For the 2008 Food Network South Beach Food and Wine Festival this February, I was asked to come up with a few hors d’eouvre sized desserts. One of my creations was a lemon – basil macaroon. It is made of two delicate and crunchy lemon meringue cookies (with a hint of almond) that “sandwich” a filling of lemon buttercream and a single fried basil leaf. The bright flavors of the basil and lemon offset the rich buttercream and sweet meringue resulting in a little treat that has a big flavor.

Since we finalized the recipe in the test kitchen, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about them. You should definitely try making them yourself!

Here’s the recipe:

LEMON-BASIL FRENCH MACAROONS
1 cup Confectioners sugar
4 ounces almond flour (by weight)
Finely grated lemon zest from ½ lemon
3 egg whites, at room temperature
Pinch of salt
¼ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon almond extract
1 recipe Lemon Buttercream, for serving
1 recipe Fried Basil Leaves, for serving

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a 12- by 17-inch baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Sift the Confectioners’ sugar and almond flour together into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Whisk in the lemon zest.

In a separate mixing bowl, whip the egg whites until foamy. Add the salt, sugar, and almond extract and continue to beat until medium-stiff peaks form. Gently fold half of the confectioners sugar mixture into the egg whites, and then fold in the remaining confectioners sugar mixture. Firmly tap the mixing bowl on the counter to remove unwanted air bubbles.

Transfer the mixture to a large pastry bag fitted with a plain tip and pipe the mixture onto the parchment lined baking sheet in 1 1/2-inch circles spaced about 1-inch apart.

Bake the macaroons, rotating the pan midway through cooking time, until firm and bottoms are dry, usually 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool. When they have cooled, peel the macaroons from the parchment.

When ready to serve, place ½ teaspoon of the Lemon Buttercream on the bottom of one macaroon, then top with a fried basil leaf and an additional ½ teaspoon of the buttercream. Press the bottom of a second macaroon firmly onto the first one to form a little “sandwich.” Repeat until all macaroons are assembled. Serve immediately.

Yield: 48 individual macaroons, enough to assemble two-dozen Lemon-Basil Macaroon “sandwiches”

LEMON BUTTERCREAM
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
¾ pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature*
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

In a medium heatproof mixing bowl set over a pot of simmering water, whisk the egg whites and sugar until sugar is dissolved and the egg whites are warm, about 2 minutes. Transfer to the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on high speed until mixture forms a thick meringue, usually about 5minutes. Change the mixer attachment to the paddle, and, while mixer is running at medium speed, begin adding the butter in small pieces, little by little, until completely incorporated. Increase the speed to high and cream until very smooth and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. (If buttercream is not smooth, dip the bowl in a bowl of warm water and continue to mix. Mixture will eventually come together. If the butter is soft enough, usually this is not necessary.)

Transfer to a bowl and use as needed for meringue “sandwiches.” Any leftover buttercream may be used to frost cupcakes.

Yield: About 3 cups buttercream

*Note: it is very important that the butter be very soft and not at all cool when you begin incorporating the butter into the meringue.

FRIED BASIL LEAVES
Vegetable oil, for frying
24 fresh basil leaves

Preheat a deep fryer to a temperature of 375 degrees F.

Fry the basil leaves (Note: use caution when adding basil leaves to the hot oil, as they will splatter quite a bit.), in batches, until crisp, 5 to 10 seconds. Remove immediately and set aside on paper towels to drain before using.

Filed Under: Kitchen Tips