Salut mes p’tits croissants!
Today is the first episode of my Macarons World Tour, and we’re starting with my home country, France. We are making a honey and lavender macaron, with a dark chocolate ganache.
Tell me on the video, which video I should be making next!
Makes 12 Macarons
Macarons shell
75gr Ground almonds
75 gr Icing sugar
75gr Caster sugar
55gr Egg whites
14gr Water
0.5 gr purple colorant
Lavender/Honey Choco ganache
39gr Whipping cream
0.5gr Lavender buds
15.5gr Honey
35gr 70% Dark chocolate
5gr Trimoline
14gr Unsalted butter (softened)
-To make the macarons, begin with the ground almond base. Place all of the ingredients in the bowl of a food mixer and mix together until the sugar and almonds are really fine. Sift them through and set aside while making the Italian meringue
-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 pan over a medium-high heat to create a syrup. Heat through 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 purple food colouring and whisk gently until the meringue has turned an even colour and has cooled to blood temperature – it should be thick and fluffy
-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 paper. Set aside to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow a dry skin to form.
-Preheat the oven to 130°C (300F).
-Once the macarons have dried, bake in the oven for 17–18 minutes – the discs should be just starting to peel off the paper. Allow to cool completely before filling.
-To make the ganache filling, place the cream in a pan over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Take the pan off the heat, add the lavender then set aside to infuse for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, place the chocolate and trimoline in a blender.
-Place the honey in a pan and cook over a medium heat until caramelised and gently smoking. Strain the infused cream into the hot honey (discarding the lavender) and bring the mixture to the boil.
-Remove from the heat and pour the hot cream over the chocolate and trimoline in the blender. Leave for 30 seconds to start melting the chocolate then begin blending to create a smooth mixture.
-Add the softened butter a little at a time, continuing to blend for at least another minute until glossy and smooth. Transfer to a piping bag and allow to cool and set before using.
-When ready to assemble, pipe mounds of the ganache filling onto half of the discs then sandwich together with the remaining plain halves, pressing down gently so that the ganache just spreads to the edges.
-Et voilà, Bon Appétit!
