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    Matcha Macarons with Yuzu Ganache

    Matcha is having a bit of a moment right now. Well, I should really say matcha is having another moment because it’s kinda hard to time-box matcha to just one instance when it has about 5,000 years of history behind it. Regardless, I’m totally ok with this.

    I truly “discovered” matcha last year and now I can’t get enough. I toss that powder in everything from tea to cakes to, well, macarons!

    Matcha pairs really well with yuzu. If you haven’t tasted yuzu before, it has a grapefruit flavor with overtones of mandarin orange. The fruit is hard to find, but bottled yuzu juice can be found online or in specialty stores. A quick splash is all you need to give your iced matcha a citrus-y kick.

    Matcha Macarons with Yuzu Ganache

    For these macarons I knew I wanted to combine matcha with yuzu and coconut. At first, I wanted to make a coconut buttercream and mix in yuzu zest, but I couldn’t find any fresh yuzu fruit. I was just about ready to omit yuzu when it hit me to make a white chocolate ganache using coconut milk instead of cream. Unlike buttercream, ganache can handle the addition of liquid. So, I grabbed the bottle of yuzu juice I keep in the fridge and, well, you know the rest.

    I’ve written about macarons before, and I’m not ashamed to admit that even a practiced macaron-maker can still have a few failures now and again. It is so easy to over mix or under mix the batter resulting in less than perfect macarons. I was in a bit of a rush when I baked these and under mixed things by just a few strokes. I knew immediately when I piped them that they were under mixed. Thankfully this isn’t my first macaron rodeo and a few slams of the baking sheet against the counter leveled them out. Oh well, there’s always next time…

    Matcha Macarons with Yuzu Ganache
    Know this: If you’re new to macarons, I suggest you start by reading my previous post.
    Matcha Macarons Shells
    Adapted from Kathy Gordon
    Yields 40 macarons

    Ingredients

    • 165 g almond flour
    • 165 g confectioners’ sugar
    • 2 teaspoons matcha powder
    • 5 g powdered egg white
    • 150 g granulated sugar
    • 3 g cream of tartar
    • Pinch of sea salt
    • 115 g aged egg whites

    Steps

    Pulse almond flour, matcha, and confectioners’ sugar in a food processor 5 times for 3 seconds. Sift in a sieve to remove any clumps.

    In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, mix the powdered egg white, granulated sugar, and cream of tartar. Add egg whites and whip on medium speed until stiff peaks form, about 11 minutes. In the last minute, turn the speed up to medium-high.

    Working quickly, fold the dry ingredients into the meringue with a large, rubber spatula until the batter is just starting to show movement and is slightly shiny, single mass. In one fluid motion in the shape of a “J” draw your spatula down through the center of the bowl towards you and then scrape it against the curve of the bowl folding the batter on itself. Start in the center, end in the center. Turn the bowl one quarter after each stroke. You’re finished if you drop some of the batter on itself and it reincorporates in about 10-20 seconds.

    Spoon batter into a piping bag fitted with 1/2 inch tip and pipe quarter sized circles on a silpat or parchment paper. Slam the pipped trays on a counter 3-5 times to remove excess air.

    Bake for about 15 minutes or until the foot and edge of the shells are firm.

    Baking Method A: If you have a convection oven or one that heats evenly, bake the shells low at 200 degrees F for 15 minutes to dry out the shells. Then, increase the temperate to 350F until the foot and edge of the shells are firm, about 10 minutes.

    Baking Method B: If you have an older oven or one that doesn’t heat evenly, pre-heat your oven to 400F. Put the baking sheet into the oven and turn the oven off. After 7 minutes, turn the oven on to 400F and bake for another 7 minutes.

    Baking Method C: If the above baking techniques don’t work, follow Baking Method B, but place a single, empty baking try one or two racks above/below your pipped trays to defer your oven’s heat. If you have a top heating oven, put the empty tray above your cookies. If you have a bottom heating oven, put the empty tray below your cookies.

    Remove the silpat or parchment paper and let cool on a wire rack. Once fully cooled, remove the shells.

    Match up similar sized shells. Pipe the filling on half of the shells and sandwich together. Mature in a refrigerator overnight.

    Keep filled or unfilled macarons in an airtight container in the refrigerator (up to three days) or freezer (up to 1 month).

    Yuzu-Coconut Ganache
    By Evan Kalman
    Yields about 1 cup

    Ingredients

    • 250 g good quality white chocolate – finely chopped
    • 15 ml (1 tablespoon) unsalted butter
    • 100 g coconut milk
    • 20 ml (4 teaspoons) Yuzu juice – bottled is ok

    Steps

    Finely chop the chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl with the butter.

    Heat the coconut milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until it just comes to the boil. Add the hot milk to the chocolate and let stand for 30 seconds to a minute. Slowly whiskey the melted chocolate and cream until smooth and glossy. If the chocolate isn’t fully melted microwave at 5 second intervals. Stir in the desired amount of Yuzu juice.

    Transfer the ganache to the refrigerator and chill, whisking it every 5 minutes until the mixture is thickened but still pipeable. If ganache doesn’t set up add in more melted chocolate, 50g at a time.

    When the ganache is ready, transfer to a small piping bag fitted with 1/2″ tip.

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    Comments

    1. Sarah says

      These look great and just perfect! What types of stores would I find the yuzu juice at?

      • evan.kalman says

        Hi Sarah – You can find yuzu juice online and in some speciality stores. I’ve seen it at my Whole Foods in Brooklyn but this probably varies from city to city. I know you can find it on Amazon though!

    2. Cindy says

      When do you add the yuzu????

      • Evan says

        Yikes! You’re right, I forgot to include that in the steps.

        You should stir the yuzu into the ganache once the chocolate is melted. I’ve updated the recipe. Thanks for pointing that out!

    3. Natalya says

      Hello!
      What is the reason of *** Pinch of sea salt*** and when it must to be added ?
      Thank You for all explanations !

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