the mixture. Continue adding the almond flour mixture carefully until it forms a batter. it should fall in a thick ribbon from the spatula. The ribbon should also fade back into the batter within about 30 secs – if it doesn’t, fold a few more times. Heat oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3-4. Line three baking sheets with baking parchment. Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a large round nozzle. Hold the bag vertically to the tray, with the nozzle about 1cm from it. Pipe rounds about 2.5cm in diameter onto the prepared baking sheets. Leave to rest for 30 mins, or until the macarons have developed a skin. Bake the macarons for 17 minutes, until the feet are wellrisen and the macarons don’t stick to the parchment paper. Transfer the macarons to a wire rack to cool completely before filling. For the filling, place the cream in a small saucepan and the chocolate in a bowl. Bring the cream just to the boil and pour over the chocolate. Leave to stand for a few mins, then stir until combined. Add the butter and stir until smooth, leave to cool and thicken. Place the filling mixture into a piping bag with a smaller nozzle and gently pipe the edge of half the macarons. Fill the centre with rasberry jam and sandwich with another macaron shell. Pop the finished macarons in an airtight container for 24 hours to rest for the best results, enjoy!
