Macarons for Dad

Having worked up a taste for macarons in this post, a follow up was destined to come sooner or later. The perfect opportunity turned out to be dad's birthday. He's got pretty much everything he needs, and is somewhat of a sucker for sweets, so as far as presents go it should work like a charm. Besides, parents are supposed to appreciate anything their kids (even those above the age of 30) make for them, so no matter how it turns out I'm safe.. right? :-)

I decided to make pistachio macarons, and somewhat unorthodoxly fill them with lemon curd. This time, the two recipes are from Jan Hedh's Passion för Desserter (‘Passion for Desserts’, sometimes Swedish is remarkable easy to rewrite into English...) Compared to last time, the biggest difference is baking time and heat.

I think they turned out much better than last time, but I've only ever tasted macarons I made myself, so I don't know if I'm much of a judge on the matter. Judging from online sources, it does however seem to me that these are closer to what the blogosphere considers good macarons.

Here are some pictures, recipes are further down. It's a pity I have to hold this post until they're delivered... :-/


Good lining, right amount of curd...


Fairly smooth surface, nice color (although not very reminiscent of pistachios)

Pistachio Macarons
200 g Confectioner's Sugar
50 g Almond
50 g Pistachios
100 g Egg Whites (if they've been sitting out in the fridge for a few days that's even better)
1 tsp Lemon Juice
30 g Sugar

Ground the nuts into a flour. Preheat the oven to 170°C. Mix the nut flour and the confectioner's sugar in a bowl. Whisk the egg whites and the lemon juice in anther bowl. Add the sugar and beat it into a meringue. Fold in the dry stuff, don't over-work it. Use a plain tipped pastry bag to make 2–3 cm rounds on parchment covered baking sheets. Let them sit out for 15–30 minutes before baking for 7–8 minutes. Let them cool.

Lemon Curd
1 sheet Gelatin
3 Eggs
150 g Sugar
75 g Lemon Juice
zest from 1 ½ Lemon
100 g Unsalted Butter

Let the gelatin soak in cold water. Whip the egg and half of the sugar fluffy. Bring the rest of the sugar, the butter, the lemon juice and the lemon zest to a boil. Pour the lemon mix over the egg mix while whisking. Mix thoroughly. Pour everything back into the pot and bring it carefully to a near boil experience. Keep whisking all along. Take it off the heat and whisk it smooth. Squeeze the gelatin and let it dissolve in the curd. Strain it into a plastic container and cool quickly in a cold bath. Let it sit in the fridge for a while to harden.