To Make the Shells

Prepare the Macaron Batter

1. Age the egg whites by either leaving them in the fridge for 4 days or keeping them on the kitchen bench top for a couple of days. Cover them with a sieve to prevent small particles from getting in. Before whisking the egg whites, make sure they’ve come back to room temperature.
2. Before starting the shells, prepare the piping bag with a plain circular nozzle about 1 cm – ½ inch in diameter and line the oven trays with baking paper or a silicone cookie mat.
3. Sift the almond meal and pure icing sugar together into a large bowl and mix well.

Make the Meringue

1. Put the egg whites in a bowl and start whisking them with an electric mixer.
2. Add the sugar and food colouring little by little and keep whisking until very stiff peaks form. The meringue should look translucent and pearl-like.
3. Add the meringue to the almond meal and icing sugar mixture and stir well using a spatula.
4. Once all the meringue has been incorporated, do the macaronnage. Using a pastry scraper or spatula, scrape the batter back and forth against the bowl to remove air bubbles until the batter ribbons off the scraper and flows slowly like magma.

Pipe and Bake the Macarons

1. Fill the piping bag and pipe circles of batter onto the lined baking tray or cookie sheet by squeezing the bag while keeping it in one spot. Spray the shells with a little red food colouring using a small brush if desired.
2. Let the macarons rest for 30 to 60 minutes or until they’ve hardened slightly.

3. Bake the macarons either at 160°C – 320°F for about 12 minutes or at 150°C – 302°F for 15–17 minutes, depending on the oven.

   Note: Baking times may vary from oven to oven, which means experimenting and getting to know the oven is important. If there are temperature problems, using a small oven thermometer can help check the actual temperature inside the oven.

4. Remove the shells from the oven and let them cool completely before attempting to detach them from the baking paper or silicone cookie mat.

   Note: If the shells are removed too early, they may break, and the macarons’ feet may be ruined. If they still don’t detach easily, put them in the freezer for a couple of minutes, and they should come off more easily.

5. Once cool, put the shells in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge until ready to assemble.

To Make the White Chocolate and Raspberry Ganache

1. Put the cream in a pot and heat it until it’s almost boiling.
2. Add the white chocolate and stir until melted and smooth. Add the syrup or essence and the food colouring if using.
3. Refrigerate the ganache until it thickens and is ready to be piped onto the macaron shells.

4. Pipe the white chocolate and raspberry ganache onto half of the shells and place the remaining shells on top like a sandwich.

   Note: If the ganache is still a little too fluid, put the shells with the piped ganache back in the freezer for a couple of minutes before placing the remaining shells on top.

5. Store the assembled macarons in an airtight container in the fridge for at least 24 hours and remove them 2 hours before serving them.