Hibiscus Macarons

Directions

1. In a food processor or heavy-duty blender (such as a Vitamix), pulse the granulated sugar and hibiscus until the sugar is a fine powder and the hibiscus is fairly finely ground. The sugar will be slightly magenta-colored. Let the ground sugar settle for a few minutes before attempting to remove the lid.
2. Sift together the almond flour and powdered sugar, set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, whip the egg whites on medium-high until they turn to foam, then gradually add the ground hibiscus sugar. Whip on high to stiff, glossy peaks, then quickly beat in the food coloring. Fold into the almond flour mixture until completely incorporated and gooey like magma.
4. Using a large round tip or a pastry bag with no tip, pipe the batter onto a parchment-lined baking sheet or two, with circles drawn on the underside of the parchment if you need a guide. Make sure to secure the parchment to the sheets with a dot of batter in each corner before piping the circles. The tops of the circles should flatten out on their own.
5. In a mortar and pestle, roughly grind the remaining hibiscus and sprinkle a couple of tiny pieces on each of the piped circles. Allow to sit for an hour so that a skin can form on top of the macarons.
6. Preheat the oven to 300, then bake for 10-12 minutes. Do not allow to get browned. Cool fully, then pop the macarons off the baking sheet and set aside.
7. Place the cream in a small saucepan over high heat. Put the chocolate in a medium, heat-proof mixing bowl. When the cream just comes to a boil, remove from heat and immediately pour over the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Let cool until thick and not runny. You can speed up the process in the refrigerator if you wish but keep the ganache safe from drips of condensation – they will cause the emulsion to break.
8. Once the ganache is thickened, pair the macaron shells up by size. Spread one of each pair with an even, not-too-thick coating of ganache (about 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch thick) and gently press the matching shells into place. Let sit in a cool place for the ganache to set fully.