Dulce De Leche Macarons

After months and months of reading about macarons and different techniques to make them work i finally decided to try them... and it worked! I sort of mixed and matched recipes for these... i used A la Cuisine!'s list of ingredients, measurements and directions while at the same time taking into account Tartlette's directions for macarons [stirring the better especially]. I also let the egg whites sit out on the counter for 24 hours before i made them. I made the cheater version of dulce de leche, recipe below. I've never had a real macaron but according to the description i think theyre about right...

Macaron Batter

- 1 ¼ cups icing sugar
- 4 oz (1 cup) almond flour or finely ground almonds
- ¼ cup plus 2 tbsps egg whites at room temperature
- pinch of salt
- ¼ cup granulated sugar

Allow egg whites to thicken by leaving them uncovered at room temperature overnight.

On three pieces of parchment, use a pencil to draw 1-inch (2.5 cm) circles about 2 inches apart. Flip each sheet over and place each sheet on a baking sheet.

Push almond flour through a tamis or sieve, and sift icing sugar. Mix the almonds and icing sugar in a bowl and set aside. If the mixture is not dry, spread on a baking sheet, and heat in oven at the lowest setting until dry.

In a large clean, dry bowl whip egg whites with salt on medium speed until foamy. Increase the speed to high and gradually add granulated sugar. Continue to whip to stiff peaks – the whites should be firm and shiny.

With a flexible spatula, gently fold in icing sugar mixture into egg whites until completely incorporated. The mixture should be shiny and ‘flow like magma.’ When small peaks dissolve to a flat surface, stop mixing.

Fit a piping bag with a 3/8-inch (1 cm) round tip. Pipe the batter onto the baking sheets, in the previously drawn circles. Tap the underside of the baking sheet to remove air bubbles. Let dry at room temperature for 1 or 2 hours to allow skins to form.

Bake, in a 160C/325F oven for 10 to 11 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to keep the oven door slightly ajar, and rotate the baking sheet after 5 minutes for even baking.

Remove macarons from oven and transfer parchment to a cooling rack. When cool, slide a metal offset spatula or pairing knife underneath the macaron to remove from parchment.

Pair macarons of similar size, and pipe about ½ tsp of the filling onto one of the macarons. Sandwich macarons, and refrigerate to allow flavours to blend together. Bring back to room temperature before serving.

Dulce De Leche

- 1 can of condesnsed milk

1. preheat oven to 425C. pour condensed milk into a 9 inch pie pan and cover tightly with foil. place in a waterbath and into oven. bake for 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours [the longer the baking time, the more carmelized it will become]. after removing from the oven, beat with an electric mixer or whisk until smooth.