simple parisian lemon macarons

I've been known to get a little...excited...about certain things in life.  Coffee, for example.  Nothing gets me excited like an amazing latte or tea or just plain old coffee.  Scones.  Oh, but we've already discussed that.  Regardless of these everpresent obsessions in my life, I've got a new one for you.  Macarons.  No, not those god awful coconut things.  Real. French. Macarons.  I've done my research on what makes them delicious.  Aside from actually sitting on a park bench in Paris overlooking the Rue de la Paix and enjoying a pistachio macaron from a real patisserie, I've been around the macaron block.

So, I finally did it.  Take a second and imagine me as Julie (a la Julie and Julia), and these macarons as boeuf bourguignon.  You now understand why I'm so excited that I finally made these.  I've tried before.  Unsucessfully to say the least.  But these little suckers came out fairly decently for my second try.  Although I did it without a scale (and virtually every recipe demands that you weigh the ingredients), I'd call this one an overall win.  The biggest tool you'll need for this project, however, my friends, is good old fashioned p-a-t-i-e-n-c-e.  But, I assure you, they are well worth the wait.  As are most things in life.

Simple Pairisian Lemon Macarons 

macaron recipe adapted from bon apetit; buttercream from yours truly

For the macarons:
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup (lightly packed) sifted almond flour [I made this from scratch: see note below]
1/2 cup (scant) egg whites (from about 3 large eggs), aged 24-48 hours

2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon sugar

1. Line 2 large baking sheets with silpat or parchment. 
2. Sift powdered sugar and almond flour into large bowl. 
3. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites, sugar, and pinch of salt in medium bowl until medium peaks form. 
4. Add egg white mixture to almond mixture; fold to incorporate. 
5. Fill pastry bag fitted with 1/4-inch-diameter plain pastry tip with batter (batter will be thin and will drip from bag). Pipe batter in 11/4-inch rounds on baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart (cookies will spread slightly). Let rest on sheets at room temperature 20 minutes.
6. Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 375°F. Bake cookies 5 minutes. 
7. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Continue to bake cookies until puffed and golden on top, about 10 minutes, reversing sheets after 5 minutes. 
8. Cool cookies on sheets on rack. Carefully peel cookies from parchment. 

For the lemon buttercream:

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest

1. Beat all ingredients together on stand mixer until smooth, about 4 minutes.
2. Assemble cookies by piping dime-sized ball of frosting onto one cookie and gently place equal shaped cookie on top.
3. Let cookies rest at room temperature for about 45 minutes to harden before serving.

To make almond flour:
1-2 cups natural raw almonds

1. Blanch almonds in boiling water for 30 seconds, just until the skins begin to prune.
2. Remove from water, strain, and place on paper towel to dry.
3. Grasp almond between your thumb and forefinger at the pointy tip of the almond and squeeze gently.  The almond should slide right out.
4. Repeat until all almonds are skinned. Discard skins.
5. Place almonds in food processor and ground them for about 4-5 minutes.  You want your flour to be as fine as possible.
6. Remove flour from food processor and sift into a large bowl.  There will be grounds that will not filter through the sifter; take these and place back in food processor and grind again.  Do not keep any large bits that don't sift through the sifter. 

Makes approximately 24 macarons.