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These are J's favourites, of all the macarons I've made and purchased, he declares these are "LE
MACARON".
It's true they are extremely moreish, the ground pistachios make them less sweet compared to macarons made with
100% ground almonds and their simple but not too understated flavour makes them a winner with almost everyone.
- Pistachio and Lemon Macarons
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- For the Macaron shells:
- 90 grams of egg white (about 3 - but do weigh them!)
- 30 grams of plain white granulated sugar
- 200 grams of icing or powdered confectioners sugar
- 55 grams of finely ground blanched almonds
- 55 grams of finely ground pistachios
- If desired you could also add green powdered food colouring here
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- For the Lemon Buttercream:
- 2 egg whites
- ½ cup of white sugar
- 185 grams of very soft butter
- ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
- the juice and zest of 1 lemon, or to taste
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- For the egg whites:
- The day before, or 24 hours before you wish to bake your macarons. Age your egg whites, by separating and storing
the whites at room temperature in a covered container. The remaining yolks can be used to make another dessert,
custard, mayonnaise or whatever you prefer. And if you want to use older egg whites (48 hours or older) you can simply
store them in the fridge.
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- To Prepare the Macarons:
- In a large bowl with electric beaters or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites to a
foam, gradually add the 30 grams of white sugar until you obtain a stiff glossy meringue.
- Do not over beat your meringue or it will be too dry.
- Combine the already ground almonds, pistachios and icing sugar in a food processor and give them another good pulse
until the nuts are very finely ground.
- Add them to the beaten meringue, give it a quick fold to break some of the air and then fold the mass carefully
until you obtain a batter that flows like magma or a thick ribbon.
- Give quick strokes at first to break the mass and slow down. The whole process should not take more than 50
strokes.
- Take a small amount of the meringue with a teaspoon and drop it onto a plate: if the tops flatten on their own you
are good to go.
- If there is a small peak, give the batter a couple of turns.
- Line a couple of baking trays with cooking paper.
- Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip with the meringue mixture and pipe small rounds, 4cm or 1½ inch in
diameter onto the lined baking sheets.
- Let the macarons sit out for 45 minutes to an hour to harden their shells.
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- Preheat your oven to 140°C (284°F)
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, depending on their size. Let cool slightly on the tray before lifting them.
- If you have trouble removing the shells, pour a couple of drops of water under the parchment paper while the sheet
is still a bit warm and the macarons will lift up more easily due to the moisture. But don’t let them sit there in it
for too long(!) or they will become soggy.
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- Once baked, if you are not going to use them straight away - store them in an airtight container out of the fridge
for a couple of days or in the freezer.
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- To make the Buttercream:
- In a double boiler, or large bowl over a pan of near to boiling water whisk the egg whites and sugar together until
the mixture is very thick and quite hot to the touch.
- Remove from the heat and beat until stiff peaks form.
- Gradually drop spoonfuls of the soft butter whisking continuously to fully incorporate them.
- Lastly beat in the vanilla, lemon juice and zest to taste.
- Refrigerate until ready to use.
- To fill the Macarons:
- Pipe or spoon about 1 teaspoon in the centre of one shell and carefully squeeze the ganache to the edges while
topping with another macaron shell.
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