Phenomenal Phoods

Ingredients:

• For the cookies:
• 140 grams ground almonds (used blanched almonds)
• 140 grams powdered sugar
• 100 grams egg whites (about 3 eggs)
• 100 grams sugar
• 40 grams water
• Zest of 1/2 lemon
• Food colouring
• For the filling:
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Zest of 1/2 lemon
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, softened

Instructions:

1. Prepare two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Combine the almonds and powdered sugar in a food processor until finely ground.
3. Sift the mixture into a large bowl to remove any lumps.
4. Add 50 grams of the egg whites and mix into the almond/sugar mixture to form a paste.
5. Add a few drops of food colouring to the paste, mixing until uniform. Set aside.
6. In another bowl, beat the remaining egg whites until soft peaks form.
7. Meanwhile, combine the sugar, water and lemon zest in a small saucepan.
8. Bring to a boil over low heat and continue to heat until it reaches 115 degrees C (check with a candy thermometer).
9. Once the sugar mixture reaches 115 degrees C. remove from the heat and slowly add to the beaten egg whites.
10. Mix on high for about 3 minutes or until the bowl is cool and stiff peaks form. You want to be able to turn the bowl upside down without the meringue falling out.
11. Fold the meringue into the almond paste mixture, using your spatula to press onto the sides of the bowl to smooth it out and remove any lumps.
12. Mix until you have a smooth batter that runs off of the spatula slowly in a thick ribbon.
13. Add the batter to a piping bag or ziploc with the corner cut off and fit with a size 12 round cake tip.
14. Pipe small, 1 1/2 inch circles onto the parchment paper-lined cookies sheets. You should get about 60 cookies.
15. Pipe the circles by holding the piping bag upright with the tip just above the sheet and pipe without pulling your hand up or moving it in circles.
16. Tap the baking sheets a few times on the counter to remove any air bubbles and let the cookies sit out for about 30 minutes to dry.
17. When ready, preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
18. Bake cookies for 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them cool completely on cooling racks before removing them from the parchment paper (they will stick when warm).
19. While the cookies are cooling, make the buttercream filling.
20. Combine the blueberries, 1/4 cup of sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice in a small saucepan.
21. Bring mixture to a boil over low heat. Cook until the sugar is dissolve and blueberries are soft.
22. Remove from heat and strain the blueberries, reserving the liquid.
23. Combine the cooked blueberries, powdered sugar and butter in a medium bowl, beating until smooth.
24. Add more powdered sugar or the reserved liquid from the cooked blueberries as needed to reach a stiff, buttercream consistency. I added about 1 Tablespoon of the liquid.
25. Pipe a small amount of icing onto the cooled macarons and form sandwiches.