Caipirinha Macaron

Serves 10 portions
30 min preparation
12-22min baking
20min setting

Ingredients

Macaroons:
7 egg whites
50g (1.8oz) Caster sugar 
1 teaspoon lemon juice 
450g (16oz) icing sugar
250g (8.8oz) almond powder
Zest of a lime 
A pinch of salt

Cointreau cream filling:
300g (10.6oz) butter cream. See S.Glacier recipe book p.156
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon of Cointreau liqueur
2 tablespoons caster sugar
5 drops green colouring.

Preparation

1- In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites with the caster sugar, salt and the lemon juice until stiff. Pour the icing sugar and the almond powder together with the finely grinded lime zest on the egg whites.
2- Mix with a spatula until the mixture has a soft and shiny texture.
3- Fill into a piping bag.
4- On a backing paper sheet or a silicon sheet placed on an oven tray, pipe some balls of about 7cm (2.75inch) diameter for individual portions or of 3 to 4 cm (1.20inch) for petit-fours size. Tap the oven tray lightly and leave to set at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
Bake in oven at 150°C (300°F) for 12 minutes for the smaller sized macaroons and 20 to 22 minutes for the bigger ones.
5-Pour a little water on the hot oven tray, to make it easier to remove the macaroons. Then leave to cool. If they have been piped on a silicon baking sheet, just let them cool down naturally.
6- Freeze half the macaroons for 15 minutes and then place them into the green coloured caster sugar.
7- In a mixing ball, whisk rapidly whisk the butter cream with the lime juice and then with the Cointreau.
8- Garnish the macaroons with the piping bag and stick them onto each other. One side should be stuck with the green crystallised sugar only.

Find out more about Stéphane Glacier: www.stephaneglacier.com