Adriano Zumbo's Candy Cane Macarons

When I brought home the latest issue of Gourmet Traveller magazine, I knew I was up for a challenge. Look at the pictures of those cute candy canes from the magazine. They are not ordinary candy canes. They are candy canes macarons made by the talented Sydney based patissier Adriano Zumbo:

I set myself up for two challenges:

Making macarons the Italian way: I have always been making my macarons with the French method because I didn't have a sugar thermometer that is required in the Italian method. Not until the ever generous Trissa bought me one (Thanks, Trissa!).

Piping the perfect J: I found a perfect stencil - the giant candy cane that was given to me by the ever cheerful Kath (Thanks, Kath!).

I don't call making these candy cane macarons a challenge if there is without failures. I came close to giving up but I am glad that I persevered.

First attempt: I used red liquid colouring because I didn't have the red powder colouring. I guess I was stubborn and it failed horribly.

Second attempt: I used the wrong size eggs (XL jumbo size). Again I was stubborn. I took three eggs out from the fridge without weighting them.

Third attempt: I over-processed the almond meal and icing sugar in the food processor. I let the food processor runs while busy doing other chores. The food processor was over-heated and melted the icing sugar and caused some wet lumps. I didn't realised it until after I poured it in the meringue.

Fourth attempt: I put all my stubborness aside and followed all the basic rules to a T! And the fourth time is the charm. So let's celebrate!

Adriano Zumbo, "Every Christmas, the one lolly that's left in the house is candy canes. I was thinking about how to make them more interesting to eat, so I caramelised them and make them into ganache, and then the ganache became the filling for these macarons."

Adriano Zumbo's Candy Cane Macarons Recipe

(Adapted from Gourmet Magazine December 2009 issue) Makes about 15 (8cm-long) or 2 (24cm-long)

Ingredients

• 150 g almond meal
• 150 g pure icing sugar, sieved
• 150 g caster sugar
• 110 g eggwhite (about 3 eggwhites)
• 1/4 tsp red food powder colouring, or to taste

Candy Cane Ganache:

• 125 g white chocolate, finely chopped
• 20 g coarsely chopped crushed candy canes (about 2 small)
• 75 ml pouring cream
• 1/2 tsp peppermint essence
• 45 g butter, coarsely chopped

Method

1. Preheat oven to 140C. Sieve almond meal and icing sugar into a large bowl, set aside. Combine caster sugar and 40 ml water in a saucepan, stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolved, then bring to the boil and cook until mixture reaches 121C on a sugar thermometer (4-5 minutes). Meanwhile, whisk half the eggwhite in an electric mixer on medium speed, then, whisking continuously, gradually add syrup in two places to avoid syrup pooling in bottom of mixing bowl. Whisk until lukewarm (3-4 minutes), then add to almond meal mixture. Add remaining eggwhite and fold to combine.
2. Divide mixture between two bowls and add red food colouring to one bowl, folding to combine and colouring to your liking. Slap excess air of white mixture with a spatula. Lay a piping bag fitted with a 1 cm plain nozzle on its side, fill one side with white mixture and the other side with red mixture. Pipe half the mixture into 15 x 8cm-long or 2 x 24 cm-long right-facing candy cane shapes on baking trays lined with baking paper.
3. Pipe remaining mixture into 15 x 8cm-long or 2 x 24cm-long left-facing candy cane shapes, firmly tap trays on work bench to expel excess air, then stand until a skin forms and mixture doesn't stick on your finger when touched (45 minutes - 1 hour). Bake in batches until firm and tops are set (10-12 minutes for smaller ones, 14-16 minutes for larger ones), then cool on trays.
4. Meanwhile, for candy cane ganache, place chocolate in a heatproof bowl, set aside. Cook candy canes without stirring in a small frying pan over medium-high heat until caramelised (4-5 minutes). Meanwhile, warm cream in a small saucepan over medium heat, add to candy canes, shake pan until combined (10-15 minutes). Add to chocolate with peppermint essence, stir to combine, then stir in butter. Stand until ganache reaches spreadable consistency (1-1 1/4 hours), spoon into a piping bag fitted with a 9mm plain nozzle and pipe on flat sides of right-facing candy cane macarons and stand until set (10-15 minutes). Candy cane macarons will keep in airtight container for up to 2 days but are best eaten on day of making.