INFUSED HONEY RASPBERRY MACARONS
A great treat for Valentine's Day or every day because why should we celebrate love only one day a year?Well, that goes without saying especially if we serve these delicious macarons with it. They are infused but you could easily use a regular honey instead.You know I love a good macaron, this one has the perfect balance of sweet and acidity while being wrapped up by a love cuddle from the sweet almond shell. I hope you'll enjoy making this as much as I did. Joyeuse Saint Valentin et bon appétit! 🙂
Equipment
- 4 Piping bags + tips (1 large round, 1 small round)
- 1 Stand mixer + whisk attachment
- 1 Large mixing bowl
- 1 Medium mixing bowl
- 1 Spatula
- 2 Pastry trays + silpats (or parchment paper)
- 1 Magical butter machine + Decarb box + Magic filter
- 1 Pestle and morter
- 1 Fine mesh sieve
- 1 Food processor
- 1 Medium size saucepan
- 1 Resting rack + grate
Ingredients
MACARON SHELLS
- 150 gr Ground almonds (1 cup)
- 150 gr Icing sugar (1 1/4 cup icing sugar)
- 150 gr Caster sugar (3/4 cups)
- 110 gr Egg whites (2 large egg whites)
- 28 gr Water (2 tbsp)
- 2 drops Red colorant gel (food grade)
- 5 gr Freeze dried raspberry (2 tsp, ground)
RASPBERRY BUTTERCREAM
- 56 gr Butter (4 tbsp, room temperature)
- 60 gr Icing sugar (5 tbsp)
- 2 tbsp Infused Magical honey
- 5 gr Freeze fried raspberry (2 tsp, ground)
RASPBERRY JELLY
- 170 gr Fresh raspberry (6oz, washed)
- 1 tbsp Infused Magical honey
Instructions
MACARON SHELLS
- Place the icing sugar and ground almonds in the bowl of a food processor and mix together until the sugar and almonds are pulsed finely.
- Sift them through a fine mesh sieve and set aside.
- Place the egg whites in a clean bowl of a standing mixer and start whisking on a low speed.
- Meanwhile, place the caster sugar and the water in a saucepan over a medium-high heat.
- Cook until the syrup reaches ‘soft ball’ stage, or 118°C (244F) on a sugar thermometer.
- As the thermometer reaches 105°C, increase the speed of the mixer to get a soft peak.
- As soon as the sugar syrup reaches 118°C, reduce the speed of the mixer and slowly pour the hot syrup down the side of the bowl into the egg white mixture.
- Once all of the syrup has been added, increase the whisking speed again for 1 minute.
- Add the red food colouring and whisk until the meringue has turned an even colour and has cooled to blood temperature – it should be thick and fluffy (like me).
- Gently fold the Italian meringue into the almond base a third at a time, mixing gently with a spatula until each third is fully incorporated before adding the next.
- When the mixture is smooth and shiny, transfer to a piping bag with a plain 1cm nozzle and pipe 4.5cm rounds onto baking trays lined with silicone mats or parchment paper.
- Sprinkle some ground ground raspberry powder over top each macaron shells.
- Set aside to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow a dry skin to form.
- Preheat the oven to 130°C (275F).
- Once the macarons have dried, bake in the oven for 14–15 minutes – the discs should be just starting to peel off the paper. Allow to cool completely before filling.
RASPBERRY BUTTERCREAM
- Place the soft butter in your stand mixer with the whisk attachment and mix until the butter is thick and double in volume.
- Reduce the speed to low, and add the icing sugar, infused magical honey and ground raspberry powder.
- Mix until smooth and fully incorporated.
- Place the mix in a piping bag and set aside (at room temperature).
RASPBERRY JELLY
- In a small saucepan on medium low heat, place the raspberries and honey and cook until it starts to thickens (about 5 min).
- Pass the mixture through a fine mash sieve. Let it cool down in the fridge until set.
- Place the jelly into a piping bag. Set aside.
ASSEMBLING
- Place a medium dollop of buttercream In 1/2 of the shells.
- Pipe the jelly inside the dollop of buttercream and close the macarons with the naked shells.
- This will offer 2 textures and flavours to the macarons.
- Serve right away or store in a dry and cold room.
- Bon appétit!
Notes
You can easily freeze your macarons, let them thaw for few hours before serving.