Ginger and lemongrass macarons

The gorgeous flavours of ginger and lemongrass in a macaron: pure bliss in every mouthful!

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I love playing with flavours in macarons and these are my Thai-influenced macarons. The heat of the ginger, the fragrance and the citrus kick of the lemongrass pack a real flavour punch and cut through the sweetness of these macarons.

The filling is a coconut and lemongrass ganache with a little bit of stem ginger mixed with a touch of lime.

Ginger and lemongrass macarons

The use of lemongrass powder (available from online stores) is terrific here. As it is dry (and very intensely flavoured), you only need a little added to the macaron mixture – which also does not affect the consistency.

Ginger and lemongrass macarons

Do you crave perfect macarons?

I appreciate there are SO many recipes for macarons that it can be very daunting, with many wild differences in proportions and approaches.

My recipe for macarons – which has full tips, troubleshooting and ideas for flavours – is here.

Ginger and lemongrass macarons

It is the recipe I use whenever I teach macaron classes and it gives excellent results each time. To be honest, I don’t even dare deviate from the recipe now!

Recipe: ginger and lemongrass macarons

Ginger and lemongrass macarons

Macaron shells:

• standard recipe here plus:
• 1 teaspoon lemongrass powder

Lemongrass ganache filling:

• 200ml coconut cream
• 1 teaspoon lemongrass powder (or 2 finely chopped lemongrass stems)
• 200g dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces

Stem ginger and lime filling:

• 3-4 pieces stem ginger from a jar (or use dry crystallised ginger)
• finely grated zest of 1 lime
• a spritz of lime juice

To finish (all optional!):

• a little melted chocolate (dark, milk, white, ruby….)
• a little grated lime zest
• a few pieces of stem ginger (patted dry) or crystallised ginger, chopped small

(1) Make the macaron mixture: if colouring, add a little colouring powder/gel of choice. Add the lemongrass powder to the egg white and sugar as you make the meringue.

(2) Once the macarons mixture has been piped and rested, bake them and leave to cool in the trays.

Freshly baked ginger & lemongrass macaron shells

(3) For the ganache, heat the coconut cream with the lemongrass until it comes to the boil. Remove from the heat and leave for about 10 minutes to cool down a little (if using lemongrass stalks, this will also infuse the mixture).

(4) Put the chocolate in a bowl and pour over the warm coconut cream. Make sure you remove the lemongrass stalks (if using). Leave for a few minutes and then gently stir to melt the chocolate and give a glossy mixture. Cover and leave to cool fully and firm up a little.

(5) For the ginger and lime filling, roughly chop the stem ginger and then crush it with the falt of a knife. Put in a small bowl and stir in the lime zest and juice.

(6) Spoon or pipe a little ganache on half of the baked macaron shells and then add a little of the ginger and lime mixture. Place the remaining macaron shells on top and lightly pat down or twist a little.

(7) Drizzle or pipe over melted chocolate and grate over a little lime zest (this will stick to the chocolate before it sets). Add a little piece of ginger to to the chocolate on top.

(8) Pleace in an airtight container and refrigerate – ideally overnight to “mature”, when they will take on a gorgeous texture (slightly crisp with a gentle chew).

Ginger and lemongrass macarons

Author: Philip

Finalist on Britain’s Best Home Cook (BBC Television 2018). Published recipe writer with a love of growing fruit & veg, cooking, teaching and eating good food. View all posts by Philip