Known for their crisp exterior that gives way to a chewy middle, these elegant Pistachio-Raspberry Macarons are best paired with a glass of your favorite holiday libation.
Pistachio-Raspberry Macarons
Makes 20 macarons
Ingredients
Macaron:
- 2 cups (192 grams) superfine blanched almond flour
- 1 ½ cups (180 grams) confectioners’ sugar
- 6 large egg whites, (180 grams), room temperature
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- Green gel food coloring*
- ¼ cup (28 grams) finely ground pistachios
Pistachio Buttercream:
- Makes about 2½ cups
- 3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups (360 grams) confectioners’ sugar
- ¼ cup (28 grams) finely ground pistachios
- ½ teaspoon (1.5 grams) kosher salt
- Green gel food coloring
Raspberry Curd:
- Makes about 1½ cups
- 3 cups (390 grams) frozen raspberries
- ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons (3 grams) lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon (15 grams) fresh lemon juice
- 3 large egg yolks, (56 grams), room temperature
- 3 tablespoons (24 grams) cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter, softened
Instructions
Macaron:
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Using a permanent marker, draw 2-inch circles 1 inch apart on 2 sheets of parchment paper (24 per sheet). Place parchment, marker side down, on 3 rimmed baking sheets.
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In a medium bowl, sift together flour and confectioners’ sugar.
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In the heatproof bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together egg whites and granulated sugar by hand until frothy. Place bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water. Cook, whisking constantly, until sugar completely dissolves, mixture is warm to the touch, and a candy thermometer registers 160°F (71°C), about 2 minutes.
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Carefully return bowl to stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat at high speed until stiff peaks form. Add a small amount of food coloring, beating until desired color is reached. Fold in flour mixture. (Mixture should be thick and slowly but freely fall off the spatula in a “V” shape, and when you drag the spatula through the batter, it should move like lava and slowly come back together.)
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Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a medium round piping tip (Ateco #803). Holding piping tip perpendicular to pans, apply pressure to bag, leaving tip stationary, and pipe batter onto drawn circles until batter just reaches drawn circle. Move and lift tip in a quick circular motion as you finish piping each macaron shell to prevent points from forming on top of shells. Firmly tap pans vigorously on counter 5 to 7 times to release air bubbles. Sprinkle with pistachios. Let stand at room temperature until a skin forms on top, 1 to 2 hours. (Batter should feel dry to the touch and should not stick to your finger.)
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Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C).
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Bake, one pan at a time, until firm but wobbles slightly at the touch. 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely on pans.
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Remove cooled macaron shells from pans. Turn half of shells flat side up.
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Spoon Pistachio Buttercream into a pastry bag fitted with a ¼-inch round piping tip. Pipe a border of buttercream (about a heaping 1 tablespoon or 9 grams) onto shells with flat side up.
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Spoon Raspberry Curd into a pastry bag; cut a ½-inch opening in tip. Fill center of buttercream border with curd (about 3 grams each). Gently top with remaining shells, flat side down. (Use light pressure to avoid cracking). Best served same day. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Pistachio Buttercream:
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter at medium speed until creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar, pistachios, and salt, beating until smooth, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add a small amount of food coloring; beat until well combined, light, and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Use immediately.
Raspberry Curd:
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In a medium saucepan, bring raspberries, sugar, and lemon zest and juice to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to the container of a blender, and blend until smooth. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding solids. Return mixture to saucepan, and heat over medium heat.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, cornstarch, and salt. Add about one-fourth of hot raspberry mixture to egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Whisk egg yolk mixture into remaining hot raspberry mixture in pan. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly , until thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in butter 1 tablespoon (14 grams) at a time, until melted and smooth until after each addition. Cover and refrigerate until thick and cold before using, at least 2 hours or up to 1 week.
Notes
*We used Wilton Juniper Green Gel Food Coloring.
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