This Darjeeling tea macaron with yuzu is full of floral aromas and delicate flavors. It’s a great recipe for those who are looking to tackle a big-ish baking project. Even if you’re intimidated by the techniques don’t worry, because flops taste just as good as ones that turn out perfectly.
This post was originally published on October 27, 2013. I’ve made minor adjustments to improve the recipe and I’m resharing it today with some updated photos. Enjoy!
Since turning my foodie interest into a full time career I haven’t looked back. It was the first big decision that I ever made that was entirely for me. No looking at what other people were doing, asking my family for advise, or following anyone else’s lead. It’s brought a lot of happiness and vivacity into my life, something that I felt was lacking tremendously in the past.
Before all of this, I didn’t have anything I was really hungry for. I was always ok with being “pretty good”. Being second/third/fourth/fifth best was never a big deal to me, and it still isn’t, but my greed for knowledge and being on top of my work has surpassed anything I’ve done before. Sometimes it’s still a bit overwhelming. It kind of feels like the saying “the internet never sleeps;” this job, my life in food, never sleeps. My days off, time with my friends, in between times, all include food, which sometimes feel like I’m working nonstop. I’ll meet friends at restaurants/cafes I want to research. My leisure reading is always about gastronomy, and almost everything I look at through my iPhone is about food!
I guess this is what happens when a hobby turns into a career. I don’t have any complaints, but standing on a gray line where work is pleasure and pleasure is work can be exhausting. I’ve thought about how the two could be separated, but there really is no way. Why would I meet a friend somewhere mundane when we could go somewhere new where both of us could experience someplace new. It makes sense that I’m drawn to books with food words in the title, and I can’t help that 90% of the people I follow on Instagram are fellow foodies!
In a funny way these macarons completely sum up the way my life is running right now. I assisted in a macaron making class at work last month and ever since then I’ve been itching to make them at home. I’ve also been working on a tea seminar/tea time project that has been invading any free time I have. So when those two things collided I came up with the idea for these macarons. Once they were all baked and set, I packed a bunch and took them to work. The circle of my life! Sometimes I do wish I had an escape, and maybe someday I will, but for now I’m learning how to stay energized on the gray line. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be anyways.
More French pastry recipes:
Chocolate Raspberry Choux au Craquelin
Chocolate Speckled Jasmine & Orange Financiers
Darjeeling Tea Macarons with a Hint of Yuzu
Description
This darjeeling tea macaron is full of floral aromas and delicate flavors.
Ingredients
Ganache Filling
1 1/3 cups (320 g) heavy cream
2 2/3 cups (454 g) white chocolate
About 9 tablespoons (32 g) loose leaf darjeeling tea or 2 tea bags
4 tablespoons (80g) yuzu tea
Macaron Shells
3 1/8 cup (300 g) superfine almond meal
2 1/2 cup (300 g) powdered sugar
About 4 egg whites (110 g)*
Food coloring, optional*
2 teaspoons (10 g) water
1 1/2 cups (300 g) sugar
1/3 cup (75 g) water
About 4 egg whites (110 g)*
To Assemble
Melted chocolate, optional
Edible shimmer powder, optional
Instructions
Ganache Filling
1. Make the ganache one or a few days in advance. Melt the white chocolate in a water bath or in a microwave. If using a microwave, heat in intervals of 15-20 seconds, stirring the chocolate inbetween. Set aside.
2. Heat the heavy cream until just simmering. Add the tea and let steep for 5 minutes. Pass through a sieve.
3. Slowly add the warm cream to the melted chocolate. Use a whisk to blend together. Add the yuzu-honey syrup and mix under thoroughly combined. Place into a shallow container. Cover with plastic wrap, making sure the film comes in contact with the ganache. Set in the fridge overnight.
Macaron Shells
1. Prepare 6 pieces of parchment paper. Use a 1.5″ round cookie cutter to trace circles onto the parchment paper. Draw 20 evenly spaced circles on each sheet. Flip the parchment paper over so that the pen side is facing down.
2. Fit a piping bag with a medium-small round tip attached (I used #11).
3. Pass the almond meal and powdered sugar through a sieve. In another bowl mix together the 2 teaspoons of water, egg whites, and food coloring if using. The color will become lighter once all the ingredients have been combined, so add more coloring to make sure you get the exact tone you’re looking for. Add the first quantity of egg whites mixture to the almond meal-powdered sugar mixture, combine and set aside.
4. Place the second egg white measurement in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Turn the whisk on low.
4. Place the sugar in a heavy bottomed casserole and add the 1/3 cup of water. Once the sugar has fully absorbed the water, place on medium heat. Bring the sugar mixture to a boil. When the sugar mixture thickens, start to beat the egg whites on medium high. Cook the sugar until it reaches the soft ball stage (117-8 degrees C or 235-40 degrees F).
5. At this point, take the casserole off the heat, start beating the egg whites on high and slowly pour the sugar into the whites. Beat until stiff peaks are formed.
6. Add the meringue to the almond mixture in three additions. Fold the meringue into the almond meal until the mixture become shiny. A good test to see if it is done is to drop a little dab of batter it into the mixture. It should slowly spread and eventually lose its shape.
7. Once it reaches this stage, stop mixing and place into the prepared piping bag. Leave to dry out for 45 minutes or longer. The macarons are ready to bake when the tops are dry to touch.
8. While the macarons dry, preheat an oven to 325 degrees F or 160 degrees C.
9. Bake for 11 minutes, rotating the baking sheets once in the middle. Once baked, remove immediately to a rack and cool completely.
To Assemble
1. Transfer the ganache into a piping bag prepare with a medium-small round tip (I used #11).
2. Turn half of the macaron shells over. Pipe in ganache and sandwich with the other half of macaron shells. Dust/decorate with chocolate and shimmer powder if using.
3. Place in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight to set. Bring back to room temperature to eat. The macarons can also be frozen in an airtight container lined with parchment paper. They will keep for a few months. Thaw in the fridge first, then bring them to room temperature. Or something I like to eat them semifrozen, kind of like ice cream.
Notes
It’s best if you measure out the egg whites a few to 10 days in advance. The macarons come out better when the whites have lost a little bit of moisture. Store the egg whites in a glass container, cover with plastic wrap with a few holes poked in.
I used Wilton’s copper food coloring.
Cat says
Looks better than PH!!!!!! I would kill to have a FEW of them right now. Haha. Beautiful macarons!!!!
Jessica says
Cat- They could never be or even look better than PH!
Jillian@TheHumbleGourmet says
I absolutely love the idea of using tea in macarons…I’ve been wanting to do a matcha one, but darjeeling is even better.
Jessica says
Jillian- Matcha is always a good choice too!
Michelle says
NEW POST!
And you graduated at the top of your class at LCB! Passion produces the best type of drive. 🙂
Ghulam Mohyudin says
It was perfect the first time. I learn so much from you as well! Keep it up great post.
★★★★★
Jessica says
Ghulam Mohyudin- Thanks so much!!! Please stay safe during this time.
Fran @ G'day Souffle' says
Jessica, I’ve been experimenting with macarons lately. Some recipes (like yours) call for equal parts almond meal and powdered sugar, etc, while others call for a higher ratio of powdered sugar. Some call for Italian meringue (like yours0 and other just ‘plain’ French meringue. It’s so confusing! I’ll just keep trying (at least my macarons have ‘feet’ on them)!
Jessica says
Fran- I know! There are so many different versions out there. In terms of Italian meringue vs French meringue, Italian meringue will result in a sturdier and chewier macaron while French meringue will result in one that’s a little more delicate. Good luck with your experimentation, and I hope you’re keeping safe!