Recipe: Raspberry, pistachio and black cherry macaroons

About this recipe

Le Cordon Bleu Chefs have prepared macaroons, one of the classics of French pastry, with seasonal flavors. Raspberry, pistachio and black cherry, whether exquisitely plated for a dessert or for tea time, these macaroons are sure to hit the mark.

	15 petits-fours size macaroons In this recipe: raspberry pistachio black cherry ground almonds almond paste

Ingredients

Macaroon batter

90 g ground almonds

150 g powdered sugar

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75 g egg whites

35 g sugar

food coloring red (for the pink), green and purple

Fillings

Raspberry

100 g almond paste

50 g butter, softened

10 ml raspberry brandy (eau-de-vie)

60 g raspberry purée

Pistachio

50 g pistachio paste

50 g butter, softened

100 g almond paste

Black cherry

100 g almond paste

60 g butter, softened

60 g black cherry purée

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Method

1. Tip the sifted almonds and powdered sugar into a bowl; set aside. Making French meringue (without adding the powdered sugar at the end).
   
2. Slowly fold in 1?4 of the ground almond mixture, cutting straight down to the bottom of the bowl with a spatula, and lifting up the contents, bring the spatula up the side of the bowl while giving it a quarter turn. Add the remainder in the same manner, in three separate batches. Stop folding as soon as the mixture is smooth and shiny.
3. Divide the batter between 3 bowls. Add 2 or 3 drops of the appropriate food coloring into each bowl. Fit 3 piping bags each with a plain round tip and fill with the macaroon batters. Cover a baking sheet with baking parchment; pipe 4 cm diameter rounds of batter, on to the sheet. Set aside at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 160°C. Bake for 9 minutes then lower the oven temperature to 120 –130°C and continue baking for a further 9 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet and cool on a rack; refrigerate when the rounded part of the macaroon is hard.
5. Filling:
   • Raspberry: Use a whisk to soften the almond paste with the softened butter. Add the raspberry brandy and then the raspberry purée. Whisk until smooth. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a round tip and refrigerate.
   • Pistachio: Mix the pistachio paste and softened butter together. Add to the almond paste and whisk until smooth. Transfer to a piping pag fitted with a round tip and refrigerate.
   • Black cherry: Use a whisk to soften the almond paste with the softened butter. Add the black cherry purée. Whisk until smooth. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a round tip and refrigerate.
6. Pipe balls of raspberry filling onto the flat side of half the pink macaroon shells; top with the remaining halves. Repeat the operation with the green macaroon shells and the pistachio filling, then the purple macaroon shells and the black cherry filling.

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