Here’s a recipe I wanted to try after taking part in the French amateur macaron competition at Arnaud Larher’s a few months ago. One of the participants had presented a mint, lemon and raspberry macaron. I loved the freshness of that macaron. When it came to reproducing it at home, I first wanted to try the mint/raspberry combination. And it’s a real success! Everyone who ate devoured them loved them! And so did I, even though I’m not a big raspberry fan.
Don’t hesitate to give it a go, and if making macarons scares you, take a look at my article which explains everything, step by step 🙂
Ingredients & Method
3 components · Full recipe
Whipped Mint Ganache (make the day before)
Ingredients
- 50 g (1.8 oz) white couverture chocolate
- 50 g (1.8 oz) cream
- 1 tsp neutral honey (acacia honey, for example)
- 50 g (1.8 oz) very cold cream
- about 15 mint leaves
- 1–2 drops mint flavouring
Method
1
Break the white chocolate into pieces in a bowl (you can melt it slightly in a bain-marie or microwave).
2
Put the 50 g (1.8 oz) of cream and the mint leaves in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Leave to infuse uncovered for a maximum of 10 minutes.
3
Strain the cream through a fine sieve to remove the mint leaves, pressing them well to extract as much cream as possible. (Tip: weigh your cream at this stage to know how much cold cream to add — you will need to top it up to 100 g (3.5 oz) in total.)
4
Add the honey and heat the cream again.
5
As soon as it begins to simmer, pour one third of the cream over the white chocolate and mix to create an emulsion. Add a second third, then a third, until the mixture is smooth and homogeneous.
6
Add the remaining very cold cream along with the mint flavouring (use sparingly), and stir gently.
7
Cover with cling film pressed directly onto the surface and refrigerate for several hours, ideally overnight.
Shells
Ingredients
- 2 × 55 g (1.9 oz) egg whites
- 150 g (5.3 oz) icing sugar
- 150 g (5.3 oz) ground almonds
- 50 g (1.8 oz) water
- 150 g (5.3 oz) caster sugar
- green powder food colouring
- pink powder food colouring
Method
1
Blitz the icing sugar and ground almonds together in a food processor, then sift.
2
Prepare the syrup by placing the sugar and water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil until the temperature reaches 118°C / 244°F. When the syrup hits 110°C / 225°F, start whisking 55 g (1.9 oz) of egg whites to stiff peaks. Once 118°C / 244°F is reached, reduce the mixer speed and pour the syrup over the whisked whites. Increase the speed again to cool the meringue down — it should feel lukewarm but not cold to the touch.
3
Switch the whisk for the paddle attachment and incorporate the remaining 55 g (1.9 oz) of egg whites, then gradually add the almond and icing sugar mixture. Keep mixing until the batter is smooth, glossy and falls in a ribbon.
4
Divide the mixture in two and stir green food colouring into one half and pink into the other. Mix each until you reach the correct consistency — be careful not to over-mix.
5
Transfer each mixture to a piping bag fitted with a plain 8–10 mm nozzle. Using a tall glass to hold the bag makes it easier to fill with both hands.
6
Pipe small domes of about 3.5 cm (1.4 in) in a staggered pattern onto a sheet of baking paper (or a Silpat mat). For evenly sized macarons, I use a template slid underneath — remember to remove it before baking. Tap the tray firmly to smooth the tops.
7
Bake at 120°C / 250°F for about 22 minutes. Once out of the oven, leave to cool completely before lifting the shells. They are ready when they release cleanly with no resistance.
8
For this recipe, it is essential to make a small indent in each shell with your thumb to hold the half-raspberry inside.
Step by step
Not quite comfortable with macaron shells yet? I’ve put together two full step-by-step picture guides to help you get it right every time:
Assembly
Ingredients
- about a dozen raspberries
Method
1
Remove the ganache from the fridge and whip to a chantilly.
2
Rinse the raspberries and cut them in half.
3
Sort the shells so that each pair is the same size — one green shell and one pink.
4
Fill half the shells with the whipped mint ganache, place a raspberry half in the centre, then close with the remaining shells.
5
Refrigerate the macarons and wait 24 to 48 hours before eating them. They should spend the first night in an uncovered container (to prevent the shells from going soggy), then close the box and keep them for a further 24 hours in the fridge — they will only be better for it.
6
They will keep for a few days in the fridge, though the moist cream may gradually soften the shells. I doubt they will last that long anyway!
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