Chocolate Macarons

Ingredients:
Chocolate ganache:
200g Heavy cream
1 tbsp Sugar
250g Bittersweet Chocolate (at least 60% cocoa)
40g Butter

Macarons:
185g Ground Almond
185g Icing Sugar
30g Unsweetened cocoa powder
50ml water
200g Granulated sugar
150g egg whites
Red food colouring (preferably powdered)

Method:

Ganache:
1. Combine the cream and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over low heat
2. Finely chop chocolate
3. Pour the cream over the chocolate, let it melt for a few minutes
4. Begin stirring until it combines
5. Add the butter until smooth

Macarons:
1. Preheat the oven to 170oC
2. Combine the ground almonds, icing sugar and cocoa powder in a food processor
3. Grind to a fine powder (30s)
4. Sift through medium sieve
5. Combine the water and granulated sugar in a medium saucepan and stir over medium
heat until the sugar dissolves
6. Bring to a boil washing down the sides of the pan with a moistened pastry brush
7. Dip the thermometer in the syrup making sure it does not touch the bottom
8. Cook the sugar, watching carefully, until it registers 244oF to 246oF
9. Weigh half the egg whites and place them in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the
whisk attachment
10. Just before the sugar is ready, whisk the egg whites at medium speed until they hold a
soft peak
11. Carefully pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the whites and whip
until the Italian meringue cools to room temperature, about 10 minutes
12. Pour the remaining egg whites into the almond-icing sugar mixture
13. Beat until a paste forms, it should be fairly thick
14. Beat one third of the meringue into the almond paste to lighten it
15. Gently fold the remaining meringue in 2 batches with a flexible spatula (the mixture
should be lava like)
16. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag and pipe 4cm flat mounds on the prepared baking
sheets
17. Tap the bottom of the baking sheet against the countertop to smooth the surface of the
macarons
18. Bake 1 sheet at a time for 10 to 12 minutes
19. Let cool completely on the baking sheet
20. Match up the macaron shells and pipe in the chocolate ganache filling
21. Chill for at least 1 hour
22. Carmella Abramowitz-Moreau