Coinciding with Pride week, I make these rainbow macarons to celebrate and show my support for our LGBTTQQIA+ community in Toronto.
This is a fun and easy technique that looks way more complicated than it truly is. If you are not a macaron fan or haven't quite mastered the technique (yet), you can use this for any whipped topping or buttercream.
Rainbow Macarons (recipe makes ~200 macaron shells) Italian Meringue Method:
- 65 g. Water - 250 g. Sugar - 90 g. Egg whites; room temperature
- 250 g. Almond powder - 250 g. Icing sugar - 90 g. Egg whites; room temperature
- Food coloring gel (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple)
Directions:
1. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring sugar (250 g) and water (65 g.) to a boil. Allow to cook until it reaches 115’C (softball stage) on a candy thermometer. In the bowl of a stand mixer, begin beating the egg whites (90g) at moderate speed, slowly pour boiling syrup. Increase speed to moderately fast and beat until cool and the egg whites form stiff, shining, upstanding peaks.
2. Combine almond flour (250g.) and powdered sugar (250g.) in a food processor, pulsing until ingredients thoroughly incorporated; sift into a large bowl and set aside. When the meringue is just about ready, mix in egg whites (second 90 g.). This will create a ‘polenta-like’ mixture.
3. Fold the meringue into the wet almond mixture. Stop folding when the mixture is evenly combined and the viscosity of lava or molasses.
Preparing piping bag:
- Fit a disposal piping bag with a straight round tip. Using a dry paintbrush, carefully paint lines using the color food gel that goes the length of the piping bag. Start with Red, and moving in a clockwise direction follow up with: orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.
4. Carefully place macaron batter into the piping bag. When piped, the macarons hold a peak for about a second or two, and then they gradually find their round shape and flatten off.
5. Rest macarons until they appear dull, and are no longer tacky to touch. Bake at 275’F for 10 minutes. Allow the macarons to cool before transferring to cooling rack.
6. Once completely cool, fill with ganache, buttercream, or another filling. Macarons are best enjoyed 24 hours after filling—this allows the shells to set, and the filling to rehydrate centers.