Sheep’s milk dulce de leche macarons

  • Petit four
  • medium
  • Makes 30
  • 2 hours 30 minutes
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Graham Hornigold's dulce de leche macaron recipe masterfully pairs the rich, burnt caramel flavour of dulce de leche with a nutty oat topping. The dulce de leche in these macarons is made from sheep's milk - and it's worth seeking out the very best for this recipe.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Ground almond base

Italian meringue base

  • 110g of egg white
  • 300g of caster sugar
  • 55g of water
  • 8g of white food colouring

Sheep’s milk dulce de leche

  • 300g of sheep's milk
  • 75g of caster sugar
  • 15g of glucose
  • 1g of flaky sea salt
  • 3g of bicarbonate of soda

To form the dulce de leche ganache

To decorate

  • 100g of porridge oats

Equipment

  • Sugar thermometer
  • Blender
  • Non-stick baking mat
  • Piping bag with 1cm plain nozzle

Method

1
To start the macarons, make the ground almond base. Add the almonds, icing sugar and egg white to the bowl of a food mixer and whisk together until combined. Set to one side while you make the Italian meringue base
2
For the meringue base, add the egg whites to a food mixer and whisk on a low speed. Meanwhile, add the water and 280g of the sugar to a pan and place over a medium-high heat. Bring to a boil to reach ‘soft ball’ stage, or 118°C
  • 110g of egg white
  • 280g of caster sugar
  • 55g of water
3
Once the sugar syrup has reached 105°C, increase the speed of the food mixer and sprinkle in the remaining 20g of the sugar to stabilise the meringue
  • 20g of caster sugar
4
When the sugar syrup reaches 118°C, reduce the speed of the mixer again and slowly drizzle the hot sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the egg whites. Increase the speed, mix for 1 more minute then turn off the machine
5
Add the white food colouring to the meringue, turn on the machine and mix on a medium speed until the meringue has cooled to blood temperature and is thick and fluffy
  • 8g of white food colouring
6
Use a pastry scraper or stiff rubber spatula to mix one third of the Italian meringue into the ground almond base until smooth and incorporated. Repeat this process twice more until all of the meringue is incorporated and you are left with a smooth and shiny macaron mix
7
Transfer the mix to a piping bag fitted with a 1cm nozzle. Line a baking sheet with silicone paper if not using a non-stick mat, and pipe 4.5cm rounds (bulbs) of the meringue onto the sheet. Sprinkle with the porridge oats and set aside for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until a dry skin forms on the surface of the meringues
8
Preheat the oven to 130°C/gas mark 1
9
When ready, place the macarons into the oven and cook for 17-18 minutes, until they just peel off the tray. Allow to cool, then match the sizes of each macaron halves so each bottom has a top
10
Now make the fillings for the macarons. For the sheep’s milk dulce de leche, bring the milk, caster sugar, glucose and flaky sea salt to the boil. Whisk in the bicarbonate of soda and continue to cook on a medium heat, stirring every so often until the temperature reaches 115°C
  • 300g of sheep's milk
  • 75g of caster sugar
  • 15g of glucose
  • 1g of flaky sea salt
  • 3g of bicarbonate of soda
11
Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool. Place into a blender or Thermomix, blend on a high speed until smooth then set aside in a clean saucepan
12
Preheat the oven to 130°C/gas mark 1
13
To finish the dulce de leche ganache, break the white chocolate into pieces and spread out onto a lined baking tray. Place in the oven for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally until it is caramelised and golden. Transfer to a clean blender or Thermomix
14
Bring the prepared sheep’s milk dulce de leche to the boil, then pour over the white chocolate in the blender and blitz until smooth. Gradually add the unsalted butter, continue to mix for 1-2 minutes then scrape into a container and allow to set
15
To finish the macarons, transfer the ganache to a piping bag and pipe into the centre of each macaron base. Top with another half and serve

Graham Hornigold’s expert pastry skills have been refined in some of the best restaurants and hotels in London, effortlessly adding delicate, refreshing touches to dessert menus. Today, he runs gourmet doughnut brand Longboys, which has three sites and stocks the likes of Harrods and Selfridges.

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