Strawberry Macarons Food

STRAWBERRY MACARONS

Steps:

• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites on low speed until they become frothy using a hand or stand mixer. On medium speed, add in the cream of tartar.
• On medium-high speed, add in the granulated sugar 1-2 tablespoons at a time until all of it is incorporated. Continue mixing on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.
• Using a fine mesh sieve, sift in the almond flour and powdered sugar. Discard any large lumps. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg white mixture by making a "J shape" with your spatula. Once all of the dry ingredients have been incorporated, add in the gel food coloring, if using.
• Continue to fold the meringue, smushing the batter against the sides of the bowl to deflate it slightly. Test the meringue by drawing a figure 8 with the batter. If the stream of meringue breaks while drawing the 8, continue to smush-and-fold the meringue a few more times. When the meringue flows smoothly, transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a round tip(Wilton #10-12).
• Pipe 1.5" macarons on the baking sheet. Make sure to hold the piping bag straight up and down so you don't end up with lopsided macarons.
• Allow the macarons to rest for 30 minutes or until a skin develops. When the macarons are ready to bake, you should be able to touch them gently without the meringue sticking to your finger.
• While the macarons rest, preheat your oven to 325F. When the macarons have rested, bake them for 14 minutes, turning them halfway through. Once they have finished baking, allow them to cool fully on the tray.
• Pulse the freeze dried strawberries in the food processor until they are powder- about 2 minutes. Set aside.
• Add water to a small saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Using a heatproof bowl placed over the saucepan,add in the egg whites and sugar.
• Whisk continuously until the sugar has dissolved-- about 4 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and beat the eggs with a hand or stand mixer on high until stiff peaks form and the mixture is no longer warm-- about 10 minutes.
• If using a stand mixer, switch to the paddle attachment. Add in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, allowing it to fully incorporate before adding another piece.
• Stir in the freeze dried strawberries until evenly distributed in the filling and transfer mixture to a piping bag. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
• Place the macarons in similar sized pairs and pipe a small amount of filling onto the center of one of the macaronsin each pair. Press the second macaron onto the first gently until the filling gets to their edges.
• Melt the white chocolate wafers according to the package directions and drizzle it over the macarons. Decoratewith sprinkles, if desired.
• Once the chocolate hardens, place the macarons in an airtight container and store them overnight in the fridge.
• Before serving, bring them to room temperature.

STRAWBERRY MACARONS

Steps:

• Set the oven rack to the lower third position. This is just below the center of the oven. Place an empty baking sheet on the rack and line 4 more baking sheets with silicone macaron mats. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
• Using a fine-mesh sieve, sift the almond flour, confectioners sugar, and strawberry powder into a large bowl. Repeat 2-4 times and discard any clumps. Don't force the clumps through the sieve!
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add the granulated sugar. Turn the speed up to high and whip until soft peaks form. Add 1-2 drops of food coloring if using.
• Continue to whip on high speed until a thick, glossy meringue forms. Take extra care to not over whip.
• Using a silicone spatula, fold half the almond mixture into the meringue until fully combined. It's okay to be a little rough at the point. You want to knock some of the air out of the batter.
• Add the remaining almond mixture and gently fold everything together. This is the part where the batter can go wrong. Overmixing or undermixing will cause issues with how the macarons bake up. After a couple of stirs, you'll need to stop and check the consistency of the batter. Continue to do this until the batter is just right. (The batter should be shiny and flow like lava. You will be able to let the batter slide off the spatula as you draw a figure 8 and the batter won't break. The figure 8 you just drew should rest on top of the batter in the bowl without sinking in and losing its shape.)
• Transfer the batter to a large pastry bag fitted with a medium round piping tip. Be as gentle as you can with the process. Try not to overwork the batter.
• Pipe 1 to 2-inch rounds onto the prepared baking sheets. Gently tap the baking sheet on the countertop to bring any air bubbles to the surface. Let the macarons sit for 30 to 60 minutes, until a dry skin forms on the surface. They should not feel sticky to the touch when going into the oven.
• Bake one sheet at a time for about 15 to 18 minutes. The macarons are done when you can gently press on the shell and lightly rock your finger back and forth without it moving. If the top of the macaron is wiggly, it needs another minute or two to bake.
• Cool the shells completely on the baking sheet set on a wire rack. Do not attempt to remove the shells from the silicone mat until they are completely cooled or they may stick and break off.
• Sandwich two cookies together with strawberry buttercream filling. Store the filled macarons in the refrigerator for at least 1-3 days and bring them to room temperature just before serving. They taste the best this way.
• Combine the sugar, egg whites, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set the bowl over a saucepan filled with 1 inch of barely simmering water. Whisk gently and continuously while heating the mixture. It should register 150°F on an instant-read thermometer. The sugar should be fully dissolved.
• Transfer the bowl to the stand mixer and fit it with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed until the mixture is the consistency of shaving cream and cooled slightly, 1-2 minutes. (If the meringue is warm it will melt the butter.)
• Gradually add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until smooth and creamy. (Only add the next tablespoon of butter once the last one has been completely mixed in.)
• Once all the butter is added, scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix on medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds.
• Add the strawberry powder and continue to mix on medium-high until incorporated.

