Do you ever get fixated on an idea about something completely random? And it doesn’t matter if it’s true or not, it just becomes a strong unshakable association? That is me with macarons. I had my first macaron years ago in Montreal. There was a trolley at the mall with a display of beautiful brightly colored macarons and I was astounded. They were so delicate and gorgeous. Ever since that day, I’ve been fixated on macarons and I associate them with being fancy and special.
Since I’ve over hyped them in my mind, I’ve long been afraid of making them myself. In fact, I’ve had more than one disastrous attempt. They’ve come out wrinkly, and flat, and completely mismatched in shape. But, with a little patience and practice I’ve finally been able to do this successfully at home. And of course, I wanted to share this recipe for pistachio and strawberry macarons with you, so you can do it too!
Let me clarify first by saying the macaron cookies are pistachio flavored and the filling is a strawberry curd. The cookies have a light nutty taste and the strawberry curd is sweet, slightly creamy, and to die for. Seriously, make a ton of strawberry curd and eat it on toast, drizzle it on ice cream, put it in smoothies, or scoop it up directly with your fingers.
I’ve made these pistachio macarons with a dark chocolate ganache – and while that was flipping great – I felt that the chocolate flavor dominated. I like the combination of pistachio and strawberries better because the flavors are subtle. I really like the balance of sweet strawberries with more savory pistachio nuts. I think they compliment each other nicely and have a tasty balance.
Here’s a random thing I learned in my recently macaron trials: the ruffly bottom of each cookie is called “feet.” So macarons have feet! Doesn’t that just add to the adorableness? I think so.
Before I get to the actual recipe, I want to gush about one more thing. My love for macarons is in part because of their vibrant colors. I think that’s also why I like this pistachio and strawberry flavor combination because I think the reddish pink and green is pretty cute. But let’s be really honest: my macarons are not green enough!
The secret is, you gotta use gel food coloring. I only have liquid and that color just isn’t a rich without using a ton. Why didn’t I use a ton? Well, for macarons you need to beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, then stir in the coloring. I was really worried about losing all of that air and ruining my egg whites if I did too much. In summation, get gel coloring for vibrant macarons. Liquid food coloring is more understated.
My love for macarons has only grown since this recipe. In fact, I’ve gotten a little obsessed with making them. So much so, that I bought this macaron mat (which you don’t need) and now I want to make loads more. All kinds of colors, flavors, and maybe even awesome shapes and patterns. Got any suggestions for flavor combinations? I totally want to hear them!
Adapted from Art of Natural Living and Macarons by Annie Rigg.
Messy level: While each individual step isn’t particularly messy, as a whole you’re going to end up with a lot of dishes. You’ll need a food processor to grind up the pistachios and blend the flour and sugars. You’ll need a bowl and mixer to beat the egg whites (you’re a champion if you do this step by hand!). As well, you’ll need a piping back and baking sheets. Then, for the curd you’ll need to blend the strawberries and cook the curd in a saucepan. It’s all the dishes my friends. Still, the work is worth it. Your friends and family will be totally impressed and the end result is lovely to look at and delicious to eat.
- ½ cup/ 50 grams unsalted, shelled pistachios
- 1½ cups/ 200 grams confectioner's sugar
- ½ cup/ 75 grams almond flour
- 3 large egg whites
- pinch salt
- 3 tablespoons/ 40 grams sugar
- green food coloring (gel preferable)
- 12 ounces/340 grams/ about 1½ cups strawberries
- ¾ cup/ 170 grams sugar
- 1 tablespoon plus 1½ teaspoons/ 12 grams cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
- 4-6 tablespoons/ 56-84 grams butter, cut into 4-6 chunks
- Line 1-2 baking sheets with parchment paper. For uniform circles, take a pencil and a small circular cooking cutter, and trace about 2" circles on the parchment. Lay the parchment pencil side down on the baking sheet.
- Put the pistachios in a food processor and grind them finely.
- Add the confectioner's sugar and almond flour to the food processor. Grind for about 30 seconds, or until everything is well mixed.
- Add the egg whites and salt to a clean bowl. Mix on medium using a stand mixer or electric mixer. Beat until you have soft peaks.
- Once you have soft peaks, keep the mixer running on medium speed. Add the sugar a spoonful at a time. Make sure the sugar is thoroughly mixed in before adding the next spoonful. Keep mixing until the egg whites hold stiff peaks and are thick, white, and glossy.
- Carefully add food coloring to the egg whites. Swirl it in using a toothpick or the tines of a fork. Then use a rubber spatula or metal spoon to gentle fold in the color so the eggs are thoroughly dyed. Be careful not to knock out too much air.
- Using a metal spoon, gently fold the pistachio-almond mixture to your egg whites. Fold carefully until all ingredients are mixed and your batter is thick and smooth.
- Fill a piping bag with your batter.
- Pipe uniform circles on your prepared baking sheet. You want to pipe circles that are about 1-1.5" because the mixture will spread a little to ultimately be about 2" circles.
- Lift the baking sheet and wack it sharply on the counter, one time. This is done to get rid of any large air bubbles.
- Leave the macarons to sit on the counter for 30 minutes, and up to one hour. During this time they will develop a bit of a crust. This is the macarons setting! The batter should not be sticky or wet after you let it rest.
- While the macarons are resting, preheat the oven to 325°F/170°C.
- Bake, one tray at a time, for 10 minutes. The tops should be crisp and overall the macarons should be dry and not gooey.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet.
- While the macarons are cooking and cooling, prepare the strawberry curd. Please note, this recipe will make way more curd than you need for the macarons.
- Wash and stem the strawberries. Then puree the strawberries in the blender/food processor or with an immersion blender.
- In a saucepan, combine the strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and egg yolks. Give everything a quick mix to make sure the ingredients are some what combined.
- Heat the mixture over medium heat and whisk constantly until everything gets thick. This can take about 10-15 minutes. You'll know it's ready when you lift a spoonful of curd, then drop it back into the saucepan, and that drop doesn't immediately ooze back in with everything else.
- Remove pan from the heat and add the butter one tablespoon (14 grams) at a time. After 3 tablespoons taste the curd. Does it taste great? Then leave it. Do you want it richer and creamier? Add another tablespoon of butter and taste again. I think 4 tablespoons is perfect, but 6 tablespoons has a richer and creamier feel.
- Let mixture cool slightly. Then, transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic, and put in the fridge for at least an hour.
- When the macarons and curd are cool you are ready to assemble!
- Using a knife, or piping bag, spread the strawberry curd on the flat side of one macaron. Find a macaron of similar size and create a sandwich. Now you've got a lovely macaron!
- Serve or store in a covered container. I find these are best in the first 1-3 days, but are still fine if they sit around a little longer. But let's be honest, you're gonna devour them.
