[Macaron]
135g egg whites
45g granulated sugar
25g finely ground dried blueberries
215g powdered sugar
125g almond meal (ground almond)
[Filling]
330g of pureed pear
1 teaspoon loose leaf earl grey tea
55g granulated sugar
29g water
1 envelope of plain gelatin
[Steps]
Macaron: Preheat oven 150degC.
Trace out 1 inch circles on parchment and set this aside as a “master copy”. Reserve two extra sheets of parchment and set aside.
Place egg whites and sugar in a stand mixer bowl and fit mixer with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium-low speed until egg whites start to form loose translucent bubbles.
Increase mixer speed to medium and beat until meringue turns foamy and white and starts to resemble well lathered shampoo, about 2 minutes.
Increase mixer to high and beat until meringue holds glossy stiff peaks, about another 2-3 minutes.
Add two drops of purple food coloring and give the mixer two quick runs to incorporate the color. Turn off mixer and set aside.
In another bowl add finely ground dried blueberries, powdered sugar and almond meal and whisk to combine, then push mixture through a fine mesh sieve to sift.
Add dry ingredients to meringue. Using a sturdy spatula fold and smash dry mixture into meringue against the bowl’s side for about 20-25 folds. Don’t worry about being gentle the idea is to knock the air out of it. The batter should hold its shape when spooned on itself and start to slowly flatten out after about 15-20 seconds. Start checking the batter after 20 folds for readiness.
Place master copy of drawn circles on a bake sheet and then place a sheet of parchment on top. Fill a pastry bag with batter and pipe until batter reaches edge of circle. Remove master copy from underneath piped layer and place on second bake sheet and pipe remaining batter (remove master copy and save for future use).
Take hold of each pan and give it quick hard tap against the counter, turn the pan 90 degrees and give it another quick hard tap. This will deflate any bubbles and prevent cracked shells.
Bake for about 18-22 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Leave shells to cool completely on pan. Shells will cleanly peel away from parchment when ready about 30 minutes.
Filling: Place tea in a coffee grinder or blender and process until loose leaf is a fine grind. Add finely ground tea to pureed pears and fold to combine; set aside
Place water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stir until sugar is melted. Transfer pan to wire rack to cool, about 15 - 20 minutes. Once cooled, sprinkle gelatin on top and leave untouched for 1-2 minutes for gelatin to bloom.
Return pan to stove top and over low heat stir the mixture until the gelatin bloom melts and mixture resembles the consistency of maple syrup. Remove from heat and stir gelatin mixture into pear mixture. Transfer to refrigerator to chill for about 10-15 minutes or until filling becomes thick and slightly sets.
Transfer filling to pastry bag fitted with a round tip and pipe on bottom side of one macaron cookie and place a second macaron on top with bottom side down.
Transfer fully assembled macarons to refrigerator to chill for another 30-40 minutes for the filling to finish setting. Finish macaron will have a filling consistency that will not spill or squirt out of the side when bitten into.