Strawberry Macarons

Kung Hee Fat Choy! Xin Nian Kuai Le! Happy Lunar New Year!

Chinese New Year was on Friday, and it's the year of the Horse, if you're curious.  I can't tell you what that means, really.  You'll need to research that on your own.  I have read, though, that the horse symbolizes transportation or travel, so it could be a good year to go on vacation and travel somewhere.  The farther the better, so it says.  Now that sounds very enticing.

Growing up in a Chinese family, I recall some fun and festive traditions that we'd do every new year as a kid.  Of course, I always looked forward to receiving those little red envelopes filled with money from the elders.  Singles, fives, tens, and sometimes even twenty dollar bills would be stuffed within the folds of crimson paper.  Yes, the kids made out like bandits during Chinese New Year.  But, trust me, it wasn't for free.  The Chinese would never part with their money for free.  No, no, no.  So, instead, the kids must serve the elders before receiving any sort of monetary gift.  Typically we served them tea with three pieces of candy sitting at the bottom of the elixir.  Not like the candy you get at a candy store.  There were no gummies or jelly beans or lollipops.  Instead, these candies were typically dried fruit covered in sugar.  I know, it doesn't sound appealing at all.  And to think they gave us real money for serving them dried fruit!

Another fun, ear-splitting, tradition was the popping of firecrackers.  The sound of the explosions are meant to chase away evil spirits.  My mom made us stuff our little ears with cotton balls to muffle the sounds and then sent us off to set fire to the packs of red explosives. I was much too fearful of potentially blowing my little hand to bits than my older siblings and cousins, so I learned to just follow them around while they lit those bad boys and then ran for my life before it set off into loud, shattering POPS.  Since I had a jarful of eggwhites sitting in my fridge from making this, what better way to use them than to make macarons, of course!  And, as a nod to my heritage, I shaped them into firecrackers.  (Although, they look a little like hotdogs, but oh well....)

Strawberry (Firecracker) Macarons
Yields 30 macarons

For the shells:
75 g egg whites at room temperature
100 g almond flour
120 g confectioner's sugar
60 g granulated sugar
Red gel food coloring

1. Preheat oven to 325 F degrees.  Fit a piping bag with a #12 tip and set it aside.  Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Sift together almond flour and confectioner's sugar and set aside.  You may grind any large pieces in a food processor and sift it back into the mixture.

3. In bowl of a stand mixer, combine egg whites and granulated sugar.  Stir on medium-low until foamy, about 3 minutes.  Increase the speed to medium and beat until soft peaks, about 3 minutes.  Increase the speed to medium-high until stiff peaks, about 3 minutes.  Stop the mixer, and add in the coloring.  Beat for 1 more minute on high to incorporate the color evenly throughout the meringue.

4.  Remove the bowl from the stand mixer.  Add in all of the dry almond flour mixture into the meringue.  Fold the dry mixture in with a spatula.  Smooth the batter up the sides of the bowl and scrape the bottom.  The goal is to get out some of the air, but be careful not to over mix the batter too thin.  The consistency of the batter should be smooth and thick, but still flowing.  A ribbon drawn across the batter should disappear in 25 seconds.

5.  Spoon the batter into the piping bag.  Evenly pipe 2-inch long lines, 1 inch apart onto the baking sheets.  Tap the baking sheets on the counter to allow any air bubbles to rise out of the piped batter.  Allow the batter to dry undisturbed for 30 minutes or until it won't stick to your finger.

6. Bake one tray at a time on the middle rack of your oven for 2 minutes.  Prop open the oven door with a wooden spoon and bake for another 10-12 minutes.  Turn the tray around at the halfway mark for even baking.  The top of the shells will be firm to the touch when they are done.

7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Strawberry Buttercream Filling:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons whipping cream
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup freeze dried strawberries, blended to a powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
milk to thin
lemon peel for garnish

1.  Whip butter, then add cream and whip until blended.  Add powdered sugar and strawberries and mix until evenly incorporated.  Thin with vanilla and milk until the desired consistency.

2. Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag with a plain tip.  Pipe a line of buttercream onto the underside of the macaron shell and gently press another shell on top.  Repeat for the other macaron shells.  Stick a sliver of lemon peel into the buttercream at one end of the macaron for the fuse.

***Macarons get better with age, up to 7 days in the fridge in an airtight container. Bring to room temperature before enjoying.