Mars macaron

To start the macarons, place the ingredients for the ground almond base into a bowl. Whisk until smooth, then set aside

For the Italian meringue base, place the egg whites into a food mixer and whisk on a low speed. While the egg whites are whisking, add the water and 280g of the sugar to a pan and place over a medium-high heat

Once the sugar is boiling and has reached 105°C, increase the speed of the food mixer and add the extra 20g of sugar to stabilise the meringue

Once the sugar reaches 118°C, reduce the speed of the food mixer and gently pour the liquid sugar down the side of the mixing bowl into the egg whites. Increase the whisking speed again for 1 minute

Stop the machine, add the brown food colouring, then turn the mixer back on to a medium speed, whisking the meringue until it has cooled to body temperature and is fluffy and thick

Add a third of the Italian meringue into the ground almond base and mix until smooth and fully incorporated. Add the remaining meringue in two parts, allowing the mix to blend smoothly each time. Mix until smooth and shiny

Place the meringue mixture into a piping bag with 1cm nozzle and pipe 4.5cm bulbs of the meringue onto a lined baking tray. Preheat the oven to 130°C/gas mark 1, and leave the macarons to sit out for 30 minutes until a dry skin forms on top

Place the macarons into the preheated oven for 17-18 minutes – when ready, they should just peel off the tray. Leave to cool, then pair according to size for a top and bottom

For the malt ganache, combine the malt extract and chocolate together in a Thermomix or food procesor. In a pan, bring the cream to the boil and pour over the chocolate, which should begin to melt

After 30 seconds, gently start the Thermomix or blender and mix on a moderate speed until it forms a smooth ganache. Add the butter to the ganache and continue mixing for 1-2 minutes, until the appearance is smooth and glossy. Transfer into a piping bag fitted with a 1/4cm nozzle allow this to set at room temperature before piping

For the nougat, add the egg whites to a food mixer bowl and whisk on a medium speed. Meanwhile, add the honey, sugar, glucose and water to a pan and heat beyond boiling point, until it reaches 121°C

Gently pour the hot honey mix over the whisking egg whites. While the honey and egg whites continue to whisk on a medium speed, heat the caster sugar, glucose and water in another pan until it reaches 118°C. Add this to the mixer and leave to whisk until the nougat cools

To temper the chocolate, place 300g of the chocolate chips in a microwave-proof bowl. Place in the microwave on a low wattage (300-400W) and melt, stirring every 45 seconds until completely melted. Continue to heat in the microwave until the chocolate reaches 45˚C

Remove from the microwave, add the remaining 100g of chocolate chips and stir to melt. Once the temperature of the chocolate reaches 32˚C, it is ready to use

Pipe a ring of ganache around the edge of the macaron shell, fill the centre with nougat and top with the macaron lid. Dip the macaron in the tempered dark chocolate to coat completely

Place on a tray lined with silicone paper and while the chocolate is still soft, tap the top of the macaron with a fork before leaving to set to create the decorative finish