Strawberry & mint macarons

A new recipe for macarons, this time filled with a strawberry and mint confit. You can also use this recipe for a simple strawberry confit, or with basil, or lemon zest... Here I added mint for freshness, it goes very well with strawberries and it allows to de-sugarize the macarons a bit.



Prep time : 30 minutes + 12 minutes cooking + a few hours in the fridge
For about 30 macarons :

Macarons shells :

150g icing sugar
150g almond powder
55g egg whites (1) at room temperature
55g egg whites (2) at room temperature
37g of water
150g caster sugar
QS of freeze-dried strawberry powder

Sift the icing sugar and almond powder, then add the egg whites (1).




Next, prepare the Italian meringue : make a syrup with the water and caster sugar.
When it reaches 110°C, start beating the egg whites (2).



When the syrup is at 118°C, pour it over the egg whites and continue beating until you obtain a shiny meringue.




Take half of the Italian meringue and pour it into the first mixture.




When the mixture is homogeneous, add the remaining Italian meringue, mixing with a spatula or a maryse. When the dough makes the ribbon, pour it into a piping bag fitted with a plain tip of about 1cm.



Pipe the shells on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.



Let them dry for about 15 minutes in the open air (when you put your finger on them, gently of course, if it doesn't stick they are ready to cook!). During this time, preheat the oven to about 140°C (to be adjusted of course according to your oven!). Sprinkle the shells with freeze-dried strawberry powder using a sieve.



Bake the shells for about 12 minutes (temperature and cooking time to be adjusted according to your oven).

Strawberry and mint confit :

200g strawberries
70g sugar
15g lime juice
5g mint leaves

Put the chopped strawberries with the sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan and cook over low heat.



When the strawberries have fully released their juice, place over medium heat and reduce, stirring regularly, until thick, jam-like in texture.



Remove from the heat, add the chopped mint and leave to cool completely.




Then fill your macarons, and leave them in the fridge for a few hours or overnight before enjoying them !