Macarons...I love them, but they are ridiculously difficult. I've perfected my egg white whipping technique, even when I chanced it with the red gel food coloring, but this time I seriously messed up with piping. I just can't seem to make uniform macarons, and of course I piped them all too close to each other so their overlapped. I also underbaked them a bit, so the insides were a little wet. I popped them back in the oven to bake a little more, which in return ruined their feet a little bit. Sigh. Will retry these Sunday, and with the raspberry mascarpone cheese filling. Today I was short on time and couldn't find mascarpone at the store, so I just used leftover Amaretto ganache.
Below is her original recipe that I will soon try again.
Raspberry Mascarpone Macarons from Tartelette
Yield: about 20 macarons
INGREDIENTS
For the shells:
90 gr egg whites (use eggs whites that have been preferably left 3-5 days in the fridge)
25 gr granulated sugar
200 gr powdered sugar
110 gr almonds (slivered, blanched, sliced, whatever you like)
1 tablespoon cherry pink powdered food coloring
For the filling:
4 oz mascarpone, room temperature
2-3 tablespoon good quality raspberry preserves
DIRECTIONS
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites to a foam, (think bubble bath foam) gradually add the sugar until you obtain a glossy meringue (think shaving cream). Do not overbeat your meringue or it will be too dry. Place the powdered sugar and almonds and powdered color in a food processor and give them a good pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Add them to the meringue, give it a quick fold to break some of the air and then fold the mass carefully until you obtain a batter that falls back on itself after counting to 10. Give quick strokes at first to break the mass and slow down. The whole process should not take more than 50 strokes. Test a small amount on a plate: if the tops flattens on its own you are good to go. If there is a small beak, give the batter a couple of turns.
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip (Ateco #807 or #809) with the batter and pipe small rounds (1.5 inches in diameter) onto parchment paper or silicone mats lined baking sheets. Let the macarons sit out for 30 minutes to an hour to harden their shells a bit. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 280F. When ready, bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on their size. Let cool. Once baked and if you are not using them right away, store them in an airtight container out of the fridge for a couple of days or in the freezer.
In a small bowl, whisk together the mascarpone and preserves together until well incorporated. Fill a small piping bag with a large plain tip (Ateco #809) with it and pipe in the center of each shell. Let the shell mature at least 24 hours in the fridge so all the flavors have the chance to meld together.