Australia day macaroons

It was a Frenchy kind of Australia Day at our place with no lamingtons or pavlova in sight, Sam Kekovich would have been very disappointed (although we did have lamb).

These are coffee flavoured with a coffee buttercream filling.

I had some trouble getting the flavour how I wanted it without upsetting the texture of the mixture. Using a shot of expresso coffee is a beautiful flavour but it makes the buttercream separate and curdle.

First batch of buttercream went straight in the bin, second batch I tried a syrup flavouring, Bushells coffee and chicory essence, it comes in a tall glass bottle in the coffee/tea aisle of Coles, costs about $3. It's strange stuff that smells quite bitter, but it worked really well and I got a flavour and colour that I was ok with.

So the coffee buttercream is still a work in progress as I am playing around with quantities and ingredients.

Here's a tip, if you get something right when you're experimenting, bloody well write it down straight away - I made a really good coffee cream a few months back and have never been able to do it again.

I have discovered that piping the macaroon mixture onto the oven trays is heaps easier than trying to spoon it out evenly. I am using disposable piping bags from the supermarket, how easy is that?

One Eureka moment I got from reading my new book on macaroons is that you need to leave them for half an hour after piping but before baking, to form a skin on the top. This is how you get that classic shape of the smooth upper with the little rough 'foot' on the bottom.

These chocolate macaroons were made about a week before we ate them but were still in really good condition after being kept in the fridge. In fact having them cold from the fridge seemed to add a denseness to the filling which improved them. I think they would last quite well for up to two weeks.

Proof that following a recipe can achieve results similar to those pictured in the recipe book! Thanks Jose Marechal for writing such a great teaching textbook on my favourite food.