Lemon Macarons

 Recipe from here
http://dailydelicious.blogspot.com/2008/09/lemon-macarons-with-lemon-buttercream.html

Lemon Italian Meringue Macaron
For the macaron base
75 g	almond powder
75 g	icing sugar
25 g	egg whites
½ tsp	Lemon zest
	Yellow food coloring (you can skip this but it will give the macaron a lovely color) *If using powder color, mix it with a little bit of water before use.
For Italian Meringue
120 g	caster sugar
30 g	water
60 g	egg whites
	* You will use 90 g for the macaron and the rest will use for the buttercream

Preheat the oven to 150°C.

Sift together almond powder and icing sugar into a bowl, put the color, lemon zest and egg white into the bowl.

 Use a pastry scrap to bring everything together. Set aside.

In a sauce pan, put the sugar and water and bring to boil over medium low heat.
When the syrup reaches 114°C, start whisking the egg whites.

The syrup is ready when it reaches 120°C; pour it over the egg whites and continue whisking until cold.

Mix together the base and 90g of Italian meringue.

The mixture should be softer and very glossy, a little stiffer then cake batter..

Spoon mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 5mm nozzle. Pipe or spoon mixture into 2.5cm rounds onto baking paper-lined (or Silpat) oven trays. When you’ve pipe out all the macarons lift each baking sheet with both hands and then bang it down on the counter (you need to get the air out of the batter).

Bake for 9 minutes to 15 minutes depend on your oven (oven door maintained open with a wooden spoon). Remove from oven and cool on trays. Slide a knife under each macaron to release.

Make the lemon buttercream

	Italian meringue the rest from making the macaron
100 g	Unsalted butter
1½ tbsp	Lemon juice
	a dash of salt

Add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time into the meringue. Increase the mixer speed to high for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the butter is fully incorporated. Then add the lemon juice and salt, and mix to combine

Sandwich macarons with filling.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour for filling to be firm

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