Do you guys remember those seashell macarons I shared in my last TTT post? (If not, go take a peek!) That was my first attempt at making macarons, and after a big fail on the first pan, I felt pretty confident in my skillz. I wanted to make them again, to share with my sister and her wife. They have food sensitivities, but they are also foodies, and I knew they'd appreciate some of these little beauties as my dessert contribution at our latest family dinner.
I wanted to do something special, in a different way from the first ones, though. The seashell ones I made for little miss's birthday were made to look a certain way, to go along with her pink undersea birthday cake. This time, I wanted to keep the cookie looking more traditional, but amp them up in the flavor department. I knew I was going to have some egg yolks leftover after whipping up the whites for the meringue base, and so I decided to make a curd for the filling. Dairy is a bit of a sensitivity for my sis, but the tiny amount of butter required to make the curd was a non-issue. I am planning on trying coconut oil in place of the butter next time, to see if I can make it totally dairy-free... I just didn't want to have it be a bust, when I knew I was on a bit of a time crunch, and feeding it to other people. 😅lol
Now, the macaron batter was made the same way as last time (follow the link to see instructions, including a gif of the consistency you're looking for), but this time instead of tinting the whole lot pink, I added just a tiny dab of violet color, to counter the slight yellow tinge they can take after baking. (Basic color theory: opposite/complementary colors cancel each other.) I piped them into rounds, gave them a good few taps, and popped surface bubbles with a toothpick.
I then left them to set for a half hour. (Actually, I decided to top them with a small dusting of colored sugar sprinkles, before I left them, but neglected to get a picture after they were sprinkled, before they were set. Oops.)
Wet.
Set. See how they get just slightly dull?
I did my first pan, with the yellow sprinkles, at 325F... they cooked too quickly, resulting in cracked tops, and a much more golden hue than I was hoping for. I should have kept a closer eye, but that's not the easiest with 2 young kids running around. It's amazing how quickly 4 minutes can go by when you're talking down a toddler on the verge of a full-blown hissy-fit. That said, I still used them, and they were still tasty! They were just a little drier, and tasted more "toasted"... like a campfire marshmallow! 😉
For the second pan, with the pink sprinkles, I lowered the oven to 300F. And I kept a closer eye. They came out just how I was hoping! Almost. A few of them were sort of "hollow" and starting to crack. I'm not sure yet if this means the oven was still a little too hot, or if I should've made a couple more passes when I was stirring the batter together. The "macaronage".
When they come out of the oven, immediately slide the parchment paper, with the cookies attached, off of the pan, and onto a cooling rack. You don't want to continue cooking them.
While they're cooling, it's time for the filling...
So, why rhubarb? Of course lemon was the first thing I thought of when I thought "curd"... but then I thought "I don't have any lemons on hand right now! So, what kind of fruit do I have? One orange... well that won't do... Oh! There's rhubarb growing just outside my door! Bingo!" I cut a few stalks, brought them inside, and gave them a little chop, into 1/2" pieces, then sprinkled them with some sugar.
Let them sit for about 10 min, then pour in about 1/4 c of water, and simmer on low until the rhubarb falls apart. Let it cool to room temp, then give it a quick blend to get rid of any stringy bits that might remain. Now you've got purée! (I actually simmered the rhubarb before even starting on the macarons, to make sure it had ample time to cool before I started assembling the curd.)
Now the technical stuff. Put your yolks and sugar into a heat-safe bowl, and set it over a pot of simmering water (Double boiler/bain-marie.)
Whisk them over the simmering water, until they get warm, light, and thicken.
Beginning.
End.
Now it's time to add in your purée. Start with 1/2 c and add a spoonful or so at a time, until you get the flavor you're looking for. I added an extra 1 or 2 tbsp, because I wanted to make sure we could taste the flavor of the rhubarb. When you're only using a small amount of something, which is also going to be diluted by something else, I feel like subtlety is not the way to go.
While I was stirring in the butter, I also chose to add some pink food coloring, to make the curd a more appetizing color, and thus, the macarons prettier.
The curd needs to sit and come down to room temperature, before you can pipe it onto the cookies. You'll have a little extra, which you can keep in the fridge. (Wee man enjoyed some on his breakfast waffles the next morning!)
Once it's cooled sufficiently, you can scoop it into a piping bag. Flip over every other cookie, and squeeze a generous dollup of curd onto the over-turned shells. Don't get too crazy - there really can be "too much of a good thing" since you want dainty little cookies, and not a gooey mess.
Put the prettiest cookies on the top, and press down just enough to get the curd to the edges.
Pop them into an airtight container, and into the fridge to sit and get even tastier. (At least overnight, preferably 24 hrs.) Take them out of the fridge about 30 min before you plan on eating them.
I lined the container with parchment paper, as well as putting a piece between the layers, since I didn't want to risk them sticking.
Have you ever made a fresh fruit curd?
It sounds daunting, but it really is pretty simple. And boy, the results are definitely worth it.
Now I'm over there thinking about summer just around the corner, and how many different kinds of curds are in my future...