Ingredients
20g unsweetened cocoa (see our cocoa collection)
1 dab of red food coloring to fix the color
100 g of almond powder
2 x 40g of aged egg whites (ideally defrosted whites)
100 g of icing sugar
100 g caster sugar
40 g of water
For the Voatsiperifery chocolate and pepper ganache:
70g dark chocolate (see our couverture chocolate collection)
10 Voatsiperifery peppercorns
100 g of whipping cream
Preparation
Prepare the shells:
The day before, take the egg whites out of the freezer and leave them at room temperature until ready to prepare the dough.
Mix the almond powder and icing sugar very finely together, then sift with the cocoa and red food coloring. Set aside.
The next day, in a saucepan, weigh 100g of caster sugar and add 40g of water. Place the saucepan on the stove and bring to 110°C, checking the temperature with a temperature probe. If you don't have one, allow 3 minutes for boiling and stop cooking before the syrup turns brown.
At the same time, whisk 40g of egg whites until stiff peaks form. If the egg whites are ready before the syrup, slow down the mixer. While slowing down, slowly pour the boiling syrup down the sides of the bowl in a thin stream. This will create an Italian meringue. Let the mixer run until the meringue is lukewarm, about 40°C.
Meanwhile, mix the remaining 40g of egg whites with the sifted powders and food coloring (if you chose to use any) using a spatula. Then, fold in the Italian meringue and work from the bottom up, starting from the center. You should get a smooth, glossy batter, quite runny but not too runny.
Preheat the oven to 150°C with 2 rimless baking sheets placed on the rack, one on top of the other. Spread 3 perforated or unperforated baking sheets lined with parchment paper on a table. I cut the parchment paper in advance and wedge it between 2 sheets so that it is flat and does not risk curling while I assemble the macarons. Fill the bag fitted with a plain nozzle with a diameter of 8 millimeters and pipe small mounds in a staggered pattern, well spaced, on the sheets. Bake for 15 minutes.
Once removed from the oven, slide the parchment paper onto your work surface and peel off the shells once cooled. Refrigerate.
Prepare the ganache:
Bring the cream to a boil with the 10 peppercorns, then let it cool. Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie. Bring the cream back to a boil, then pour a third of it through a sieve over the chocolate. Gently mix with a spatula. You will obtain a smooth and shiny center. Repeat with the second third of cream, and finally the third.
Glue the shells together two by two with the ganache, then leave to cool overnight before enjoying!
Sources: The Certi'Ferme village