I’m a bit on the exuberant side while writing this post; because here where I live, the season is heading full throttle into spring!

Think of early morning sunshine, bicycle rides, warm weather, flowers and gardens. For me living in Down Under, it’s probably more about ditching the umbrella, jacket and gloves (thank goodness!).

For the love of Spring, we’re going to kick-start it with very lovely, rose macarons.

For a perfect rose macaron, it’s important to get the correct colour tones and draw out fragrance of the rose. Now I know that roses aren’t particularly tasteful to eat, but it’s the fragrance that we’re strictly after. And if we can get the colour, shape, filling and taste to perfectly balance (which shouldn’t really be too difficult), it will be sensational to eat.

Here are my results (recipe is provided below). Enjoy these under your verandah along with a cup of rose flavored tea.

Rose macarons recipe

Shells
(Adapted from Pierre Hermé pastries recipe book)
220g   fresh egg whites
300g   almond meal
300g   icing sugar
300g   caster sugar
75g    water
To decorate: red powdered/gel food coloring. (as your preferred)

Preparation
Line baking trays with baking paper and prepare pipping bag fitted with a plain #11 pastry tip. (If you are not confident with your pipping skills, you can use template as your guide.(SHELLS TEMPLATE GUIDE)

Methods
Prepare the macaron shells:  Place almond meal and almond meal in food processor and pulse for a minute to remove any lumps. Well sifted and combine food coloring with 110g of egg whites. Pour this over the  icing sugar- almond mixture without mixing and set aside.

1. In saucepan, boil the still mineral water and caster sugar to 244 °F (118 °C).
2. As soon as the syrup reaches a temperature of 239 °F (115 °C), start whisking the egg whites in an electric mixer at medium speed till it reaches soft peaks.
3. Pour the sugar syrup cooked to 244 °F (118°C) over the whipped egg whites.
4. Allowed the egg whites reaches peak, and removed from the electric mixer; let it cool down to 122°F (50°C), than add the prefer food coloring into the egg white mixture.
5. Lastly incorporate the icing sugar + almond mixture (remember to mix this two dry ingredients together first) into the egg white mixture, its okay to go wild on mixing the mixture (you can mix it in bit by bit, this is to ensure the mixture is well mix and no lumps of icing sugar or almond meals in the final mixture). Because we would like the final mixture to lose its volume.

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a round tip with batter and pipe small rounds (around 3cm diameter). Let the macarons sit out for 30 minutes to an hour to harden their shells.

Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C). bake for 12- 15 minutes, depending on their size.

Remove from the oven and cool on the tray for a few minutes, then gently remove from the sheet and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Rose ganache filling:
400g      white chocolate
200ml     thicken cream
30g       unsalted butter
To taste  rose water
Optional: red powdered/ gel food coloring

Methods

1. Grate or chop the chocolate into small pieces so that it melts evenly.
2. Bring the cream to the boil.
3. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Combine using a whisk. Cool a little.
4. When cooled to 104°F (40°C), incorporate the unsalted butter, diced. Combined well again so the ganache is smooth.
5. Add rose water and red coloring.

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Personally, I must confess I have a love hate relationship with blueberries. I don’t particularly enjoy to eat them as raw fruits; they are a bit on the bland side for my taste buds.

However on the other side, I love what you can actually do with them. Take for example baking, where I’m sure most of you will agree that blueberries are a sensational ingredient of. Think of the classics, such as a wonderfully baked blueberry muffin, a perfectly baked blueberry tart, or a delicious blueberry cheesecake.

It’s also a visually enchanting ingredient; I mean, there’s not much blue looking fruits out there, It makes anything you bake so characteristically charming.

So today, it’s going to be a tale of blueberry macarons. I know these petite pastries can look deliciously (or devilishly) pretty and elegant, and if baked correctly, it will be an absolute delight to eat. Here are my results.

Blueberry macarons recipe

Macaron Shells
(Adapted from Pierre Hermé pastries recipe book)
220g  fresh egg whites
300g  almond meal
300g  icing sugar
300g  caster sugar
75g   water
To decorate: violet powdered/gel food coloring. (as your preferred)

Preparation
Line baking trays with baking paper and prepare pipping bag fitted with a plain #11 pastry tip. (If you are not confident with your pipping skills, you can use template as your guide.(SHELLS TEMPLATE GUIDE)

Methods
Prepare the macaron shells: Well sifted the icing sugar and almond meal. Combine food coloring with 110g of egg whites. Pour this over the  icing sugar- almond mixture without mixing.

1. In saucepan, boil the still mineral water and caster sugar to 244 °F (118 °C).
2. As soon as the syrup reaches a temperature of 239 °F (115 °C), start whisking the egg whites in an electric mixer at medium speed till it reaches soft peaks.
3. Pour the sugar syrup cooked to 244 °F (118°C) over the whipped egg whites.
4. Allowed the egg whites reaches peak, and removed from the electric mixer; let it cool down to 122°F (50°C), than add the prefer food colouring into the egg white mixture.
5. Lastly incorporate the icing sugar + almond mixture (remember to mix this two dry ingredients together first) into the egg white mixture, its okay to go wild on mixing the mixture (you can mix it in bit by bit, this is to ensure the mixture is well mix and no lumps of icing sugar or almond meals in the final mixture). Because we would like the final mixture to lose its volume.

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a round tip with batter and pipe small rounds (around 3cm diameter). Let the macarons sit out for 30 minutes to an hour to harden their shells.

Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C). Bake for 12- 15 minutes, depending on their size. After removing the shells from tray, place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Let your macarons sit out on counter for 30 -60 minutes, to allow a crust to form.

Homemade blueberry jam:

2 cup   fresh blueberry/ frozen
1 cup   caster sugar (as your taste)

Methods

1. Combine blueberry and caster sugar in a small pot with medium heat.
2. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce to low heat, crushing the blueberries to release the juices.
3. Cook until jam thickens, about 20 minutes.

If you are going to store in the refrigerator, cool until room temperature first then transfer to an airtight container.

Blueberry macaron buttercream filling:

5         egg whites
200g      caster sugar
226g      butter (cut into small cube size, at room temperature)
To taste  blueberry jam
Optional: powdered/ gel food coloring

Methods

1. Combine the sugar and egg whites in the bowl of the double boiler with a whisk.
2. Whisk constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is quite hot to the touch 160 °F (°C). (to test your sugar is fully dissolved,  dip your fingers into the mix and rub some between your fingers, If gritty, keep cooking!)
3. Then pour mix into an electric mixer and starts whipping the egg whites on high speed until it reaches stiff peaks, just like marshmallow.
4. At this point starts adding butter piece by piece to the meringue. (Be sure adding the butter SLOWLY and make sure the each pat is completely incorporated before adding the next.)
5. Add blueberry jam, keep whipping it until soft and incorporated with the flavor .

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