Lemon Macarons Made with a Sturdy "Macaron-Friendly" Lemon Curd Center

Instructions

Macaron-Perfect Lemon Curd

1. Zest the organic lemon, set aside.
2. In a heatproof glass bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Do not use metal bowls as it will react to the acidity in the lemon juice. 
3. Add egg and beat until incorporated.
4. Add lemon juice and beat until incorporated.
5. Place over a pot of boiling water. Do not let the bottom touch the water.  
6. Whisk gently to keep the mixture moving as it heats up. 
7. Occasionally, check the temperature of the mixture. You should see the curd thicken up and it will coat the back of your spoon. Allow the mixture to reach 180F-185F. It might take a while (10-15 min), so be patient. 
8. Take the mixture off the heat, add the lemon zest into the hot mixture to release the oils and mix until combined. 
9. Pour through a sieve into another bowl for a smooth curd. 
10. Let it cool down then place in the fridge. It will set up into an even firmer and thicker curd after you've chilled it in the fridge. 

Lemon Buttercream

1. Bring a small pot of water to a boil.
2. Place egg whites and sugar into a heat proof bowl. Stainless steel is light and safe.
3. Whisk the whites & sugar mix over the boiling water.
4. Pay attention to whisking the mixture when it starts getting hot, you don’t want to cook the eggs.
5. Whisk the mixture until the temperature reaches 160F. This temperature is generally accepted to be able to kill salmonella in eggs.
6. Pour the mixture into the Kitchenaid mixer and whisk on low with the balloon whisk, then turn it up to medium.
7. Once the mixture is stiff and the bottom of the bowl is cool to the touch, stop mixer. Change the whisk attachment to the paddle attachment.
8. Add butter a little bit at a time while beating with the paddle attachment at medium speed.
9. The mixture might look curdled or separated for a while but keep mixing. It will all come together.
10. Keep 200 grams of the buttercream for use in our current recipe. Freeze the rest of the buttercream for use at a later date. 
11. Add 8 tablespoon of the curd into the buttercream, a tablespoon at a time and beat until incorporated. 

Basic Macaron Shell

1. Set aged egg whites out at room temperature.
2. Pulse almond flour and icing sugar together in a food processor to further break down any large pieces of almond flour.
3. Sift dry ingredients: almond flour, icing sugar. Discard big pieces of almond that can't be sifted.
4. IF YOU ARE NEW TO MAKING MACARONS, please read the instructions to my BEST MACARON RECIPE before attempting to follow the rest of the instructions since it is condensed for the advanced macaron baker.
5. With the balloon whisk attached, whip the room temperature egg whites on low-medium speed.
6. Add cream of tartar when it becomes foamy.
7. Turn up the speed to medium.
8. Once the whisk starts to leave tracks in the egg whites, add sugar a little at a time.
9. Turn the speed up to medium-high and whip until firm peaks, stop mixer and add gel food color if desired. Continue whipping on medium-high until stiff peaks.
10. Fold the dry mix and meringue together until the batter becomes a "lava" or honey-like consistency.
11. Transfer batter into a piping bag fitted with a round piping tip.
12. On parchment paper or silicone mats, pipe out round shaped macarons. 
13. Rap the tray hard on the counter to remove any excess air bubbles. Use a toothpick to pop any remaining bubbles. 
14. Wait until the shells become completely dry before baking. 
15. Bake at 325F for 12-14 minutes. Every oven is different, you may need to adjust your own temperature settings. Please read How to Use Your Home Oven Properly for Baking Macarons if you are unsure.
16. Macarons are done when the foot doesn't push back and the tops don't move when you wiggle it. 
17. Once baked, let cool completely before removing from the baking mat/parchment paper.

Assembly

1. Pair two similar sized shells together.
2. Pipe a ring of lemon buttercream as a dam then fill it with the lemon curd. Assemble with other shell.
3. Place in an airtight container in the fridge and give it 12-24 hours to mature before eating. Enjoy!