Macarons with Lemon Cream

Bring a little water to a boil in a small saucepan. Drop the almonds in, then take the pan off the heat and let them sit for 3–4 minutes until the skins loosen. Lift them out and wrap in a kitchen towel, then roll it back and forth to rub the skins off. Let the blanched almonds dry for a full 24 hours.

Once dry, grind the almonds in a nut grinder, food processor, or blender until you have a fine almond flour.

Blitz the almond flour together with the icing sugar in a food processor or blender — do it in batches if you can, it helps get a finer, more even mixture.

Put the egg whites in a clean, dry glass or stainless steel bowl. Whisk slowly until you get a soft foam, then increase the speed until the bubbles are small and even. When the foam forms stiff peaks, add the sugar a little at a time, whisking as you go. Keep going until the mixture is smooth and glossy and all the sugar has dissolved — don't over-whisk or it'll go grainy.

Mix in the food colouring. Add more if you want a stronger turquoise.

Fold the almond flour mixture into the meringue with a spatula until everything is well combined. The batter should be just slightly runny. Getting this right matters — too thin and the macarons will spread flat, too thick and they'll have little peaks instead of a smooth top.

Make a template by tracing circles using a 5-krone coin on a sheet of baking paper, leaving good space between each circle.

Slide the template under a fresh sheet of baking paper on a baking tray. Fill the batter into a piping bag with a round tip (10 mm) and pipe the macarons onto the paper. Carefully pull out the template, then bang the tray on the counter a couple of times to knock out any air bubbles. Repeat with the next tray.

Sprinkle a little cake decoration on each macaron, then leave them on the counter for 10–20 minutes. They're ready to bake when you can lightly touch the surface with your fingertip and feel a thin skin has formed.

Preheat the oven to 150 °C.

Bake the macarons in the middle of the oven for about 12 minutes — anywhere from 11 to 15 minutes works depending on your oven. Let them cool completely before lifting them off the baking paper.

Beat the butter and icing sugar together until well combined. Add the lemon juice and whip for 5–10 minutes until the cream is light and fluffy. Taste and add a little more lemon juice if you like.

Spoon the lemon cream into a piping bag with a round tip (10 mm). Pipe filling onto half the macaron shells, then press the other halves gently on top.