FRENCH MACARONS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F using the convection setting. Line 3 baking sheets with silicone mats. Measure the confectioners' sugar and almond flour by spooning them into measuring cups and leveling with a knife. Transfer to a bowl; whisk to combine.
• Sift the sugar-almond flour mixture, a little at a time, through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, pressing with a rubber spatula to pass through as much as possible. It will take a while, and up to 2 tablespoons of coarse almond flour may be left; just toss it.
• Beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt with a mixer on medium speed until frothy. Increase the speed to medium high; gradually add the superfine sugar and beat until stiff and shiny, about 5 more minutes.
• Transfer the beaten egg whites to the bowl with the almond flour mixture. Draw a rubber spatula halfway through the mixture and fold until incorporated, giving the bowl a quarter turn with each fold.
• Add the food coloring and extract (see below). Continue folding and turning, scraping down the bowl, until the batter is smooth and falls off the spatula in a thin flat ribbon, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round tip. Holding the bag vertically and close to the baking sheet, pipe 1 1/4-inch circles (24 per sheet). Firmly tap the baking sheets twice against the counter to release any air bubbles.
• Let the cookies sit at room temperature until the tops are no longer sticky to the touch, 15 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the humidity. Slip another baking sheet under the first batch (a double baking sheet protects the cookies from the heat).
• Bake the first batch until the cookies are shiny and rise 1/8 inch to form a "foot," about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely. Repeat, using a double sheet for each batch. Peel the cookies off the mats and sandwich with a thin layer of filling (see below).
• Almond-Raspberry:
• Tint the batter with 2 drops neon pink gel food coloring; flavor with almond extract. Fill with seedless raspberry jam (you'll need about 3/4 cup).
• Mint-White Chocolate:
• Tint the batter with 2 drops mint green gel food coloring; flavor with mint extract. For the filling, microwave 3 ounces chopped white chocolate, 2 tablespoons heavy cream and 1 tablespoon butter in 30-second intervals, stirring, until smooth. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon mint extract and 1 drop mint green gel food coloring.
• Blueberry Cheesecake:
• Tint the batter with 3 drops royal blue gel food coloring; flavor with vanilla extract. For the filling, mix 4 ounces softened cream cheese and 3 tablespoons blueberry jam.
• Lavender-Honey:
• Tint the batter with 2 drops violet gel food coloring; flavor with almond or vanilla extract. For the filling, mix 3/4 cup mascarpone cheese, 2 tablespoons honey and 1 teaspoon ground dried lavender.
• Pineapple:
• Tint the batter with 2 drops lemon yellow gel food coloring; flavor with vanilla extract. For the filling, press 3/4 cup pineapple jam through a sieve, discarding any large pieces.