Fig Macarons With Lychee Champagne Buttercream
Makes around 40 macaron shells
Macaron shells
100g aged egg whites
10g dried egg white
120g ground almonds
200g icing sugar
25g granulated sugar
1tsp organic fig essence
1. Separate your egg whites and keep them in bowl covered with a plate or some kitchen paper at room temperature for at least 48 hours. Add the organic fig essence to the ground almonds, then sift ground almonds and icing sugar together.
2. Whip the aged and dried egg whites with a mixer
until stiff peaks form. Add the granulated sugar and keep mixing until it
is all incorporated and the mixture turns glossy.
3. Add the ground almond sugar to the egg whites and incorporate them into the mix.
4. Place a teaspoon of the batter onto a plate. If the top smooths out slowly, leaving a flat surface, then your batter is ready. If there are still peaks or ridges on the surface, give your batter a few more turns.
5. Place your batter into a piping bag fitted with a plain tip. Pipe roughly 4cm rounds. Preheat your oven to roughly 150˚C. Leave the macarons out at room temperature for a minimum of 45 minutes until their outer surface forms a hardened skin. Then bake for 15-20 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and allow the macs to cool thoroughly before attempting to remove them.
Lychee & Champagne Buttercream Filling
2 egg whites
140g sugar
220g butter, at room temperature
Juice of 10 lychees
5 tablespoons champagne, preferably pink
1. Hand whisk the egg whites until foamy. Mix in the sugar. Place mixture over a water bath. Keep whisking by hand until the mixture is piping hot and the sugar has dissolved.
2. Remove from water bath and mix with an electric mixer on high speed. Keep mixing until the bowl starts to cool down.
3. Add butter, one tablespoon at a time at first, then two tablespoons at a time. Make sure to incorporate the butter properly into the mixture each time you add butter.
4. Fold in the lychee juice and champagne.
5. Place buttercream into a piping bag, and pipe a small amount onto a macaron shell. Cover with another macaron shell. Refrigerate for best results.
