RECIPE
The Stylish Baker's Ispahan Macaron
Try your hand at Faaiza Omar's version of this macaron with raspberry, rose and litchi
Try The Stylish Baker Pastry School’s recipe for Ispahan – a macaron shell with a raspberry and litchi filling, and litchi and rose ganache.
MACARON SHELLS
Ingredients 200g ground almonds
200g icing sugar
200g castor sugar
75ml water
160g egg whites (split into 80g each)
pink food colouring Method
Line two large baking trays with non-stick paper. In a food processor, grind icing sugar and almonds for about 5 minutes until very fine.
Sift mixture into a large bowl and set aside. In a saucepan, mix castor sugar and water, on medium to high heat, and bring to a boil.
Meanwhile in a stand mixer, whisk 80g of egg whites to peaks.
When syrup reaches 118°C pour it gently into whisked egg whites, whisking continuously.
Continue to whisk on medium until meringue has cooled, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile mix the other 80g of egg whites into the icing sugar mixture to form a paste. Add food colouring as desired.
When meringue has cooled, fold it through the egg white and icing sugar paste.
Continue to mix gently until you have a homogenous batter. Fill a piping bag fitted with a 15mm round nozzle with the batter. Pipe 24 circles of 7cm in diameter.
Gently tap baking trays to remove any air bubbles. Leave shells to stand on the work surface for at least 30 minutes.
Bake in a preheated oven for 30 min at 125°C.
Leave to cool completely before removing from tray.
RASPBERRY AND LITCHI FILLING
Ingredients 200g raspberry purée
20g (2 tablespoons) castor sugar
1 gelatine leaf
45ml (¼ cup) canned litchi, drained and chopped Method
Soak gelatine in cold water. Heat raspberry puree and sugar on medium until sugar dissolves and puree comes to a boil. Set aside.
Remove excess moisture from gelatine, then heat gelatine in microwave until it melts, around 15 to 20 seconds.
Stir melted gelatine into hot purée.
Mix in the chopped litchi; pour into 12 4cm sphere moulds. Freeze for three hours.
LITCHI AND ROSE GANACHE
Ingredients 450g white chocolate
180g puréed litchi
45ml (¼ cup) cream
1 teaspoon rose essence
Fresh raspberries and red rose petals to decorate Method
Place chocolate in a medium glass bowl. In a saucepan, bring cream and litchi purée to a boil on medium heat.
Pour over the chocolate and mix well. Add rose essence and mix again. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
To assemble
Fill a piping bag fitted with a 8mm nozzle with litchi ganache.
Turn 12 macaron shells bottom side up. Pipe a dollop of the ganache onto the macaron shells.
Add the frozen raspberry litchi sphere.
Place the fresh raspberries along the sides of the macaron to form a ring.
Top with more ganache and cover with a macaron shell.
Decorate each macaron with a raspberry and a rose petal. Read more about The Stylish Baker Faaiza Omar's visit to Port Elizabeth for the Al-Fidaa School of Baking high tea.
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