for 30 pieces

Macarons

80 g	icing sugar
100 g	shelled ground almonds
2 pinch	baking powder
1 pinch	chilli powder
2	fresh egg whites
1 pinch	salt
3 tbsp	icing sugar
a little	dried flowers

Filling

100 g	smoked salmon
100 g	cream cheese with horseradish (e.g. Cantadou)
100 g	half-fat quark
1	lemon, rinsed with hot water, dabbed dry; use grated zest and 1 tbsp of juice
20 g	cress

How it's done

Macarons

In a food processor, finely grind the icing sugar, almonds, baking powder and chilli powder, in batches. Beat the egg whites with the salt until stiff. Add the icing sugar and continue beating until the egg whites turn glossy. Sieve the almond mixture over the egg whites and carefully stir in. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag with a smooth nozzle (approx. 9 mm in diameter), pipe around 60 small blobs (each approx. 2½ cm in diameter) onto two baking trays lined with baking paper. Flatten the peaks a little with a wet finger. Scatter over the petals.

Baking

Bake for approx. 18 mins. in a convection oven preheated to 130°C. Remove from the oven, leave to cool on a cooling rack.

Filling

Finely slice the salmon and mix with the cream cheese, quark, lemon juice and zest. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag with a smooth nozzle (approx. 9 mm in diameter). Turn over half the macarons, pipe a little filling onto them, top with a little cress, then place a second macaron on top and gently press together.

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