raspberry and dark chocolate macarons

Macarons are without a doubt one of the most fun, whimsical and pretty things that anyone can bake, they can be any colour, any flavour (as Adriano Zumbo is well aware of, vegemite flavoured!? I’m not that Australian,) and are incredibly impressive when tucked into a nice box or stacked on a cake stand.

 

Before I received this book for Christmas this year, my macaron adventures had been a bit wishy washy, sometimes I’d sit outside the oven bouncing and clapping my hands as I saw the feet forming, and other times I’d pull them from the oven only to see flat, cracked blobs of disappointment.

I made these raspberry and dark chocolate macarons for my sister’s boyfriend’s sister, whom I had never met, because they’re her favourite. I was particularly pleased with how these turned out, and the combination of a raspberry reduction and rich chocolate ganache was perfectly sandwiched between the pastel pink shells. I then used some pink, red and blue food colourings and vodka to paint hearts onto the macaron shells.

 

This is the Italian meringue method of making macarons, which is more stable than Swiss and French meringues. The recipe is from Adriano Zumbo’s book Zumbarons. I didn’t use or write a recipe for the ganache, so I recommend you simply do it to taste, I prefer my ganache quite buttery with just a bit of cream.

Macarons…
300 grams almond meal
300 grams icing sugar
220 grams egg whites
300 grams caster sugar
75 grams water
2 grams egg white powder

Method:
1. Place almond meal and icing sugar into a food processor and process to a fine powder, sift into a large bowl
2. Put sugar and water into a small saucepan and stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Cook until mixture reaches 118 degrees celcius, add food dye if desired
3. Add half the egg whites and the meringue powder to a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whisk at medium speed until frothy.
4. Pour sugar syrup down the side of the bowl, whisk until warm, about 8 minutes
5. Add the meringue and the rest of the egg whites to the dry ingredients and fold with a spatula until combined, continue to fold until mixture is loosened, when the mixture fall slowly off the spatula it is the correct texture.
6. Pipe, with a large round tip, or spoon mixture onto a lined baking tray
7. Preheat oven to 135 degrees Celsius
8. Leave macarons to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, until a skin is formed and the mixture does not stick to finger when touched
9. Bake macarons for 16 minutes

Filling…

Chocolate
Butter
Cream
Raspberries

Method…
1. Place chocolate in microwave and heat at 30 second intervals until smooth
2. Stir in cream and butter until flavour and consistency is as desired
3. Place raspberries in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until thick, stirring constantly
4. To assemble, pair macaron shells according to size. Spread macaron shell with raspberry reduction, then with ganache. Leave to sit until ganache is slightly firmed and top with another macaron shell.