French macarons
<p>Have you ever wondered how the French create those colourful, delicious macarons? Here’s how.</p>
<p>Note: Be sure to weigh your ingredients accurately, as macarons are a finicky recipe to create.</p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Makes:</strong></span> 8</p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Ingredients: </span></strong></p>
<ul>
<li>100g of egg whites</li>
<li>50g of white sugar</li>
<li>200g of confectioners’ sugar</li>
<li>110g of almonds, very finely ground</li>
<li>Gel food colouring</li>
<li>Filling of your choice (buttercream, icing, chocolate, etc.) </li>
</ul>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Method: </span></strong></p>
<ol>
<li>In a bowl of a standing mixer, whisk egg whites until foamy. </li>
<li>Add white sugar and beat until mixture is fluffy and softly peaked. </li>
<li>In a bowl, sift confectioners’ sugar and almonds together. </li>
<li>Fold mixture into egg whites, being careful not to mix too much. </li>
<li>Add a small amount of gel food colouring. Do not over-fold as this can disturb the mixture. </li>
<li>Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with a silicone baking mat.</li>
<li>Place some test batter into a plastic bag, cutting off the corner. </li>
<li>On the baking sheet, make a disk of batter, about 4cm in diameter.</li>
<li>The batter should flatten right away. If it doesn’t, fold your batter a few more times and try again.</li>
<li>Once your batter is at the right consistency to form a flattened disk, spoon into the bag and create more disks, leaving space in between each. </li>
<li>Let disks sit out until they form a shell on top, which should take about an hour. </li>
<li>Preheat oven to 140°C and bake for about 10 minutes until cookies are set. </li>
<li>Let cool and add filling, sandwiching between two macarons.</li>
</ol>
<p><strong>Related links:</strong></p>
<p><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="/lifestyle/food-wine/2015/08/pumpkin-pie/">Classic pumpkin pie</a></span></strong></em></p>
<p><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="/lifestyle/food-wine/2015/08/banana-chocolate-crepes/">Banana and chocolate crepes</a></span></strong></em></p>
<p><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="/lifestyle/food-wine/2015/08/red-velvet-cheesecake-bars/">Red velvet cheesecake bars</a></span></strong></em></p>
