WHAT TO DO

Gelatine mould

Bring to boil the water, sugar and glucose. Soften the gelatine leaf in cold water then remove and stir into hot liquid until dissolved.

Place object to be moulded into a leak proof container and pour liquid over, covering the entire object, and leave to set overnight. The following day, gently cut around and remove the object from gelatine mould, the mould is then ready to use.

Gelatine moulds can be melted down after use and re-used to form other shapes.

Pate a choux

Bring to the boil the milk, water, butter and salt then cook the flour into liquids over the stove to form a roux. Pour dough into mixer fitted with paddle attachment and mix to combine eggs. Pipe onto trays topped with sable discs and bake at 180°C for 20 minutes.

Pistachio sable

Combine all ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix until it forms dough, chill dough in fridge and then sheet out dough and cut small discs of 25mm diameter.

Crème patissier filling for pate a choux

Bring to the boil the milk and vanilla bean, separately mix together the egg yolk, custard powder, pistachio paste and sugar. Combine over the stove and whisk vigorously until it reaches a boil, remove contents from pot and leave to chill in fridge.

Macaron shell

For the right green colouring add gradually to create the shade of green you prefer

Make a meringue with the egg white and castor sugar, sieve together the almond meal and icing sugar and fold into the meringue and until a shine appear on the skin of the batter.

Bake macaron at 160°C for 13 minutes.

Macaron butter cream filling

Bring to the boil the milk, sugar, honey and glucose and leave to cool to 30°C.

Whip the butter until light and creamy and stream in the cool liquid, continue to whip until combined

To flavour the butter cream, I divided the recipe into four and added freeze-dried dehydrated powders to taste to each macaron as follows:

1: strawberry and tarragon;
2: green pea and basil;
3: kaffir lime; and
4: granny smith apple.