Pistachio Macarons with Bacon Dark Chocolate Ganache

A while back, I got a wild hair and decided I wanted to master the art of macarons. You know, the “pinky out” French confections. I failed the first time. Miserably. It was a complete and utter snafood. The shells were crunchy, not light. So, I researched recipes before trying again {with my with Bacon Dark Chocolate Ganache}.

I finally found a blogger that seriously appears to be the maven of macarons. I was grateful for her to have shared her wealth of experience and tips.

Feeling brave more confident, I tried again while my eldest nephew was visiting us for the weekend. I adapted the shell recipe only to use what I had on hand. Though I made my own ganache. I’m fairly certain bacon dark chocolate ganache isn’t a typical macaron filling. *wink*

This time? Perfect. Irresistible, even.

Yes, even I couldn’t resist these pretty little confections. One night of “this is *so* not paleo” indulgence was plenty for me though. They make a delicious Paleo dessert, but I sent the rest home with my nephew to share with my sister’s family. Although, I honestly have no idea if he shared or saved them for himself… ha!

Pistachio Macarons with Bacon Chocolate Ganache

*** You will want a kitchen scale for weighing out the macaron ingredients.

** Fair warning, this is a finicky recipe, but the end result is worth the time!

* Also, you’ll want to make sure your egg whites are “aged”. Simply place them in a clean glass bowl and cover it with cheesecloth. Let it sit on the counter for a day or two. This ensures a stronger macaron shell.

Ingredients for Pistachio Macarons:
60 grams aged egg whites {2-3 pastured eggs’ worth}
30 grams organic pistachio kernels
30 grams organic almond flour
40 grams organic cane sugar {I pulsed it in the food processor to make it a bit finer}
100 grams organic powdered sugar

Directions:
In a food processor, fitted with its blade, process the pistachios, almond flour, and fine cane sugar until the mixture resembles a fine flour. Using a wire mesh colander, sieve your flour mixture a few times to separate the fine flour from the nutty lumps. You may reprocess the lumps and resieve. Discard any stubborn pistachio chunks.

Dump the fine flour mixture into a large bowl and set aside.

Using your mixer with its whisk attachment, beat the egg whites like there’s no tomorrow on high . Once you have soft peaks, add the powdered sugar. Continue beating until you have stiff peaks. As soon as you have stiff peaks, turn the mixer off. You don’t want to over beat your meringue.

Fold in the dry mixture in three parts, until combined. Your batter should be shiny and smooth. It is important to not overmix beyond this thick batter stage. The batter should “ruggedly” drip down the back of your spatula.

Scoop the batter into a piping bag equipped with a plain tip. Twist the bag to eliminate air bubbles. I have a pint glass nearby to prop up the pastry bag when it needs a refill.

Pipe the batter, in 1-1/2″ level rounds, on a parchment-lined sheet pan {here is a handy template – simply slide the template under your parchment, pipe, and remove before baking}. Be sure to leave plenty of space in between each shell as they will spread slightly.

Carefully drop the sheet pan on the countertop a couple of times to get rid of any air bubbles within the piped shells.

Now you can go read a book, take a bath, catch up on your favorite show… Whatever. You just need to let the shells sit at room temperature for a bit. They need ample time to dry to the touch, depending on where you live that can take upwards of a few hours.

Preheat the oven to 285° F. Bake the macaron shells for 12 to 14 minutes. Allow them to cool on the pan for at least 30 minutes.

While they are cooling, start making the ganache!

* If the 30 minutes passes before your ganache is done, gently peel the pistachio macaron shells off the parchment paper and move them to a wire rack.

Ingredients for Bacon Dark Chocolate Ganache:
8 oz dark {80% cacao or better} chocolate – chunks, chopped, or chips {I typically buy dark chocolate that is dairy, soy, and GMO free}
2 tablespoons coconut oil
5 pieces of bacon, cooked to your liking and roughly chopped – I used our home smoked cherrywood bacon. Yum!

Directions:
In a double boiler over medium low heat, melt the dark chocolate and coconut oil. Stir occasionally. Once the mixture is thoroughly melted and shiny, remove from heat. Let it cool slightly.

Meanwhile, pulse the chopped bacon in a food processor until it crumbles. Fold the bacon into your dark chocolate ganache. Go ahead and take a taste… you know, for quality control.

Assemble
Match each shell with another shell.

Gently spread the bacon dark chocolate ganache on the flat side of one shell and top with the second shell. Flat sides together. Once all your shells are sandwiched, place them in the fridge. The longer these macarons “steep”, the better the flavor will be.

Yields: about 2 dozen sandwiched macarons

The delicate French macaron is juxtaposed with a smoky bacon chocolate filling. In so many ways it shouldn’t work. Yet, it so does.

While I don’t typically make food that I can’t eat {or rather, that my immediate family doesn’t eat}, I may reserve these for a special treat to make extended family and friends. My nephew has already requested I make them again. He even offered to help.

Have you had French macarons before? What is your favorite flavor?

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