Chocolate Bourbon Macaron
Zach and Michelle created this dish for MasterChef ™ Season 15. Gordon Ramsay praised the shells as exceptional with top-notch consistency, while Joe Bastianich noted good crunch and nice chew in the middle. The filling has been intensified with 70-75% dark chocolate, generous bourbon, and Joe's suggested bitter lemon zest for brightness and depth. Chef’s Notes: Addressing the Judges The “More Opinion” Problem Joe Bastianich’s critique is one of the most useful in this collection because he didn’t just identify a problem - he prescribed the solution. He wanted “rich dark chocolate, bourbon, some bitter lemon, even some like lemon rind.” This recipe incorporates all of those suggestions. The key insight is that macaron fillings need to punch above their weight because the almond shell is sweet and relatively neutral. A ganache that tastes bold on its own will taste merely adequate inside a macaron. So this recipe pushes every flavour harder than you might expect: 70–75% chocolate (not…
- Time: 240 min
Source: Relaxed Recipes
Ingredients
- PREPARE THE DRY INGREDIENTS
- Weigh almond flour, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder precisely. Combine in a foo
- Sift through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding any large almond pieces that don't pa
- MAKE THE MERINGUE
- Place egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
- Add granulated sugar in a slow, steady stream while whisking. Continue whipping
- Add a tiny drop of brown gel food colouring if desired for a deeper chocolate co
- MACARONAGE
- Add all sifted dry ingredients to the meringue at once. Using a flexible spatula
- Continue folding until the batter flows off the spatula in a thick, lava-like ri
- PIPE THE SHELLS
- Transfer batter to a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip. Pipe circles a
- Tap each tray firmly against the counter 3-4 times to release air bubbles. Pop a
- Let piped shells rest at room temperature for 30-60 minutes until they develop a
- BAKE THE SHELLS
- Preheat oven to 300°F . Bake one tray at a time in the centre of the oven for 14
- Shells are done when they feel firm on top and don't wobble on their feet when g
- MAKE THE INTENSIFIED DARK CHOCOLATE BOURBON GANACHE
- Place finely chopped dark chocolate, espresso powder, lemon zest, and sea salt i
- Heat cream in a small saucepan until it just begins to simmer with small bubbles
- Stir gently from the centre outward in small circles until completely smooth and
- Let ganache cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for 30-45 minutes until i
- FILL AND ASSEMBLE
- Match shells into pairs of similar size. Transfer ganache to a piping bag and pi
- Gently press the second shell on top until the filling just reaches the edges. T
- MATURE THE MACARONS
- Place assembled macarons in an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 1
- Bring to room temperature 20-30 minutes before serving for the best flavour and