Pineapple Macarons

Instructions

Yellow Macaron Shells

1. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon mats. Set aside.
2. Pour 110g of aged egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk and mix on a medium speed until the surface of the egg whites is covered in small bubbles. Add 1/4 tsp cream of tartar and continue to mix until it reaches the soft peak stage and leaves visible tracks.
3. Gradually mix 110g of granulated sugar into the egg whites over a few minutes while mixing on a medium-low speed. Increase the mixing speed to a medium-high speed (6 on a KitchenAid). Keep mixing until stiff, glossy peaks form.
4. Sift 140g superfine almond flour and 125g powdered sugar into the meringue. Use a rubber spatula to break up any big clumps and press them through the sieve.
5. Add in a generous squirt of yellow gel food coloring to give the shells a vibrant yellow color.
6. Fold the ingredients together with a rubber spatula. Use a circular motion that sweeps around the edge of the bowl and then pulls through the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is getting mixed together. Don't forget to scrape off the inside of the spatula intermittently. Sometimes meringue can get stuck there and not get mixed in properly.
7. Fold the batter until a thick ribbon of batter runs off the spatula when it's lifted. You should be able to draw a couple figure 8's with the batter running off your spatula in a continuous stream when it's the right consistency. If the stream of batter breaks before you're able to do this, you may need to stir it a bit more.
8. Pour the batter into a large piping bag fit with a medium-sized round piping tip and pipe 1 3/4-inch rounds on the prepared baking sheets. Space them about 1 inch apart.
9. Bang the pans firmly on the counter a few times to release air bubbles, then pop any remaining air bubbles that come to the surface with a toothpick.
10. Let the macarons rest for 30 minutes, or until they develop a skin. The macarons should look matte once the skin has formed. While the macarons rest, preheat the oven to 320 F / 160 C.
11. Bake one tray of macarons at a time on the middle rack of your oven for 18-21 minutes and rotate the pan halfway through to help the macarons bake evenly. Bake time can vary based on the size of your shells, so if you pipe them smaller than 1 3/4-inch, they may be done a few minutes earlier.
12. Remove the macaron shells from the oven and let them cool fully on the pan (about 30 minutes), then gently peel them off the Silpat mat. If they're properly baked, they should peel off the mat cleanly and have a shiny bottom.

Pineapple Curd

1. Make the pineapple curd next. It needs time to cool to room temperature.
2. Fill a saucepan with 2 inches of water and heat over medium-low heat.
3. Combine 2 large egg yolks, 1/3 cup sugar, 3 Tbsp of pineapple juice, 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch, and 1/4 tsp of fine salt in a medium-sized, heat-proof, and non-reactive bowl. I like to use a thick glass bowl. Whisk until combined and smooth.
4. Once the water begins to simmer, place the bowl on top of the saucepan to make a double boiler. Leave the heat on medium-low heat and make sure the water isn't touching the bottom of the bowl. Continuously whisk the mixture until it thickens. This usually takes me about 3-5 minutes. Note that the pineapple curd will be a bit thinner in consistency than a traditional lemon curd.
5. Remove the bowl from the pan and turn off the stove. Add 2 Tbsp of butter and stir until incorporated. The mixture should be thicker and smooth at this point.
6. Scoop the pineapple curd into a small piping bag and seal the top. Place in the fridge to cool. It should be fully chilled in 15-30 minutes.
7. Leftover pineapple curd can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

White Chocolate Pineapple Leaves

1. Then make the pineapple leaves. Meltdown 135g of white chocolate in a heat-proof bowl using either a microwave or double boiler. You can also use green candy melts.
2. Mix in either green powdered food coloring or green oil-based food coloring. The key here is to use a food coloring that won't cause the white chocolate to seize (sadly gel food coloring can't be used). I like to use this powdered food coloring and it works great.
3. Once the white chocolate is a nice shade of green, place it in a small piping bag, seal the top with a clip or rubber band, and snip a small opening at the bottom of the bag.
4. Pipe little clusters of leaves on a flat baking sheet lined with parchment paper (see pictures above). Hold up one of the baked shells as you pipe the leaves to make sure that the proportions match. Make each cluster of leaves a little longer than it needs to be so that it can be pressed into the center of the macaron to hold it in place.
5. Count out how many pairs of macaron shells you've made and make sure you pipe enough leaves. I also like to make a few extras in case any of them break.
6. Once the leaves are piped, use a scribe or toothpick to make the leaves more pointed and add a bit of texture. Then place the pan in the fridge to help the leaves firm up.

Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

1. Beat 56g room-temperature butter and 56g cream cheese on a medium-high speed for 1 minute with a hand mixer until smooth. It should become lighter in color as air is incorporated into it.
2. Mix in 4g vanilla extract and 1g salt on a low speed.
3. Slowly mix in 250g of powdered sugar. Halfway through add 15g of heavy cream or milk to make the frosting easier to mix. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.
4. Mix on low for a minute until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the desired consistency is reached. 
5. If the frosting is too thick, add in additional heavy cream or milk (1 tsp at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (1 Tbsp at a time).
6. Once the frosting is the right consistency, place it in a piping bag fit with a small round tip (like a Wilton 10) and set aside.

Assembling These Pineapple Macarons

1. Pair up the macaron shells, then use an edible brown marker to make a crisscross pattern on top of one of the shells like in the photos above. If you don't have an edible marker, you can also paint on the lines using a mixture of brown gel food coloring and vanilla extract.
2. Pipe a ring of cream cheese buttercream around one macaron shell. Fill the center with pineapple curd. If you don't want to make pineapple curd, you can either use store-bought pineapple curd, pineapple jam, or pipe a large dollop of cream cheese frosting on the shell to fill the entire macaron.
3. Remove the white chocolate leaves from the fridge and press them gently into place on top of the filling. Carefully press a second shell on top of the filling to create a sandwich. If you notice the leaves are starting to soften as they warm and become hard to handle, pop the pan back in the fridge for a few minutes to help it firm up again.
4. Place the finished macarons in an airtight container and chill in the fridge overnight, then enjoy!