Italian Macarons

Flavor: Sweet and fragrant; Technique: Baking; Time: Several hours; Difficulty: Moderate.

Detailed Steps for Making Italian Macarons

Sift almond flour and powdered sugar twice.

Add 55g of room temperature egg whites.

Mix well to form almond cake batter.

Add food coloring and mix well. (You can use more food coloring, as the color will become lighter after baking.)

Cook 150g of granulated sugar and 37g of boiling water until it starts to bubble. (Do not stir during the process, or it will turn sandy.)

Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. When lifting the whisk, the egg whites should slowly drip down and leave visible ridges. (The container used for the egg whites should be free of water and oil.)

Cook the sugar syrup until it reaches 118-120 degrees Celsius and then remove from heat. (I was busy taking photos and cooked it a bit too long.)

Pour the sugar syrup slowly into the egg whites while beating at high speed.

Beat until the temperature of the egg whites drops to around 40 degrees Celsius (similar to body temperature) and the mixture becomes shiny.

Add the Italian meringue to the almond cake batter in two portions and mix well.

Mix until the batter flows slowly like a ribbon when lifted with a spatula.

Transfer the batter to a piping bag and pipe onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. The diameter of each macaron should be around 3cm, and there should be some space between them to prevent sticking during baking.

Let the macarons sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes until a skin forms on the surface and they are no longer sticky to the touch.

Bake in a preheated oven at 310F/155C for 16 minutes.

Once baked, let the macarons cool completely before adding a layer of purple sweet potato puree to one macaron and sandwiching it with another.

Press the two macarons together gently to form a sandwich.

Best served with coffee or tea.