Hazelnut and Yuzu Macaron

Soak the gelatine in cold water.

Gently heat the yuzu juice, add the sugar if using, and stir to dissolve.

Squeeze out the gelatine and stir it into the warm yuzu juice.

Pour the jelly into a small mould — I use a financier mould. Leave to cool for a few minutes, then refrigerate overnight ideally.

The next day, unmould and cut the yuzu jelly into small cubes. Keep in the fridge until assembly.

Break the milk chocolate into pieces in a bowl and melt over a bain-marie or in the microwave.

Add the hazelnut paste and hazelnut praline, then mix until smooth and homogeneous.

Put the 55 g (1.9 oz) of cream and the honey in a saucepan and bring gently to the boil.

As soon as the cream simmers, pour one-third over the praline chocolate and mix to create an emulsion. Add the second third, mix, then the final third, until the mixture is smooth, glossy and completely homogeneous. (Use a spatula and work from the centre outwards — you’ll build an elastic, glossy core.)

Add the 130 g (4.6 oz) of cold cream and mix gently.

Add the yuzu juice. The acidity will thicken the cream slightly — this is perfectly normal.

Cover with cling film and refrigerate for several hours, ideally overnight.

Blitz the icing sugar and ground almonds together, then sift.

Make the syrup: put the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to the boil until it reaches 118°C / 244°F. When it hits 110°C / 225°F, gradually whisk 55 g (1.9 oz) of egg whites to soft peaks. Once the syrup reaches 118°C / 244°F, reduce the mixer speed and pour the syrup over the whipped whites. Add the yellow food colouring at this point. Increase the speed again to cool the meringue slightly. Check with your finger — it should feel lukewarm, not cold.

Switch the whisk attachment for the paddle and fold in the remaining 55 g (1.9 oz) of egg whites, then the sifted almond-icing sugar mixture. Leave the mixer running until the batter becomes smooth, glossy and falls in a ribbon. I let the mixer run for a few seconds to combine everything, then finish the macaronage by hand.

Once the right consistency is reached, transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a plain 8–10 mm nozzle. A tall glass to support the bag makes it much easier to fill with both hands.

Pipe small domes of about 3.5 cm (1.4 in) in a staggered pattern onto a baking parchment-lined tray (or a Silpat). For evenly sized macarons, I use a template from Pure Gourmandise — simply slide it under the parchment or Silpat (and don’t forget to remove it before baking). Tap the tray on the counter to smooth the tops.

You can leave the shells plain or sprinkle a few shards of caramelised hazelnuts on top, as shown in the photos (every other shell). If you do, there’s no need to add caramelised hazelnuts inside the macarons as well. It’s up to you!

Bake at 120°C / 250°F for about 22 minutes. Leave to cool before lifting the shells off. They are ready when they release easily.

Hollow out the shells with your thumb to make room for the filling.

Toast the hazelnuts in a preheated oven at 150°C / 300°F for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, leave to cool, then rub off the skins.

Chop the hazelnuts into small pieces — not too fine.

Put the sugar and water in a saucepan and cook to 118°C / 244°F (use a thermometer; without one, look for small steady bubbles).

Off the heat, pour the chopped hazelnuts into the sugar syrup and stir well until they are completely coated in a sandy white sugar crust.

Return the pan to a medium heat. Stir constantly as soon as the sugar starts to dissolve. The hazelnuts will caramelise gradually — watch carefully so they don’t burn.

When the hazelnuts are golden, add the butter and fleur de sel and mix well. Turn out onto a baking parchment-lined surface or a silicone mat. Leave to cool completely, then store in a dry place.

Sort your shells into matching pairs of the same size.

Whip the ganache like a chantilly, then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a plain 8–10 mm nozzle.

Take the yuzu jelly cubes and caramelised hazelnuts out of the fridge.

Pipe a small amount of ganache into the hollow of a macaron shell, add a cube of yuzu jelly and a few pieces of caramelised hazelnuts (if you chose not to put them on top). Pipe ganache over everything to cover, then sandwich with a second shell.

Refrigerate and leave until the next day before tasting. The macarons should spend the first night uncovered to prevent them becoming damp, then close the box — they will keep for a few days.

These are the macarons I entered in the competition. The look is a little different, but as luck would have it, my DSLR camera decided to act up just as I wanted to photograph them. So I only managed to take a photo with my phone. The following photo was taken by the photographer during the competition.