Use old eggs for macarons -- the whites will be thinner.
Amanda adds the confectioners's sugar and almonds to a mini food processor -- a mistake, as it turned out. It wouldn't grind the almonds finely enough.
Meyer lemon juice is so golden it looks like orange juice.
And now back to Amanda strugging with the almonds which are now being dumped into the blender for a second round of grinding.
Merrill adds Meyer lemon zest to the eggs and sugar for the Meyer lemon curd.
Butter, awaiting the warm curd -- it's the finishing touch. It cools down the curd, thickens it and tamps down any too-tart edges.
Whipping the egg whites for the cookies.
Once the meringue is made, you fold the ground almonds and confectioners' sugar into it. No need to do this gently. The mixture should get smooth and elastic.
Dish duty!
When making the curd, it will first get foamy, then eventually smooth out.
Filling a pastry bag with the macaroon batter.
Piping little buttons onto Silpat -- we learned that parchment works better than Silpat for macarons.
You want the macarons to have perfectly smooth tops -- so you can dip your finger in water and then pat down any lumps or peaks.
Macarons rest for 30 minutes before going into the oven.
Macaroons are ready when they're no longer sticky to the touch.
Into the oven!
Merrill finishes up the curd by whisking in the butter -- it's like finishing a sauce with butter.
Filling the macarons.
Sandwiching them.
Ogling one.
Author Notes: A fresh, sunny filling brightens up the traditional almond macaron. These are delicious with afternoon tea or coffee. —DolcettoConfections
Food52 Review: An excellent recipe in every way. DolcettoConfections demystifies French macarons and you discover just how easy they are to make. To get the confectioners' sugar and almonds ground finely enough, we had to use the blender, which required a fair amount of shaking and scraping and digging -- between whirring! -- to make sure the almonds close to the blade didn't turn to paste. But it's worth it for the fine texture. And while the curd takes vigorous whisking over the stove, it turns out as light as whipped cream and just as tempting to eat by the spoonful. Not that we did. A-hem. - A&M —The Editors
Serves: 20
Ingredients
Meyer Lemon Curd
-
2
large eggs
-
2
large egg yolks
-
1/3
cup granulated sugar
-
1/3
cup Meyer lemon juice
-
1
tablespoon Meyer lemon zest (packed)
-
1/4
teaspoon Kosher salt
-
6
tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
Macarons
-
68
grams egg whites, aged at room temperature for 24 hours
-
34
grams granulated sugar
-
75
grams blanched almonds
-
136
grams confectioner's sugar
Directions
Meyer Lemon Curd
- Whisk eggs, egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, lemon peel, and coarse salt in medium metal bowl to blend well.
- Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water).
- Whisk constantly until mixture thickens and instant-read thermometer inserted into mixture registers 170°F to 172°F, 5 to 6 minutes. Do not allow the mixture to boil.
- Remove bowl from over water. Whisk butter into curd, 2 to 3 cubes at a time, allowing butter to melt before adding more and whisking until curd is smooth.
- Press plastic wrap directly onto surface of curd and refrigerate overnight.
Macarons
- Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk on low-medium speed until frothy. Add the granulated sugar a little bit at a time. Allow the sugar to incorporate fully before making the next addition.
- When all of the sugar has been added, increase the speed to medium and allow meringue to form stiff peaks. To test, remove the bowl from the mixer and turn upside down. There should be no movement in the meringue.
- Combine the blanched almonds and powdered sugar in a food processor. Process until you cannot distinguish the almonds from the sugar, about 30 seconds.
- Add half of the almond-sugar mixture to the meringue. Using a strong spatula, begin combining the two elements. During this first combination, you actually want to combine the two rather vigorously. Do not be gentle – you have to reduce the air in the meringue somewhat or your macarons will be too “puffy”. Continue for about 10 to 15 turns.
- Add half of the remaining almond-sugar mixture and incorporate for 15 to 20 turns. Fold in the remaining almond-sugar gently into the meringue. Continue for no more than 10 turns, or until you can no longer distinguish between the two.
- Fit a pastry bag with a #806 tip. Pipe about 1” rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a SilPat. Leave plenty of room between the macarons – they will expand! Allow the macarons to sit 30 minutes to one hour to develop a shell.
- Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Bake macarons for 10 to 12 minutes, until shells are just slightly golden.
- When shells are completely cool, pipe or spread Meyer lemon curd on the flat side of one macaron and sandwich with another.
- Your Best Almond Macaroons Contest Winner!
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
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