1
To start the macarons, make the ground almond base. Add the ground almonds, icing sugar and egg whites to the bowl of an electric food mixer and whisk to combine. Set aside until needed
- 300g of ground almonds
- 300g of icing sugar
- 110g of egg white
2
For the Italian meringue base, add the egg whites to a clean bowl and begin to whisk on a low speed. Meanwhile, combine the sugar and water in a saucepan, place over a medium-high heat until the mixture reaches ‘soft ball’ stage, or 118°C
- 110g of egg white
- 300g of caster sugar
- 55g of water
3
When the mix reaches 105°C, increase the food mixer speed, add the extra 20g of sugar to ‘stabilise' the meringue. Once the sugar reaches 118°C, reduce the speed once more and gradually pour the syrup in a steady stream down the side of the bowl into the egg whites
4
Mix for 1 more minute on a high speed, then turn off the machine, add the orange food colouring and whisk for a final time on a medium speed until the meringue has cooled to body temperature, and is fluffy and thickened
- 2g of orange food colouring
5
Add 1/3 of the Italian meringue to the ground almond base and gently mix to incorporate. Repeat this process twice more, until the two bases are completely smooth, shiny and incorporated
6
Transfer the meringue to a piping bag fitted with a 1cm diameter plain nozzle and pipe 4.5cm round bulbs of the mix onto a tray lined with silicone paper, or a non-stick baking mat
7
Leave the piped rounds to sit for 30-60 minutes, so that they form a dry skin over the surface. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 130°C/gas mark 1
8
Bake the macarons in the oven for 17-18 minutes, until you are able to just peel them off the tray. Once ready, remove from the oven and allow to cool before matching the macaron halves according to the best size match
9
To make the mandarin ganache, place the chocolate and trimoline into a Thermomix or food processor . Place the cream with the orange zest into a pan and bring to the boil
- 200g of Cacao Barry Extra Bitter 64%
- 25g of trimoline
- 220g of whipping cream
- 6g of orange zest
10
Pour the cream over the chocolate and leave for 30 seconds. Turn the Thermomix or ood processor on a moderate speed, mix until smooth, gradually add in the softened butter and then the mandarin liqueur. Mix well for at least 1 minute, then place into a piping bag fitted with a 1/2cm nozzle and allow to set at room temeprature before piping
- 10ml of Mandarine Napoléon
- 75g of butter, softened
11
For mandarin pâte de fruit, reduce the purée in a large saucepan until it weighs 320g. Once reduced, stir in the glucose. Mix the pectin and sugar together in a small bowl
- 400g of mandarin purée
- 60g of glucose
12
Whisk the pectin and sugar into the boiling purée and cook until it reaches 105°C, whisking constantly, as it will catch on the bottom of the pan. Once at 105°C, mix together the citric acid and water and add to the purée
- 10g of pectin jaune
- 160g of caster sugar
- 4g of citric acid
- 5g of water
13
Pour the pâte de fruit mix onto a baking tray lined with silicone paper
14
Once cold, break the pâte de fruit into small pieces and blitz into Thermomix or food processor to make a smooth paste, adding orange juice if necessary to thin the mix. It should be a very thick, but pipeable paste
15
To temper the chocolate, place 300g of the chocolate chips in a microwave-proof bowl. Microwave on a low wattage, around 300-400W, and melt until smooth, ensuring to stir every 45 seconds. Continue to heat in the microwave until the chocolate reaches 45˚C
- 300g of Cacao Barry Extra Bitter 64%, chopped or chips
16
Remove the melted chocolate from the microwave, add the remaining 100g of chocolate chips and stir to melt. Once the temperature of the chocolate reaches 32˚C for dark, or 28˚C for milk and white, it is ready to use
- 100g of Cacao Barry Extra Bitter 64%, chopped or chips
17
To fill and garnish the macaron, dip the top of the macaron into tempered chocolate and place onto a tray lined with silicon paper. Set aside and allow to set
18
Pipe a ring of the mandarin ganache around the edge of the bottom of the macaron, fill the centre with the pâte de fruit and then press on the lid. Brush the lid with golden shimmer and serve
- gold shimmer, or edible glitter
