Mikes Pastry Pistachio Macaroons Recipes

PISTACHIO MACARONS

Steps:

• For the pistachio cream filling: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Spread the pistachios onto a baking sheet and toast for 15 minutes. Let cool.
• Place the granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon water in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat (brush down the sides with water to avoid any clinging granules of sugar and prevent crystallization). Cook the syrup until it reaches 250 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Add the toasted pistachios to the hot syrup and stir until the nuts are well coated. When all the sugar coats the pistachios and any remaining syrup turns powdery white, pour the nuts onto a baking sheet to cool.
• Once cooled, place the pistachios in the bowl of a food processor with the almond flour. Blend until the nuts resemble a coarse meal, approximately 1 minute. Slowly drizzle in the oil while continuing to blend the mixture. Add the butter, almond paste, almond extract and 3 tablespoons water. Keep mixing until mixture is a smooth paste, approximately 3 minutes.
• For the macarons: Mix the powdered sugar, almond flour and salt in a bowl using a whisk; set aside. In a separate bowl using a hand mixer, mix the granulated sugar, vanilla, food coloring and egg whites. Whip until the batter has firm shiny peaks. Take one-third of the wet mixture and fold into the dry ingredients. Gradually fold in the remaining batter. Once the dry ingredients have been absorbed, run a rubber spatula over the mixture to create a shine. This process is called macaroning and is key to the overall recipe.
• Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Transfer the batter to a piping bag with a 1/4-inch round tip. Pipe the mixture in 1-inch rounds onto the cookie sheets. It's important to create a consistent size for each cookie. Let stand for 30 minutes to create a thin crust on the outside.
• Adjust the oven racks: Put one in the lower third of the oven and a second in the upper third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Bake until the macarons puff and rise to form ''feet'' and are crisp, 17 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely on the cookie sheets before filling.
• Put about 1 teaspoon of pistachio cream filling between 2 cookies to create the finished macarons.

PISTACHIO MACARONS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Fit a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch round tip. Combine the confectioners' sugar and pistachios in a food processor and grind until powdery. Sift through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and whisk in the cardamom. Beat the egg whites and salt in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until frothy. Add the granulated sugar and beat until soft peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the food coloring and continue beating until stiff peaks form, about 1 to 2 more minutes. Fold in one-third of the nut mixture with a rubber spatula, then fold in the rest until just combined. Fold the batter a few more times until it slowly drips off the spatula (it will still be thick). Transfer the batter to the pastry bag. Pipe about fifteen 1 1/2-inch circles onto each prepared baking sheet. Tap the baking sheets against the counter to release any air bubbles; let stand at room temperature until shiny and dry, about 15 minutes. Bake 1 baking sheet at a time until the macarons are slightly crisp and the bottoms release from the parchment, rotating the pan halfway through, 16 to 20 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Lightly dust the macarons with edible glitter. Sandwich with preserves. Photograph by Johnny Miller

MINI PISTACHIO & CHOCOLATE MACAROONS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140/gas 3.
• Whizz the pistachios and 25g of the icing sugar in a food processor until fine. Mix with 175g more icing sugar in a large bowl. Whisk the egg whites until stiff, add the remaining 50g icing sugar and whisk again until thick and glossy. Fold into the nut mix. Spoon into a piping bag with a 1cm nozzle and pipe out 10p-coin-size blobs of mixture, well spaced. Poke any pointy tops down with a wet finger. If you don't have a piping bag, just snip the end off a sandwich bag and use that instead.
• Leave to dry for 30 mins, then bake for 12- 15 mins until risen. Cool on the paper. Beat the cream cheese with the chocolate and use to sandwich the macaroons together. Will keep for 1 day filled, or up to 3 days unfilled, stored in an airtight container.