Chef: Chef Anup Kumar Maity, ibis and Novotel Bengaluru Outer Ring Road

French Macaroons Recipe

Portion: 25-30

Ingredients:

For Macaroon shells:

· 100gr almond flour

· 100gr powdered sugar

· 70gr egg whites, at room temperature

· 50gr Caster sugar

· Gel food coloring, if desired·

For Buttercream Filling:

· 2 large egg yolks

· 50gr sugar

· 3 ½ tablespoons milk

· 115gr unsalted butter, softened

· 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Sift together almond flour and powdered sugar twice. Set aside.

3. In a clean medium bowl, beat the egg whites on low speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and increase the speed to medium. Slowly add sugar one tablespoon at a time. Continue to beat the egg whites on high speed until hard peaks form. Stir in gel or powder food coloring, if desired.

4. Sift almond flour mixture over whipped egg whites, and gently fold it with a spatula until batter is just combined. Be careful not to over-fold.

5. Transfer the batter into a pastry bag with a round tip. Pipe about 1.5-inch rounds about an inch apart on prepared baking sheets.

6. Tap the baking sheets firmly on the counter a few times to get rid of any air bubbles.

7. Let the macaroons sit out on the counter for at least 15-30 minutes, maybe up to couple hours, depending on humidity. When you lightly touch the macaroons, and the batter does not stick to your finger, then it’s ready to go into the oven. While waiting, preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).

8. Bake the macaroons one sheet at a time for about 18-20 minutes. It’ll take longer for larger macaroons. The macaroons are ready when they come off the sheet easily.

9. Cool the macaroons on the sheet for 10-15 minutes, and then transfer the macaroons to a wire rack to cool completely.

10. To make the buttercream filling, in a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks slightly with a whisk and add sugar. Continue to whisk until the mixture is pale and sugar is mostly dissolved. Stir in the milk. Transfer the egg yolk mixture into a small saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring frequently. Continue to cook until it’s thick like pudding, about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture back to the bowl and bring it to room temperature. Stir in the butter in three batches. Add vanilla extract and continue to mix until smooth.

11. To assemble, transfer the buttercream filling into a pastry bag and sandwich the macaroons . Serve fresh.