Rigg - Macarons: Chic and delicious french treats

• 3 egg yolks
• 75 g/ cup caster/superfine sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
• grated zest and freshly squeezed juice of 1 unwaxed lemon

Place all the ingredients in a medium-sized heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar has dissolved and the butter has melted. Continue to cook, stirring from time to time, until the curd has thickened and will coat the back of a spoon this will take about 15 minutes.

Strain into a clean bowl, cover the surface with clingfilm/plastic wrap and leave to cool. Refrigerate until needed.

• 150 g/5 oz. dark/bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 150 ml/ cup double/heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon light muscovado/light
• brown sugar
• a pinch of salt

Put the chocolate in a small, heatproof bowl. Put the cream and sugar in a small saucepan and heat until the sugar has dissolved and the cream has come to the boil. Add the salt, then pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and leave to melt. Stir until smooth and leave to set and thicken slightly before using.

• 3 egg yolks
• 75 g/ cup caster/superfine sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornflour/cornstarch
• 250 ml/1 cup full-fat milk
• 1 vanilla pod/bean, split lengthways
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
• 100 ml/ cup double/heavy cream

Put the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour/ cornstarch in a small, heatproof bowl and whisk together until combined.

Heat the milk, along with the vanilla pod/bean, in a small saucepan until it only just starts to boil. Remove the vanilla and pour the hot milk over the egg mixture, whisking constantly until smooth. Pour the mixture back into the pan and cook gently over low heat, stirring constantly until the custard comes to the boil and thickens. Strain into a clean bowl, add the butter and stir until the butter has melted and is incorporated into the mixture. Cover the surface with clingfilm/plastic wrap and leave to cool before refrigerating.

Whip the cream until it will hold soft peaks and fold into the chilled custard.

• 125 g/1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 250 g/1 cups icing/confectioners sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla, lemon, coffee or orange extract or rose water

Beat the butter until creamy and pale. Gradually add the sifted icing/ confectioners sugar, beating well until the buttercream is smooth. Add your chosen flavouring and mix well to combine. Use at room temperature.

• 150 g/5 oz. white chocolate, finely chopped
• 5 tablespoons double/heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put the chocolate in a small, heatproof bowl. Put the cream and vanilla extract in a small saucepan and heat until the cream has come to the boil. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and leave to melt for 1 minute. Stir until smooth then leave to cool. Cover and refrigerate until thickened.

Sweeten the required amount of mascarpone or whipped cream with icing/confectioners or caster/superfine sugar. Add a drop of vanilla or coffee extract, citrus zest and juice, or even a splash of your preferred liqueur.

If youre stuck for time, you could simply fill your macarons with the best storebought jam, chocolate spread or toffee sauce. Or try swirling any of them into whipped cream, mascarpone or crme frache.

Here are a few quick filling suggestions:

• Fold lightly crushed raspberries or strawberries into whipped cream.
• Mix passion-fruit pulp with lemon curd.
• Fill each macaron with a small scoop of your favourite ice cream and serve with chocolate sauce or fresh fruit coulis.

Try piping these macarons into delicate fingers instead of the usual round shapes and fill with blueberry pure, fresh blueberries and a delicate vanilla cream.

• 1 quantity recipe
• purple food colouring paste
• pink or purple sugar sprinkles

• 300 g/3 cups blueberries
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 quantity

2 solid baking sheets, lined with baking parchment

a piping bag, fitted with a star-shaped nozzle/tip

Prepare the Basic Macarons according to the recipe, adding purple food colouring paste to the meringue mixture in Step 4.

Pipe 6-cm/2-inch-long fingers (instead of rounds) of mixture onto the prepared baking sheets. Tap the baking sheets sharply on the work surface, then scatter sugar sprinkles over the tops. Leave the macarons to rest for 15 minutes1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 170C (325F) Gas 3.

Bake the macarons on the middle shelf of the preheated oven, one sheet at a time, for 10 minutes. Leave to cool on the baking sheet.

To make the filling, tip half the blueberries into a small saucepan, add the sugar and 1 tablespoon water and cook over medium heat until the berries soften and burst, then continue to cook until reduced and thickened to a jam-like consistency. Transfer to a nylon sieve/strainer, press through into a small bowl and set aside to cool.

Spread the filling over half the macaron shells and arrange the whole blueberries on top, spaced apart. Pipe the vanilla cream between the blueberries and top with the remaining macaron shells.

Decorate the top of these macarons with speckles of yellow and red liquid food colouring. When theyre in season you could also pure fresh apricots for the filling.

• 1 quantity recipe
• yellow food colouring paste
• red and yellow liquid
• food colouring

• 150 g/1 cup ready-to-eat dried apricots
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 23 tablespoons Amaretto or apricot brandy
• 4 generous tablespoons mascarpone

2 solid baking sheets, lined with baking parchment

a clean toothbrush

Start making the filling the day before making the macaron shells.

Roughly chop the apricots and place them in a saucepan with the lemon juice, honey and Amaretto or brandy. Heat gently but do not boil. Remove from the heat and leave the apricots to soak overnight until plump and juicy.

The next day, whiz the apricots and any remaining liquid in a food processor until they are as smooth as possible. Add the mascarpone and pulse just until incorporated. Spoon into a bowl, cover and refrigerate until needed.

Prepare the Basic Macarons according to the recipe, adding yellow food colouring paste to the meringue mixture in Step 4.

Pipe rounds of mixture onto the prepared baking sheets. Tap the baking sheets sharply on the work surface. Trickle a little red food colouring onto a saucer, then dip the clean toothbrush into it. Flick the bristles over the macarons so that they are flecked with red. Repeat with the yellow colouring. Leave the macarons to rest for 15 minutes1 hour.