How to make lemon myrtle macarons

Stephen O’Connor says he knows how to make the perfect macarons. He’s sharing a recipe so you, too, can make the tasty treats at home.

Tahmoor’s Stephen O'Connor, from Gourmet Macarons, reveals how to make the perfect treat.

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LEMON MYRTLE MACARONS

INGREDIENTS:

LEMON CURD:

100g white sugar, 15g cornflour, 1 egg, 50ml lemon juice, zest of 1 lemon, 100g butter.

MACARON:

260g almond meal, 260g icing sugar, 5g dried lemon myrtle, 260g white sugar, 75ml water, 200g egg whites, pinch of cream of tartar, and a few drops of yellow food colouring GEL

METHOD:

LEMON CURD:

1. To make the lemon curd, in a small pot add the sugar, cornflour, egg, lemon juice and zest and whisk vigorously until well combined and not lumps are visible.

2. Place pot on a low heat and stir constantly using a wooden spoon. Continue to cook until the mixture thickens and when a drop of the mixture is placed on a plate, it holds and does not spread quickly.

3. Take off the heat and add butter in small amounts stirring constantly.

4. When all butter is added, place the lemon curd in a bowl and cover with cling wrap pushing cling wrap down to make contact with the curd and preventing a skin to form. Cool and set aside.

Stephen O'Connor said macarons are best eaten at room temperature.

Mr O'Connor said practice made perfect when cooking macarons.

MACARONS:

1. Blend lemon myrtle, icing sugar and almond meal together in pulses, until well combined

2. Using a fine sieve, sift. Anything that did not pass through the sieve can be thrown away.

3. Divide egg whites into 2 lots of 100grams

4. Add one lot of egg whites to the almond meal mixture. DO NOT STIR!

5. Place sugar and water in a small pot, using an induction cook top, bring sugar to the boil. Once the sugar has reached 113 degrees start whisking the other lot of egg whites on a slow speed, gradually increasing speed too medium. When the egg whites become foaming add a pinch of cream of tartar. Continue whisking until stiff peak form.

6. Once the sugar reaches 118 degrees, turn the mixer down to a slow speed and slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into egg whites.

7. Turn the mixer speed up to a medium to high speed continue to whisk the meringue until the bowl is cool to touch. When cool add a food colouring gel to get a bright, vibrant yellow, whisk until just combined.

Macarons are a delicious French cookie which has become popular around the world.

8. Add meringue to the almond meal mixture and fold with confidence until the mixture flows off your spatula and represents lava.

9. Spoon macaron mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 10mm nozzle.

9. Pipe 4cm circles onto a tray with baking paper, drop trays onto bench several times to flatten and remove any excess air bubbles.

10. Allow macarons to rest for 10 or so minutes, or until a skin has formed and when touched the macaron is not sticky.

11. Bake in a pre-heated for 14 minutes. Refer to tips for what temperature to use.

12. Take out of oven and off trays and allow to cool.

13. Match the shells up.

14. Spoon a tablespoon of lemon curd onto the base of one shell and place the other shell ontop, lightly pushing together to spread the lemon curd our evenly in between the macaron.

15. When all macarons are full, place on a tray and in the fridge and allow to mature over night.

16. The macarons can last one week refrigerated or three months frozen. They are best eaten at room temperature.

Sandwich a filling, such as homemade lemon curd, between two macarons for extra flavour and tang.

Pipe 4cm circles onto a baking tray and allow the macarons to rest for about 10 minutes before baking.

MOVE over celebrity chef Adriano Zumbo, because Tahmoor’s Stephen O’Connor believes he knows how to make the perfect macaron.

Mr O’Connor, 30, who runs Gourmet Macarons, said he spent a year trying to make the perfect cookie and he and a friend endured several months of watching YouTube videos, reading food blogs and experimenting with work mates to get the recipe right.

“Don’t give up,’’ he said.

“I do classes in my kitchen and the first thing I say to people is forget everything you think you know of macarons or have seen of macarons.

They are just a French cookie that with practice anyone can do. They can’t be hard considering the French eat snails right?’’

Mr O’Connor said practice made perfect when making macarons.

“The trouble most people run into is their own oven,’’ he said.

“The oven in my home kitchen runs 15 degrees cooler than it actually should.

“Do not pipe the macarons on that section of the tray that will be in the hot spot of your oven.

“When folding the macaron, you are not making a sponge cake. Think of the folding as kneading with the spatula.’’

When making lemon myrtle macarons, Mr O’Connor also makes his own lemon curd which he sandwiches between two of the cookies for extra tang.