Chocolate macaron recipe

Here is the Zumbo recipe as promised.
This recipe will hopefully give you perfect macaron shells, i cant say much about the ganaches because mine wasnt so good.

Ingredients
40 ml water
150 gr caster sugar
55 gr egg whites, and extra 55 gr egg whites
1gr of powdered egg whites [i didnt use this]
150 gr almond meal
150 gr icing sugar
50 gr chocolate powder

Steps
1. Make an italian meringue by combining water and caster sugar into pot and cook until 121C.
2. Beat 55 gr of egg whites and powdered egg white with a mixer.
3. Slowly add sugar syrup to egg whites while continuously beating them, pour the sugar syrup slowly down the side of the bowl.
4. Beat the sugar syrups and egg whites till stiff peaks form.
5. Sieve icing sugar and almond meal together.
6. Add the extra egg whites to the icing sugar and almond meal.
7. Mix in italian meringue to icing sugar and almond meal mix.
8. Mix it all in until all ingredients are combined. The batter should be quite thick.
9. Spoon mixture into piping bag with a largish round nozzle.
10. Pipe onto trays with baking paper, aim for about 3 cm in diameter, make sure you spread them out as the batter will spread as it settles.
11. Let them sit for 30 mins to 3 hours, this allows a thin skin to form over the macarons which is really important for the smooth dome tops. You know a skin has formed when you touch the macaron shell and no batter sticks to your finger.
12. Once the skin has formed, place the macarons in a preheated oven at 200C. Once inside the oven turn it off for 6 minutes.
13. Turn on the oven to 160C and bake for a further 10 minutes. [this part makes the macaron rise and form a skirt/feet].

Macarons should be cooked through with a crispy outer skin and a soft centre.

Ganache

Ingredients
50ml cream
85 gr of dark chocolate
25 gr of unsalted butter

Steps
1. Heat cream in a small saucepan [dont boil it or the cream will split]
2. Place chocolate and butter in a bowl.
3. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and butter
4. Stir it all together to a smooth consistency.
5. Pipe or spread ganache onto macarons.

Good luck!

side notes: the above recipe makes a very sweet macaron shell because of the icing sugar and caster sugar. if you dont like it so sweet [like me] play with the caster suagr quantities for the sugar syrup, i havent done this myself but i am experimenting this weekend.

Above is the macaron mix resting and forming skin. You can see my
piped uneven rounds. hehehe... this was my first tray, the third
tray was heaps better.

Above is the baked macaron shell with feet/skirt.


The finished product all happily eaten by my hubby.