Day 12: Passionfruit Macarons

  

 We did it! We can't believe it! We actually made successful Passionfruit Macarons! Yay!

Ingredients:

Macaron shells -

• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1 cup almond flour, (see Note)
• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 3 or 4 drops yellow food coloring

Passionfruit curd -

• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup passion fruit concentrate
• 6 large egg yolks
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced

 

Method

Cooking the macarons:

1. Preheat the oven to 180° and position racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large, wide bowl, using a large rubber spatula or a handheld electric mixer, mix the icing sugar and the almond flour with 1 of the egg whites until evenly moistened.
3. In a small saucepan, combine the 1/2 cup of granulated sugar with the water; bring to a boil. Using a moistened pastry brush, wash down any crystals from the side of the pan. Boil over high heat until the syrup reaches 115°C on a cooking thermometer.
4. In another large bowl, using clean beaters, beat the remaining 2 egg whites at medium-high speed until soft peaks form. With the machine at high speed, carefully drizzle the hot syrup over the whites; beat until firm and glossy. Beat in the food coloring until the meringue is bright yellow.
5. Stir one-fourth of the meringue into the almond mixture. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the remaining meringue. Transfer the meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a plain 1cm tip; pipe onto the prepared baking sheets in 2 cm circles, spacing them about 2.5 cm apart. Tap the sheet and let the meringue mixture stand for 15 minutes.
6. Transfer the meringues to the oven. Bake the meringues for 14-18 minutes - or until the meringues are puffed and the tops are firm and glossy. Transfer the baking sheets to racks; let cool completely.

The Passionfruit curd:

In a medium saucepan, place the sugar, passion fruit concentrate and egg yolks. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens. This should take about 15 minutes. Turn heat off, and add the butter pieces one by one until all the butter is incorporated. Let cool and refrigerate until ready to use it. Makes about 2 cups. 

Putting it together:

Carefully peel the meringues off of the parchment paper. Spoon the filling into a pastry bag fitted with a 1 cm tip. Alternatively, use a resealable plastic bag and snip off a corner. Pipe the filling onto the flat sides of half of the meringues. Top with the remaining meringues and serve.

Make Ahead The macarons can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Notes: Almond flour (finely ground blanched almonds) is available at supermarkets.