Pistachio Macarons
Delicate Pistachio Macarons filled with a silky smooth white chocolate pistachio ganache
Servings: 56
Ingredients
Macaron Shells
- 150 g Almond Meal
- 150 g Pure icing sugar
- 55 g Aged egg whites (A) see post
- 55 g Aged egg whites (B)
- pinch Cream of tartar
- 150 g Caster sugar
- 38 g Water
- Green food colouring
- Ground Pistachios Optional, for sprinkling
White Chocolate Pistachio Ganache
- 60 g Pistachio Paste
- 345 ml Cream
- 345 g White chocolate chopped
Instructions
Macaron Shells
- Preheat oven to 145°C fan forced and place 2 empty baking trays on 2 racks
- In a food processor, combine the almond meal, ground pistachios and icing sugar (this will be your "tant pour tant"). Now sift it 3 times into a large mixing bowl.
- Line baking trays with silpat mats (you'll need 4 mats, if you want to pipe the macarons all at once).
- Prepare a large disposable piping bag with a #1A piping tip and place the bag inside a tall cup/jug, ready to be filled (see post for tips on using the piping bag).
- In a small saucepan, heat the caster sugar and water over medium heat. Give a little stir as you insert the digital thermometer. Once the syrup starts to boil, stop stirring, as this will cause crystals.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine the tant pour tant (almond meal, icing sugar and cocoa) with the remaining egg whites (B) with a rubber spatula, to form a thick paste.
- In a medium sized bowl and using an electric hand mixer, begin whisking the egg whites (A) and cream of tartar once the sugar syrup reaches 110°C. Use the mixer on medium speed to form soft peaks, keeping watch of the syrup, as it must not go over 118°.
- As soon as the sugar syrup reaches 118°, remove the thermometer and (with the mixer turned to low) pour the syrup into the whisked egg whites in a thin, steady stream. This is the Italian meringue.
- Increase speed to medium and continue to whisk until mixture cools to 35°.
- Mix through the green food colouring until it's incorporated.
- Once the Italian meringue has cooled to 35°, scoop some out with the rubber spatula and mix it into the paste to loosen it.
- Add the remaining meringue in a couple of batches and continue to fold through, scraping the bowl and folding the mixture over, whilst rotating the bowl. Make sure you scrape the bottom, to get all of the paste.
- Continue folding, scraping and rotating (macaronner) until the batter is smooth and shiny. Batter should have the consistency of cake batter and not too thin (see post).
- Scoop batter into prepared piping bag, then place the bag on the bench and push out air pockets. Twist the end of the bag and secure with a rubber band (I find twisting it is sufficient).
- Piping the shells: holding the nozzle end with one hand and the twisted end with the other, hold the bag directly above the marked silpat mat and gently squeeze from the top hand. Release pressure before the batter reaches the inside edge of the circle and give the bag a little twist at the nozzle end, to break the release of batter.
- Sprinkle with the extra ground pistachios, for decoration
- Place a tea towel onto the kitchen bench, then give a gentle whack of the tray, to release air bubbles. Rotate tray and repeat. This will also get the sprinkled pistachios to stick to the shells.
- Let macarons rest for at least 15 minutes, to dry a little. You want the shells to not be sticky.
- Place 2 trays with the piped shells into oven, directly on top of the trays that are already in there.
- Bake at 145°C fan for 15 minutes.
- After the 15 minutes check macaron shells -if they still wiggle, they're not quite ready. Give them another minute.
- Once cooked, immediately slide silpat mat off the baking trays and onto the bench to cool. Once completely cooled, shells can be gently lifted from mat (see post), put into pairs and filled.
Pistachio White Chocolate Ganache
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the pistachio paste and cream, then heat until it just reaches boiling.
- Place the finely chopped white chocolate into a heatproof bowl
- Pour the hot cream mixture over the chopped chocolate and let it sit for a minute, then mix together with a stick blender/Bamix
- Cover the ganache with plastic film so that it touches the surface of the ganache. Refrigerate until cooled and thick enough to pipe.
Filling the Macarons
- Stir the ganache, then scoop it into a piping bag fitted with a large round nozzle (#1A) and pipe onto half of the macaron shells, sandwiching with the other half.
- Refrigerate or freeze macarons in an airtight container.