Lemon Verbena French Macaron

Serves 4
You Will Need:
You Will Need:
200g almond meal or ground blanched almonds
200g confectioners’ sugar
200g sugar
50g water
150g egg whites
Lemon verbena buttercream (recipe below)

Instructions:
Stack two baking trays on top of each other. Line with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
Process almond meal with confectioners’ sugar in a food processor.
Sift out any large bits of almond or big chunks of powdered sugar. Set aside.
Combine sugar and water in a saucepan. Heat on medium until all the sugar is dissolved. Continue cooking until the sugar syrup reaches 245°F (118°C).
Meanwhile, place egg whites in a mixer bowl with the whisk attachment. While the sugar is cooking, begin whisking the egg whites on medium speed. They should reach soft peaks by the time the syrup is at 245°F (118°C). Do not over whip the eggs. If it whips too fast, turn down or turn off the mixer.
Turn the mixer speed to low. Carefully pour the sugar syrup in a slow stream into the mixer. To avoid splattering, carefully pour the sugar syrup down the inside of the bowl, along the side.
Turn the mixer speed to high and let the meringue whip for several minutes until it has cooled and appears glossy and firm. The bottom of the mixing bowl should be room temperature to the touch.

In a large bowl, combine the almond meal mixture with the remaining about 1/4 of the whipped egg whites and fold until partially combined.
Scoop the remaining whipped egg whites into the bowl. Using a spatula or dough scraper, carefully fold the meringue in, trying not to deflate it.
The final batter should be thick and flow slowly like magma. Do not overmix the macaron batter.
Scoop the batter into a piping bag fitted with a 1/2” diameter plain tip.
Preheat the oven to 320°F (160°C)
Pipe 1 1/2” rounds of batter onto the prepared baking sheets. Let the sheets sit for about 20 minutes to let the shells harden.
Bake one set of macarons for 15 minutes, rotating once.
Let tray cool for a few minutes before removing from the silicone mat. Let finish cooling on wire racks.
Once macarons have completely cooled, sandwich them together with a tablespoon or so of lemon verbena buttercream. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 24 hours before eating.

See Recipe in fearlessfresh.com