Raspberry Macarons with Lemon Curd Filling

I absolutely love everything about French pastries! When I had a chance to visit Paris a couple of years ago, one of the first places I stopped at was Ladurée, which is considered by many to be the best macaron shop in the world.  I've been obsessed with macarons ever since, and the endless combinations of flavors that you can create.  This was my first attempt at making macarons at home, and I chose to make raspberry macarons with a lemon curd filling, which were delectable.

I made a meringue and folded in the mixture of almond flour, powdered sugar and dried raspberries

It's important to spread the batter against the side of the bowl and flip it to give the finished product a shiny crust.

Repeat this process about 15 times

I piped the batter in one-inch circles on the baking sheet

You can see the "pied", or foot, of the finished macaron

I made a lemon curd over the stove top to fill the macarons

Enjoy!

Raspberry Macarons
Makes about 2 dozen macarons

2/3 cup (3 ounces/85 g) ground almonds

 1 ½ cups (5.25 ounces/150 g) powdered sugar

3 large egg whites, at room temperature

5 tablespoons/65 g granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons dried raspberries, ground in food processor

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and draw 1 inch circles on the paper to use as a guide when piping out the macaron batter.  Space the circles at least ½ inch apart

2. Grind the almonds, powdered sugar, and dried raspberries together in a food processor and sift the mixture twice.

3. Beat the egg whites at high speed until they become foamy, and then slowly add the granulated sugar.  Continue beating the meringue until it is glossy and holds stiff peaks.  Carefully stir in the vanilla extract.

4. Carefully add half of the almond mixture to the meringue and fold it in with a spatula.  Add the rest of the almond mixture and mix it lightly until completely combined.

5. When the almond mixture is completely combined with the meringue, spread the batter against the side of the bowl.  Next, scoop the batter from the bottom and flip it over.  Repeat 15 times.  This step is called “macaronnage", and gives the finished macarons sheen.  When the mixture is done, the batter will be firm and will drip slowly when scooped up by a spatula

6. Use a pastry bag to pipe the batter onto the prepared baking sheet.   Allow space for the macaron batter to spread slightly.

7. Rap the baking sheet against a countertop a couple of times, and let the batter dry for 15 to 30 minutes.  A thin crust should form on top of the macarons while drying.  The macarons are ready to bake if the batter does not stick to your fingers when touched.

8. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).  Stack the baking sheet with macarons onto an empty baking sheet for baking.  Using two baking sheets ensures that the bottoms of the macarons do not overbake.  Bake for about 15 minutes.  When done, the macarons should look slightly crisp.

9. Allow macarons to cool on baking sheet on a wire rack.  Remove from baking sheet when completely cool, and sandwich together with filling.

Lemon Curd

2 large egg yolks

1/4 cup sugar (divided use)

1/4 cup unsalted butter, diced (divided use)

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1.  Blend egg yolks with about one-third of the sugar and set aside

2. Combine two-thirds of the butter, the remaining sugar, the lemon juice and lemon zest in a saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat.  Be sure to stir the mixture constantly.  Once mixture boils, temper the egg yolks by gradually adding about one-third of the hot butter mixture to the yolks.  Whisk constantly.  Once combined, add the rest of the hot butter mixture, and return the mixture to the stove.  Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil again.  Once mixture boils, add the cornstarch and remaining butter, reduce the heat, and whisk until completely combined.

3. Remove pan from heat and strain the curd through a sieve to remove any pieces of curdled yolk.  Place the bowl of curd in an ice bath to cool, stirring occasionally. 

Recipe for macarons was adapted from the basic macaron recipe in the book I Love Macarons by Hisako Ogita, available for purchase at http://www.amazon.com/I-Love-Macarons-Hisako-Ogita/dp/0811868710/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1298253582&sr=8-6

Recipe for lemon curd was adapted from the recipe in the book Baking at Home with the Culinary Institute of America, available for purchase at http://www.amazon.com/Baking-Home-Culinary-Institute-America/dp/0471450952/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1298253734&sr=1-1

Posted by Jennifer