Caprese macarons

To prepare the caprese macarons, start with the meringue shells. Use a fine mesh sieve placed over a bowl to sift the powdered sugar and almond flour 1. Then add 75 g of egg whites 2 and mix the ingredients well with a spatula until you obtain a homogeneous mixture. Set the mixture aside. Now take a stand mixer and pour in the remaining 75 g of egg whites 3.

Turn the mixer on at medium speed and beat the egg whites to stiff peaks 4. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, dissolve the sugar with water over low heat 5. Stir the ingredients to allow the sugar to dissolve evenly and to prevent lumps from forming. Heat until you reach a temperature of 344°F (you can check with a kitchen thermometer) 6.

At this point, pour the syrup into the whipped egg whites 7. Continue mixing the ingredients with the mixer until the egg whites are beaten to stiff peaks and the mixture is cool. Then stop the mixer and add the yellow and red food coloring 8. Mix gently with a spatula or with the mixer at low speed until you achieve a uniform color, being careful not to deflate the egg whites 9.

Finally, combine the colored meringue with the first mixture of almond flour, egg whites, and powdered sugar 10. Use a spatula and gently fold from bottom to top to keep the egg whites from deflating. Transfer the mixture into a piping bag with a 10 mm plain nozzle and create small discs with a diameter of 3/4 inch on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing the discs at least 1 inch apart 11: with our quantities, you should obtain about 70 shells. To slightly flatten the macaron shells, lightly tap the bottom of the baking sheet with the palm of your hand or gently tap it on the work surface. Bake in a convection oven at 320°F for 12-13 minutes (it is not recommended to use the oven in static mode). Once baked, remove the baking sheet, leaving them to cool at room temperature 12.

While the macarons cool, prepare the cheese cream for the filling. Cut the cherry tomatoes into slices of the same size horizontally 13 and set them aside. Then cut the mozzarella into small cubes of 1/2 inch 14 and place it in a mixer. Season with salt 15 and pepper.

Add the cream cheese 16 and blend the ingredients until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous mixture 17, which you will pour into a small bowl. Then rinse the basil, gently dry it with a clean cloth, and cut it into julienne strips 18.

Add it to the cheese mixture 19 and mix with a spatula 20. Transfer the cheese cream into a piping bag with a plain nozzle and pipe it onto the flat side of a meringue shell 21.

Place a tomato slice on top of the cream 22, then place a second meringue shell on top of it 23. Repeat the operation for all the available shells until you compose the 35 macarons. At this point, your caprese macarons are ready to be served for a tasty aperitif 34!