Rose-Lychee Macarons

PREPARATION

• Preheat the oven to 280 degrees

• Beat the egg whites in a clean large mixing bowl, using an electric beater.

• After 1 minute, add in all 5 tablespoons of sugar.

• A minute later, add the food coloring to the egg white mixture (if using).

• Beat until you can hold the bowl upside down and the egg white mixture does not move, about 5 to 7 minutes.

• Fold in the ground almonds and powdered sugar with a flexible spatula. Then, scrape the sides of the bowl and move the mixture to the middle. Do this methodically until everything is well incorporated.

• Pour the batter into a piping bag with a round tip.

• Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

• Hold the piping bag perpendicular to the sheet, about an inch above, and pipe into 30 1-inch circles. Keep the circles 1 inch apart in case they spread slightly while baking.

• Leave the shells out to dry for about 30 minutes. • Bake for 15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking time.

• When finished baking, let the macarons cool completely before attempting to remove them from the pan. (Note: Do not be alarmed if the macarons come out cracked or without feet, they will still be delicious.)

• Assemble just before serving: Turn all the macaron shells to their backs. Fill a piping bag with a round tip with the rose pastry cream and pipe out small mounds of pastry cream into every other shell.

• Place a small cut piece of lychee on the cream and top with another shell.