Beetroot & chocolate macarons

Makes 40 3cm macarons

Beetroot macarons shells

180g ground almonds (almond meal)
200g icing sugar
2 tsp beetroot powder
75ml water
200g caster sugar
2 x 80g egg whites
Burgundy gel food colouring

Beetroot chocolate ganache

220g 70% dark chocolate, chopped
200ml pouring cream
20g sugar
50g butter, chopped
2 tsp beetroot powder

Note: the 2x two teaspoons of beetroot powder in the shells and ganache imparts quite a subtle flavour. If you want a bit more impact, double the quantities.

Shells

Sift together the ground almonds, icing sugar and beetroot powder two or three times to create a very fine mix. Set aside.

In a saucepan, bring the water and caster sugar to the boil. Without stirring, make sure the temperature of the sugar syrup doesn’t go above 115°C.

Beat 80g egg whites to soft peaks, then when the sugar syrup reaches 115°C, remove from the heat and pour into the beaten egg whites in a thin stream. Continue to beat for approximately 10 minutes to cool a little.

Combine the sifted almond mixture with the remaining 80g egg whites, making a smooth paste. Add burgundy food colouring until you reach your desired colour. Remember, when you add the beaten egg white meringue mixture, it will lighten considerably.

Using a flexible spatula, incorporate a third of the meringue mixture into your almond paste to loosen a little, then gently add the rest of the meringue until just incorporated — you don’t want any colour streaks, but it can spoil if you work the batter too vigorously.

Fill a piping bag fitted with an 8mm nozzle with batter. Pipe small walnut-sized rounds onto a tray lined with baking paper. Lightly tap the bottom to remove any air pockets, then allow to dry at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 150°C.

Bake in the oven for 14 minutes. When they come out of the oven, carefully slide the baking paper onto a damp tea towel: it will make the shells easier to remove.

Ganache

Place chopped chocolate into a heat-proof bowl. Heat the cream and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat — be careful not to boil.

Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and gently stir to dissolve the chocolate. Incorporate the butter and beetroot powder, stir until smooth.

Allow to cool to room temperature, then place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before piping onto macarons.

To fill, place ganache in a piping bag fitted with an 8mm nozzle. Fill half the macarons with the ganache, then top with the remaining shells. Refrigerate for 1 hour to develop flavour.

Note: the ganache can be made the day before.

Ingredients notes: I used NutraFresh beetroot powder, which I purchased online at Baking Pleasures. Your local foodie heaven may have it, or you could Google it.

View our recipe conversion guide for further hints and tips.