Lemon Macarons

Make sure with this recipe use proper scales
Prepare two baking trays with baking paper on them
Prepare one saucepan with a candy thermometer in it ready

To make macaron shells:

150g  fine almond meal
150g powdered icing sugar
110g egg whites halved into two bowls (55g in one and 55g in another bowl)
150g white caster sugar
drops of yellow food colouring (a few drops)
drops of lemon essence
35g mineral water

Mix together the almond meal with the icing sugar in a blender. Pulse together to make a little finer.

Place into a large bowl and add the colouring and flavor (approx 5 drops) and one of the 55g of egg whites but do not mix in yet.

Remember that the other bowl with egg whites will be beaten on their own in the next step (55g).

Place caster sugar and the mineral water into a saucepan and combine to cook without stirring to 118 degrees celcius (using a proper thermometer for liquids). Once this liquid gets to around 115 you need with the other hand to start mixing the egg whites in the bowl as this will be combined together next step.

Once this liquid it finally at 118 stop the heat and pour very carefully away from yourself into the blending egg whites. Keep mixing until around 50 degrees.  Then stop.  Now you can add the almond mixture mixing with spatula upwards and slow not too  much mixing. Around 30 seconds until shiny.

Then this can be added to a piping bag to pipe out on lined baking tray.  Tap them on the bench top to let any air bubbles out and let sit for a good 2 hours until stiff.

Set oven on fan forced approx 130 degrees celcius.

Place trays in oven and rotate after 6 minutes one top and one bottom.

Cook for approx 12 -15 minutes and opening to oven to rotate them after 6 minutes should help to make them not go brown.

Let cool on paper and remove carefully with metal spatula when ready or even peel them off the paper.

Set aside to cool while preparing the ganache.

This made around 20  small macarons

Lemon ganache filling:

150g unsalted butter diced (room temp)
100g caster sugar
Juice of one lemon
1 egg
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons mineral water
2 drops of lemon essence

Melt 40g of the butter in saucepan over low heat then add the lemon juice with 50g of the caster sugar.  Stir until the sugar is dissolved and then add the 1 egg (keep egg yolks for later on)

Mix well with a hand beater stirring until it begins to thicken and then when thick transfer to bowl and cling wrap it and place in fridge.

Place the 3 egg yolks into another bowl and whip for 10 minutes until thick and creamy. Set aside.

In another saucepan place the 2 tablespoons of mineral water and the remaining sugar and heat up making sure to keep the thermometer on the edge.  When the temperature reaches 120 degrees celcius it is ready to be poured into the creamed yolks. Beat on high for 10 minutes until cooler. Add the lemon essence.

Turn the beater down after 10 minutes and slowly add the remaining butter pieces. Beat on high when all butter has been blended in for 2 minutes and then add the cooled lemon mixture from fridge.

Cover ganache with cling wrap and chill for at least 3 hours until very cold and firm ( i fill them the next day)

Then you can assemble the macarons.  Make sure to place macarons in airtight container in fridge.