Lemon Macarons with Lemon Curd

Lemon Macarons
Preheat oven to 150 °C.

Prepare a baking tray by lining with baking parchment to prevent sticking.

Place egg whites into a clean glass bowl and whisk until soft peak stage.

Add the castor sugar and continue to whisk until stiff peaks form.

Add the food colouring and lemon zest.

Sift the already sifted ground almonds together with the icing sugar. Repeat this process 3 times. It is really important to ensure that the almond and sugar mixture is as fine as possible with no tiny lumps that are too big to pass through the sieve.

Gently fold the almond mix into the egg whites until just combined. The mixture should be smooth but not runny.

Spoon the mixture into a piping bag, fitted with a round nozzle. Carefully pipe small rounds onto the prepared baking. Use your finger to smooth any peaks that may have formed.

Tap the tray onto a surface to knock out any air bubbles and set aside for 15 minutes before baking.

Bake the macarons for about 20 minutes or until they have set but are still fudge-like in the centre.

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before sandwiching together with lemon curd.

Lemon Curd
Place the lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar and butter into a saucepan and heat gently over low heat until the sugar and butter have melted.

Place egg yolks into a clean glass bowl and pour the lemon mixture into the eggs while stirring continuously to prevent the eggs from curdling.

Place the glass bowl over a pot of simmering water and allow to cook gently, continuing to stir, for about 12 – 15 minutes or until the lemon curd is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.

Remove bowl from heat and set aside to cool.

Once cooled, spoon the curd into sterilised jars, seal and refrigerate.