Foie gras macarons

Hello foodies,

This week I'm sharing a sweet and savory recipe. Perfect for the holiday season. ;-)

Foie gras macarons with a touch of gingerbread spices.

To make 35 macarons (70 shells) you will need:

For the shells:

150gr almond flour

150gr icing sugar

120gr egg whites

120gr sugar

Gingerbread spices

For the foie gras mousse:

120gr duck foie gras

37gr butter

Macaron shells

For this recipe, I used Karin's macaron shell recipe, French meringue version — I think it's fantastic. She uses it for her delicious praline macarons.

To start, mix with a spoon 150gr of almond flour — I use Scrapcooking's, which is really great for macarons, it's ultra fine — and 150g of icing sugar.

For ultra smooth macarons, blend the almond flour and icing sugar mixture.

I use a blade attachment on my Bamix.

Be careful not to over-blend — the mixture should remain a powder and not become compact.

Set the mixture aside for later.

In a bowl, pour 120gr of egg whites and 20gr of sugar.

It is important that the eggs are at least 10 days old. This will make all the difference in the final result of the shells.

Whisk the egg whites and sugar at medium speed, until the mixture starts to foam.

Once the mixture starts to foam, add the sugar gradually in 4 additions.

So add a little sugar, beat for 2 minutes, add a little more sugar, beat again, etc..

This way, you will get a nice firm meringue — it is very important that it is firm for the rest of the recipe.

You will get a nice stiff peak as in photo n°3.

Pour the almond and icing sugar mixture all at once over the whipped egg whites.

Using the flat beater, mix at speed 1.

We will finish macaronaging our mixture with a spatula.

We want to achieve a nice texture — the batter is ready when it is nice and shiny and flows in a ribbon. This means the consistency should be fluid enough (but not too much!) to flow from the spatula without interruption like a ribbon.

Be careful not to overmix or the batter will become too runny and the macarons will spread too much. On the other hand, if the batter is not macaronaged enough, your macarons won't be smooth.

Place the macaron batter in a piping bag fitted with a 8mm round tip.

Here is the template for nice even macarons: Template

Place the templates on a perforated baking tray. The perforated tray is great for macarons as it ensures even baking.

Place a sheet of baking paper on top to pipe your macarons.

Pipe straight, about 1 cm above the sheet, press on your piping bag. When you get a nice round shape, stop pressing and make a small rotating motion to remove the tip.

It's a technique that takes a little practice ;-)

Tap the tray on the work surface to smooth out any tips on your macarons.

Sprinkle a little gingerbread spice over your shells.

Gingerbread spices pair wonderfully with foie gras.

Let the macaron shells rest 30 minutes at room temperature.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 140°C, fan setting.

Open your oven occasionally to let the moisture out.

After the 30 minutes resting time, bake on a rack in the lower part of the oven, one tray of shells for about 14 minutes.

Bake your trays one at a time.

Your macarons are done when they come off the tray cleanly. If they don't come off, put them back in the oven for 1-2 minutes.

The shells will have a nice foot as in photo n°2.

Let them cool at room temperature.

Now let's move on to the foie gras mousse :-)

Foie gras mousse

Take the foie gras and butter out of the fridge about 30 minutes before so they come to temperature and soften a little.

In a bowl, start by creaming 37gr of butter.

Add 120gr of foie gras and continue beating.

The mixture will become nicely fluffy.

Prepare a piping bag with a 8mm round tip.

Place the foie gras mousse inside the piping bag.

Flip half of your shells upside down.

Fill the upturned shells then place another shell on top to close them, pressing gently so the mousse reaches the edges.

And here is the result. ;-)

You can make the macaron shells up to 1 week in advance and store them in an airtight container.

However, it is best to make the foie gras mousse and fill the macarons on the same day.

Once the macarons are finished, store them in the fridge in a closed container or in macaron boxes.

Savory macarons perfect for aperitif! :-)

I hope you enjoy this recipe.

I wish you a lovely Sunday and a wonderful holiday season!

Sophie

P.S: All the equipment used can be found at the bottom of the recipe.