Strawberry macarons

A few months ago I made similar macarons, but using blackberries (recipe here: blackberry-macarons). They were delicious, that's why I made them again using strawberries.

I made a strawberry gel and vanilla-mascarpone cream. These two components along with fresh strawberries worked great. The crisp macaron shell with fresh strawberries and a creamy filling were a delight to eat.

Normally the macarons are even better if you make them a day in advance and leave them in the fridge to rest. I don't recommend that you assemble these macarons ahead of time. The macaron shell becomes soggy and it looses it's crispiness. It's best to make them as fresh as you can.

Strawberry macarons

(Makes about 12 large)

Time:
Preperation: 45min
Resting: 7 hours
Baking: 17min

For the macaron shells:

• 95g room temperature egg whites
• 125g granulated white sugar
• 40g water
• 135g almond flour or finely ground almonds
• 135g icing sugar
• red food coloring (optional)
• finely ground pistachios (optional)

For the strawberry gel:

• 200g strawberry puree (made from 250g frozen raspberries)
• 2,5g agar-agar powder
• 50g white granulated sugar

For the mascarpone-vanilla ganache:

• 450g heavy cream
• 30g honey
• 100g white chocolate (chopped)
• 175g mascarpone
• 1 vanilla bean

+ 500g fresh strawberries

Making the macaron shells:

The preparation for the shells is the same as in the Basic macarons recipe.

Pipe the macarons on a parchment paper/silicone mat. Spinkle ground pistachios over the shells.

Tap the trays with the macarons on the table a few times to pop the air bubbles in the shells. Leave the macarons to rest for about 30 minutes or until they are not sticky to the touch. Bake in the preheated oven at 150°C (302°F) for 17 minutes. If the macarons are still sticky at the bottom return them to the oven and bake more. Set aside to cool completely.

Making the strawberry gel:
Thaw strawberries and blend with immersion blender. Pour the mixture in a small pot. Add agar-agar and sugar and bring to a boil. 

Cook two minutes and take off the heat. Pour the mixture in a plastic container and refrigerate until completely cold. They mixture should be thick and gelatin like.

Take out of the fridge and blend with immersion blender into a gel. Transfer into a piping bag and set aside ready to assembly.

Making the mascarpone cream:
Pour 225g heavy cream and honey in a pot. Add vanilla and cook until very hot. Pour over the white chocolate and stir to combine.

Add the remaining heavy cream and mascarpone cheese. Blend until smooth, cover with plastic foil and refrigerate for at least 6 hours to set.
 

Assembly:
Whip the mascarpone cream to medium peaks and transfer in a piping bag. Pipe the cream around the macaron shell. Add strawberry gel. Place strawberies around the macaron. Add more cream and gel.

Top with the macaron shell.