I've been craving macarons like crazy recently. Sadly, there doesn't seen to be anywhere in Newcastle which stocks a decent macaron. So, I was reduced to making my own. Usually I'm not a fan of making macarons, I just hate wasting all those egg yolks so when I discovered you could purchase cartons of Two Chicks egg whites in my local Waitrose I was overjoyed.
I was a little apprehensive at first, I mean egg whites in a carton? Gross! My apprehension was short lived, these whites are of great quality and whisk up perfectly. I was blown away, I am now a full Two Chicks convert!
Multicoloured Macarons
From Delicious Magazine
Ingredients
175g icing sugar
125g ground almonds
3 large free-range egg whites
75g caster sugar
125g ground almonds
3 large free-range egg whites
75g caster sugar
Method
Preheat the oven to 160°C/fan140°C/gas 3. Whizz the icing sugar and ground almonds in a food processor to a very fine mixture, then sift into a bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt to soft peaks, then gradually whisk in the caster sugar until thick and glossy. (At this point you can stir in flavour extract, such as peppermint or lemon, and corresponding colouring such as blue or yellow, to your meringue mixture, depending on what kind of macaroons you want – see chef's tip. Or divide the meringue among different bowls if you want to make more than one colour.)
Fold half the almond and icing sugar mixture into the meringue and mix well. Add the remaining half, making sure you use a spatula to cut and fold the mixture until it is shiny and has a thick, ribbon-like consistency as it falls from the spatula. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm plain nozzle.
Line 2 baking sheets with baking paper. Pipe small rounds of the macaroon mixture, about 3cm across, onto the baking sheets. Give the baking sheets a sharp tap on the work surface to ensure a good ‘foot’. Leave to stand at room temperature for 10-15 minutes to form a slight skin. This is important – you should be able to touch them lightly without any mixture sticking to your finger. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool.
