The hottest bakes in town

Macarons have Italian heritage but the French took a liking to them and they have been synonymous with French confectionery ever since.

There is also a big discussion about the pronunciation for this item of cake. The correct name is a macaron (mah-kah-ron). The word originates back again to the Italian roots, for maccherone or macaroni. In France they are known only as macarons. Here in the UK is where the confusion has come in. A macaron in the UK is often referred to as a macaroon. Both are widely accepted but a macaroon is a small cake made with egg white and coconut. We at the restaurant call them French marcaroons to distinguish it from the cake.

To make them, weigh and measure all your ingredients before you start and always blend the icing sugar and the ground almond in a food processor; you may think skipping this step will not matter; it does, you risk lumps in the mixture which will flatten the macaron mixture.

Use egg whites that are a few days old and at room temperature.

When mixing the almond/icing sugar to the beaten egg whites, fold quickly and gently. You will lose a lot of the air, but the resulting batter should still be thick and airy. Too runny and you have over worked it.

Half way through cooking, open the oven door and quickly waft it a few times to allow any steam to escape. Close the door and finish the cooking.

Lastly not an actual tip but macrons are best the day after as it means you have allowed all the flavors to meld together and the shells to soften just a bit.

Ingredients

70g Egg whites

35g Sugar

115g Icing sugar

60g Ground almonds

Method

In a food processor blend the icing sugar and ground almonds till they are smooth

Add the sugar to the eggs and whisk till the mixture is stiff.

Add your choice of food coloring and whisk again till the colour has blended in.

Add the icing sugar and ground almonds to the eggs and fold in.

Pipe onto a grease proof tray.

Leave it to stand for 15 minutes till they form a skin.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or till it is coming away from the tray at 120c. Do notOpening the doors a few times

Leave to cool.

Fill with flavored cream of your choice.