Yesterday, I made a few macaron shells and the recipe only took me about fifteen minutes (of course, then there’s the resting time and the baking of the macarons, but no need to keep an eye on all that…). The trick is to mix and sift the ground almonds and icing sugar in advance, and then keep the mixture in a tupperware. A considerable time-saver, believe it or not!
Feel free to adjust the pistachio to your personal taste. I used to put only 8 g of pistachio paste for a light pistachio flavour. I put a little more in this recipe (12 g), bearing in mind that you’ll find plenty of recipes online that use 20 g of pistachio for the same amount of cream. It’s up to you!
Ingredients & preparation
3 components · Full recipe
Shells
Ingredients
- 2 x 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 food colouring
Preparation
1
Blitz the icing sugar and ground almonds together, then sift the whole mixture.
2
Make the syrup by placing the caster sugar and water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil until the temperature reaches 118°C / 244°F. When the syrup reaches 110°C / 225°F, gradually whisk the 55 g (1.9 oz) of egg whites to stiff peaks. Once the temperature reaches 118°C / 244°F, lower the speed of the whisk and pour the syrup over the whisked whites. Add the green food colouring at this point. Increase the speed again to cool the meringue slightly. Check with your finger — it should feel warm but not cold.
3
Switch the whisk attachment for the flat beater and fold in the remaining 55 g (1.9 oz) of egg whites, then the sifted almond and icing sugar mixture. Mix until the batter becomes smooth, shiny and forms a ribbon (I run the mixer for a few seconds to bring everything together, then finish the macaronage by hand).
4
Once the right consistency is reached, transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a plain 8–10 mm tip. Don’t hesitate to use a tall glass to support your piping bag — that way you can use both hands.
5
Pipe small domes of about 3.5 cm (1.4 in) in a staggered pattern onto a sheet of baking paper (or a silicone mat). To get even macarons, I use a template downloaded from Pure Gourmandise (just slide it under the baking paper or the mat, and remember to remove it before putting the tray in the oven). Tap the baking tray to get smooth, even shells.
6
Bake at 120°C / 250°F for approximately 22 minutes. Once out of the oven, leave to cool before peeling off the shells. The shells are done when they come off the paper very easily. If you like, you can hollow out the shells slightly with your thumb to fit in more ganache.
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:
Whipped Pistachio Ganache
Ingredients
- 50 g (1.8 oz) white couverture chocolate
- 25 g (0.9 oz) liquid cream
- 75 g (2.6 oz) well-chilled liquid cream
- 1 teaspoon neutral honey (acacia honey, for example)
- 12 g (0.4 oz) pistachio paste
Preparation
1
In a small saucepan, heat the 25 g (0.9 oz) of cream with the honey and pistachio paste.
2
While the cream heats, break the white chocolate into pieces in a heatproof bowl (you can melt it slightly in a bain-marie or in the microwave).
3
As soon as the cream begins to simmer, pour one third over the white chocolate and stir to create an emulsion. Add the second third, then the third, until the mixture is completely smooth and homogeneous.
4
Add the 75 g (2.6 oz) of well-chilled cream and stir gently to combine. Cover with cling film pressed directly onto the surface and refrigerate for several hours (ideally overnight).
Assembly
Ingredients
- None
Preparation
1
Sort your macaron shells so that the ones you pair together are the same size.
2
Pipe a small mound of whipped pistachio ganache in the centre of one shell and sandwich with its matching shell.
3
Refrigerate and wait 24 to 48 hours before eating. The macarons should spend their first night in an uncovered container (to prevent them from becoming damp), then close the box and keep them in the fridge for a further 24 hours — they’ll only get better.
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