Macarons Mogador

Makes: about 72 macarons

Acclaimed pâtissier Pierre Hermé shares the top-secret recipe for his chocolate-laden mogador macarons – ready, get set, bake and/or drool.

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Ingredients

For the macaron shells (1)

• 300g ground almonds
• 300g icing sugar
• 110g liquefied egg whites
• 5g lemon yellow food colouring
• 0.5g red food colouring

For the macaron shells (2)

• 300g sugar
• 75g water
• 110g liquefied egg whites

For the ganache

• 100g unsalted butter at room temperature
• 550g milk chocolate (40% Jivara Valrhona cocoa)
• 10 passion fruit (for 250ml passion fruit juice)

To finish

• Cocoa powder

Directions

For the ganache

1Cut the butter into pieces. Chop the chocolate with a serrated knife. Halve the passion fruit, scoop out the pulp and strain to obtain 250ml of juice. Weigh the juice and bring it to a boil. Melt the chopped chocolate in a saucepan over a pan of barely simmering water (bain marie). Pour in the juice three times over the chocolate. When the mixture temperature reaches 60°C, add the butter pieces a few at a time.

2Stir until the ganache is smooth and pour into a dish. Cover the ganache by pressing cling film over the surface. Set aside in the fridge to cool.

For the macaron shells

1Sift the icing sugar and ground almonds. Stir the food colouring in the first portion of egg white and pour over the sugar-almond mixture without mixing. Boil water and sugar to 118°C. Once the syrup reaches 115°C, simultaneously start whisking the second batch of egg whites to soft peaks.When the sugar reaches 118°C, pour it over the egg whites little by little. Whisk and allow the meringue to cool to 50°C, then fold it carefully into the ground almond-sugar mixture.

2Spoon the batter into a piping bag fitted with a n°11 nozzle.

3Pipe rounds of batter about 3.5cm in diameter and space them 2cm apart on baking trays lined with parchment paper. Rap the baking trays gently on the work surface covered with a kitchen cloth. With a sieve, sprinkle the shells with a light dusting of cocoa powder. Leave the shells to stand for at least 30 minutes.

4Preheat the oven to 180°C, put the tray in the oven and bake for 12 minutes. Quickly open and shut the oven door twice during baking. Once out of the oven, slide the shells onto the work surface.

5Do not remove from the sheet until they have completely cooled down.

Assemble

1Pour the ganache into a pastry bag using a n°11 nozzle. Pipe a generous amount on half of the shells. Top with remaining shells.

2Store for 24 hours in the fridge and bring out 2 hours before serving.

IMAGE © PIERRE HERMÉ