Pistachio Macarons

One exquisite French delicacy that I have always wanted to try to make myself are macarons, these crunchy on the outside yet soft on the inside delicious treats. It is well known that making perfect macarons takes practice, and I quickly realized how true that statement was. My first attempt at making macarons was not so successful and took a lot of time. However, on the second try I was happily surprised with the outcome. I made pistachio macarons from a cute little recipe book entitled  Macarons, by Marie-Laure Tombini.

Ingredients for macarons:

2-3 eggs whites (80 g)
60 g sugar
120 g icing sugar
80 g almond powder *
1 pinch salt
green food coloring

Ingredients for pistachio cream filling:

100 ml milk, warm
1 egg yolk
25 g sugar
12 g corn starch
25 g pistachios, finely chopped

* If you cannot find almond powder, you can simply take blanched almonds and grind them finely in a food processor. 

Directions:

1. In a food processor, combine the almond powder and icing sugar to ensure a homogenous mixture. Sift this mixture in a bowl and discard the larger grains.
2. Beat the egg whites (I use a hand mixer with no problem) to obtain a meringue. At the last moment, add in the salt. This step should take about 5 minutes.


Hint: The first time I tried to make macarons, I took me 30 minutes to beat the egg whites into a meringue! Most likely there was a bit of egg yolk in my egg whites, so make sure to take your time while separating the egg yolks and whites. For optimal results, separate the egg whites from the yolks 24 hours prior to making the macarons and leave them at room temperature until needed for the recipe.


3. Add in the sugar and food coloring while continuously mixing. Whisk until the meringue is shiny.
4. Incorporate the almond mixture to the meringue a small amount at a time. Combine gently by folding in the meringue with a spatula. Do this until all the almond mixture is incorporated, but make sure to not overwork the meringue.
5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Gently transfer the meringue to a piping bag with a large round tip. Form small rounds on the baking pan lined with parchment paper by keeping the tip as close to the pan as possible, lifting the tip at the last moment.
6. Tap the baking sheet on a flat surface to remove any air bubbles. Don't hesitate to smack it hard. Let these rest for 30-45 minutes, until dry to the touch.
7. Preheat oven to 300°F and bake for 12-14 minutes. Let the shells cool down completely before forming the macarons.

8. For the pistachio cream filling, mix the sugar and cornstarch in a bowl. Add the egg yolk and warm milk and whisk vigorously until well combined. Transfer this mixture to a pot and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens. Add in the chopped pistachios. Transfer the cream to a bowl and cover with a plastic film until cooled down to room temperature.
9. When the macarons have cooled, garnish one shell with the pistachio cream filling using a piping bag with a round tip, and cover with another shell. Assemble all macarons as such, making sure that similar-sized  shells form a macaron. 

Yield: 15-20 small macarons

To make these macarons I also relied heavily on Food Nouveau's blog about making the perfect macarons for tips. It was of great help, because it's not easy to make macarons! It's takes practice.