Bright yellow macarons have the look of a brilliant sun against a clear, blue sky on a summer day. Soon the sun will move farther away, the daylight hours will shorten, and the next season will be upon us. I was thinking about the end of summer when asked to bake macarons for another office baby shower, which had a yellow duck theme. I naturally thought of a lemon flavored macaron shell that would be as vivid as the sun and as yellow as a rubber tub duck.
Sunshine Haiku
sun up in the sky
bright light fills the summer day
warmth spreads all around
I used the basic macaron and buttercream recipes in the Bouchon Bakery cookbook.
The meringue was flavored with a teaspoon of lemon extract and zest of one lemon. Three drops of yellow food gel gives the bright coloring. The meringue was added to the almond flour, powdered sugar, and egg white mixture, folding the ingredients to form the macaronage.
The macaronage was then piped and baked.
Baked macaron shells with bright yellow color and perfect feet. Sunshine on a tray!
French buttercream based filling was used, which gives a rich creamy taste. The buttercream was flavored with one and a fourth teaspoons of lemon extract.
The macaron shells were matched for size. French lemon buttercream was piped in a circle. Strawberry preserves filled the center of the macaron, producing a bullseye.
The completed lemon strawberry macaron. Perfect summer flavors with the refreshing taste of lemon accented with the sweet strawberry center. Sunshine in your mouth!
The lemon strawberry macarons topping a cake at the baby shower. Any baby duck would be proud.