Lemon Curd Macarons
A recipe from our Art of Afternoon Tea course at our Cookery School. These macarons are perfect for enjoying after a dinner party or with a cup of tea or coffee.
MAKES 25
100g egg whites
75g caster sugar
125g ground almonds
175g icing sugar
1 tbsp lemon zest
Dash of yellow food dye (optional)
1 jar (227g) lemon curd
If you have time, prepare your egg whites by leaving them uncovered in the fridge overnight, to allow excess water to evaporate and achieve a firmer meringue.
Blitz the icing sugar and ground almonds together, then pass through a fine sieve. Stir through the lemon zest and food colouring, if using. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric whisk until you get soft peaks. Slowly rain in the caster sugar with the motor running until you get stiff peaks.
Carefully scatter a third of the almond and icing sugar mixture over the surface of the meringue and gently fold in. Then add the next third, fold in, and the final third until you have a smooth, evenly combined mix.
Place the mixture into a piping bag and pipe 5cm blobs onto a lined baking tray, leaving space between each for the macarons to spread. Lift the baking tray and gently tap to help the mixture spread out slightly to form round discs. Leave to dry for about 30 minutes until firm to the touch (this helps achieve the distinctive ‘foot’ on the macaron).
Bake in an oven preheated to 145ºC for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and check that the macarons will easily peel away from the lined baking tray. If not, return to the oven for a few more minutes.
Spread the lemon curd onto the flat surface of a macaron and sandwich another equally sized one on top, ready to serve and enjoy.
