Chambord Macarons

(Raspberry Liqueur Macarons

with Raspberry Jam Filling)

October 16: National Liqueur Day

“Pinkarons” for October’s MacTweets

Our Chambord macarons are a treat

Filled with raspberry jam so sweet

Pink and pretty enough to eat

Pray that breast cancer can be beat!!!

A look into our liqueur cabinet might give the impression that we are lushes. But we bake with booze more often than we drink it—honest!  We have an assortment of alcohol on our shelves, but it is the raspberry liqueur in a little ball-shaped bottle that was our most pricey purchase. So we use the spirit sparingly—and splurge only to make special occasion foods. Packaged in a pretty orb, Chambord is the luxurious ingredient that we use to bake into brownies, cakes and now macarons.  It is worth using raspberry liqueur in a recipe for “pinkarons” to observe both Breast Cancer Awareness Month and National Liqueur Day.

Recipe

For the Chambord (raspberry liqueur) macaron shells (Italian meringue method)

• 1 cup almond flour/meal
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3 egg whites (fresh, unpasteurized and aged overnight at room temperature)
• 1 cup sugar, granulated white
• ½ cup water
• red or pink food coloring
• 1 tablespoon Chambord (raspberry liqueur)

Directions

Sift the almond flour/meal with the powdered sugar. Grind in a food processor in batches to remove any lumps (optional). Whip the egg whites until peaks form. Make a simple syrup to stabilize the egg whites by boiling the sugar and water together until it reaches a temperature of 245 degrees F on a candy thermometer (or until it reaches a soft ball stage). Pour into the egg whites and whip again until stiff and glossy.

Mix in the Chambord (raspberry liqueur). Fold in the almond flour/meal-sugar mix until the consistency “flows like magma.” Tint the macaronage with red or pink food coloring until a desired shade of “light raspberry pink” color is reached. Pipe one-inch discs on a parchment paper on top of an insulated baking sheet.

Let the discs air dry to develop a thin skin for at least 30 minutes. Bake in a preheated oven at 300 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes. Watch the “feet” develop, but be careful not to brown or burn the macarons. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Peel off the macarons from the parchment paper. Sort by size and match pairs.

Spread raspberry jam as a filling (we used Smucker’s brand seedless red raspberry jam). Serve immediately as the jam softens the shells.

Notes

• HI Cookery proudly participates in bake sales and food fundraisers for cancer societies and prayer groups to support research efforts in finding a cure for breast cancer.
• See our blog post for “pastries of the patroness of breast cancer.” We made “Le Minni di Sant’Agata” on the Feast Day of St. Agatha on February 5.
• Take a peek at all the “pinkarons” posted by fellow bloggers for Breast Cancer Awareness Month (MacTweets is hosted by Jamie S. and Deeba R.). This post marks our one-year anniversary since joining in the MacAttack monthly challenge.
• Search our blog for other recipes incorporating liqueurs as an ingredient. Cheers!