Spiced Chai Latte and Salted Caramel Macarons

Recipe From What's For Lunch, Honey?

Ingredients

For the macaron shells

Adapted from Ottolenghi - The Cookbook

110g icing sugar

60g almonds, very finely ground

60g egg whites, (about 2 eggs) aged for either 5 days in the fridge, then for 24 hours at room temperature or a little over 24 hours on the countertop

40g castor sugar

12g spiced chai powder*, see note

For the salted caramel

200g sugar

300 ml whipping cream

140g + 30g salted butter

For the macaron shells

1. Prepare your baking tray and baking sheets with a stencil of circles. Draw circles on some baking paper using a (mathematical) compass about 2 cm in diameter. Then place some white parchment paper on the baking tray and flip the baking paper back around.

2. In a large mixing bowl mix the egg whites with an electric hand beater (alternatively you can use a stand mixer with the whisk attachment) until it is thick and frothy. Gradually add the granulated sugar, whisking all the while, until the mixture turns into a thick glossy meringue. The consistency of the macaron batter should be similar to hair mousse or shaving foam. Make sure the meringue is not over-beaten or else it will be too dry.

3. In a food processor pulse together icing sugar and almonds until the nuts are finely ground and powdery. Sift the mixture 2 or 3 times to make sure there are no lumps.

4. Place the dry ingredients into a bowl. Add the spiced chai powder. Add the meringue in three portions, giving it a quick fold using the macronnage technique described in my macaron tips section. Fold a few times to break the air. Continue until you get a smooth and supple mixture, thick in consistency so that when you lift the spatula it flows back in thick ribbons. Test a small amount on a plate – should the tops fall back and flatten by themselves then it is ready, if not give it a few more folds.

5. Fill a piping bag with a plain tip with the batter and pipe small rounds (2 cm in diameter) on your prepared baking paper. Leave the macarons to rest and dry for about 30.

6. In the meantime preheat the the oven to 170 degrees C (see below). When the macarons are ready bake the shells for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Use a flat offset spatula to gently remove the shells from the baking paper and allow to cool further on a rack.

* Note: If you are unable to find a spiced chai powder mix why not make your own. You'll find a great recipe here.

For the salted caramel

1. In a saucepan, melt sugar carefully without stirring and only swirling the pan occasionally. Allow the sugar to turn a gorgeous dark amber color. Remove from heat.

2. Add 30g butter, then pour the cream. At this stage the mixture will bubble, spit and spatter furiously so take care. It will seize up and harden but place the saucepan back on the heat and cook until the mixture turns fluid again.

3. Cook the mixture until it reaches approx. 110 degrees C on a candy thermometer.

4. Transfer the salted caramel into a bowl and allow to cool. To avoid a skin developing on the top, cover with plastic wrap.

5. With an electric whisk, beat the remaining butter for approx. 10 minutes. Add the caramel in two additions, beating to incorporate it into the butter.

6. Store in air-tight jars if not using straight away.

Assembling the macarons

Using two spoons or a piping bag place/pipe small dollops of the salted caramel filling on one of the shells and gently cover with another shell. Do not press. Continue to do this until you have used up all of the filling and shells.

Storing MacaronsIf you are not going to be using them right away you can store the shells in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.

They freeze well too but it is recommended to freeze them unfilled. To fill them take the shells out of the freezer 48 hours prior to serving and without defrosting fill them. This way the flavors will be allowed to blend as they thaw.

The recipe itself came together very easily and with absolutely no hassle. I had the macaron mixture ready and piped within minutes. My only critique point was due to the fact that they were baked in the oven at 170 degrees C for 12 minutes they were a tad dryer in comparison to the previous macarons I made. Those macarons were baked at a lower, 140 degrees C, for 12-15 minutes resulting in a nice moist inner pastry with a crispy outer shell. Although I liked the overall texture of these macarons I think they should have been taken out of the oven maybe at 10 minutes. The recipe is fantastic and really works for me so I will be using it often, playing around with the oven temperatures to get the perfect bite.

All photographs and written content on What's For Lunch, Honey? © 2006-2010 Meeta Khurana unless otherwise indicated. | All rights reserved | If you are interested in using my texts or photographs please contact me | You may not use my work for commercial purposes without my permission | You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work in any form | Please Ask First