Strawberry Macaron Ice Cream Sandwich

I have always admired Tartelette and wanted to try her macaron recipes but the ingredients are measured in metric and without a kitchen scale, I was sure to screw it up.  When we saw a digital kitchen scale for less than $20 at Costco today, I immediately grabbed it.  As soon as we came home, I prepared the macaron ingredients.  I used the exact ratio that Tartelette used for her raspberry mascarpone macarons.  Instead of making the mascarpone filling, I wanted to try something different, ice cream!  I used Wilton rose gel coloring to get the pink for the macarons and then I paired them with homemade strawberry ice cream.  It was a heavenly combination!

Macaron shells

90 gr egg whites (3 egg whites, aged in the fridge for 2 days if possible)
25 gr granulated sugar (2 tbsps)
200 gr powdered sugar (2 cups)
110 gr almonds (1 cup)
1/8 tsp Wilton rose gel food coloring

Strawberry ice cream filling

1 pint strawberries (puree)

1/4 cup sugar

2 cups cold heavy cream

1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice

Directions

Pulse powdered sugar and almond flour in a food processor until combined. Sift mixture 2 times which helps the macarons have smooth tops.

Beat egg whites at medium speed until foamy.  Add sugar gradually and beat on high speed until stiff (when you turn the bowl upside down, nothing falls).  Add the rose gel color and continue beating on high speed until well blended and stiff.

Sift flour over mixture, and fold the dry ingredients into the egg whites in three stages (don’t push down on eggs), continuing to fold until a ribbon forms.

Transfer batter to a ziplock bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip, and pipe 3/4-inch rounds 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.  Let them stand at room temperature for 45-60 minutes.

While you are waiting for the shells to harden, prepare the ice cream by combining strawberry, sugar, cream, and lemon juice in a food processor.  Pour the combination in an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer’s instruction.

Once you are done with the ice cream, put it in the freezer while you continue working on the macarons.

Preheat oven 280˚F. Bake until macarons are crisp and firm, and you see feet forming.  This should take about 10-12 minutes.

Let macarons cool on for 2 to 3 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack.  If macarons stick, spray water underneath parchment on hot sheet. The steam will help release macarons.

Sandwich 2 same-size macarons with 1 tbsp of ice cream.  Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Berkeley: Ici Ice Cream

After we walked off our lunch, we drove to Ici on College Avenue, a quaint ice cream shop known for fresh ice creams and sorbets with different flavors served daily.  The line was out the door despite the cold and rain.  There were 3 servers, each helping a group of people from tasting, to scooping, and ringing up the bill.  Definitely not very efficient!  I ended up trying 6 flavors: pumpkin candied oatmeal, hazelnut, malted vanilla amaretto cherries, honey pistachio, huckleberry, and passion fruit.  My favorite was the malted vanilla!  The ice cream was sweet but not overpowering and quite refreshing.  Their cones were also delicious, fresh and crunchy, with a hint of sugar.  For a single scoop costing $2.85 or double scoop at $3.85, it was worth it.  Besides ice cream and sorbet, they also serve other delightful sweets and baked goods.  I would definitely come back and try their other flavors.  It was a pleasant way to end our short adventure in Berkeley.

Enjoying my malted vanilla amaretto cherries.

Pumpkin and honey pistachio

These are definitely my favorite ice cream cones!

Other goodies