The modiste’s mini macarons

MAKES 22

95g almond flour

85g icing sugar

66g aged (refrigerated 2 days) egg

whites, at room temperature ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

60g caster sugar

A few drops gel food colouring

(optional)

1 batch The Queen’s Choice Passion Fruit Ganache (recipe, below)

1 Prepare a piping bag with a round tip. Line three baking sheets with silicone baking mats or baking paper.

2 In a medium bowl, sift together flour and icing sugar, discarding or pulverising any larger clumps. In a food processor, pulverise flour mixture and sift again. Don’t push through any large pieces. Set aside.

3 In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites until foamy, about 2 minutes, then add cream of tartar and sugar, one small spoonful at a time. When soft peaks form after another 2 minutes, add food colouring, if using.

4 Turn mixer to second-highest speed and continue beating until firm, glossy peaks form, about 8 minutes. Meringue is ready when it clumps up in whisk and stays put if bowl is turned upside down.

5 Carefully fold mixture into meringue, scraping spatula around the sides, folding over, and occasionally cutting through mixture. Continue until batter begins to flow smoothly. Batter should run off spatula in a ribbonlike stream when ready.

6 Transfer mixture immediately to piping bag (if using baking paper, dab a pea-sized amount of batter under each corner so it won’t blow around in oven). Holding bag perpendicular to baking sheet, pipe 2.5cm circles 5cm apart.

7 Slam each tray down on counter twice to help pop any air bubbles, then use a bamboo skewer, butter knife or the back of a spoon to smooth any peaks. Let macaron shells rest for 30 minutes or until matte and no longer sticky.

8 Bake macarons, one tray at a time, in centre rack of oven, rotating halfway through baking time, approximately 13 minutes. To test for doneness, touch a macaron shell gently: it should not wiggle. Transfer baking paper or mat to a cooling rack and allow macarons to cool entirely, about 45 minutes.

9 To fill shells, pair each shell with one the same size, and flip one over. Using the same small round piping tip, pipe The Queen’s Choice Passion Fruit Ganache onto flipped shells, then sandwich with remaining shells. Cover and refrigerate overnight before serving.