Lemon Macarons like Tennis Balls (Pierre Hermé)

A new macaron recipe today, this time with lemon. The recipe is, as often, from Pierre Hermé, shells and fillings, and I find it perfect as it is, nicely tangy with a good lemon flavor. I made them a few days ago, during the Roland Garros period, and so I wanted to decorate them like tennis balls for the occasion; it only takes a few minutes, it's easy, and it gives a nice effect :-)

For about 35 to 40 macarons:

Macaron shells:

147g of icing sugar
147g of almond powder
54g of egg whites (1) at room temperature
54g of egg whites (2) at room temperature
37g of water
147g of granulated sugar
Lemon yellow coloring

Sift the icing sugar and almond powder, then add the egg whites (1) and the coloring, mixing well.

Next, prepare the Italian meringue: make a syrup with the water and granulated sugar.

When it reaches 110°C, start beating the egg whites (2). When the syrup is at 118°C, pour it in a thin stream over the egg whites and continue beating until you obtain a shiny meringue.

Take half of the Italian meringue and pour it into the first mixture to loosen it. When the mixture is homogeneous, add the rest of the Italian meringue, mixing with a spatula or a rubber spatula (this is called macaronage). You need to loosen the batter so that it is homogeneous and flexible, but definitely not liquid; it should form a ribbon.

Put the macaron batter into a piping bag fitted with a smooth nozzle, then pipe the shells onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Personally, I let them dry before baking, but some people don't do this and it works well too, so it's up to you ;-) Once the batter no longer sticks when you touch it (about 15-20 minutes), sprinkle them with hazelnut pieces if you want, then bake the shells in a preheated oven at 145°C for 12 to 14 minutes (the oven temperature and baking time are given as a guideline; you will probably need one or two tries to find the right combo at your place).

Once the shells are baked, let them cool before removing them from the parchment paper.

Lemon cream:

145g of whole eggs
150g of granulated sugar
The zest of 2 lemons
103g of fresh lemon juice
225g of butter
65g of almond powder

Wash the lemons and collect the zest. Mix them well with the sugar in a mixing bowl and let the mixture infuse for a few minutes. I left some fairly large pieces of zest; I like to feel them under my teeth when tasting, but feel free to chop them very finely.

Then add the lemon juice and the eggs, whisking well, then place the mixing bowl over a bain-marie. Stir the mixture until the cream thickens and reaches a temperature of 83/84°C.

Remove the mixing bowl from the bain-marie and let it cool to 60°C. Then add the butter cut into small pieces and blend the cream for 5 to 10 minutes with an immersion blender.

Transfer the cream to a container and cover it with plastic wrap directly on the surface, then refrigerate for a few hours (or overnight).
When the cream is cold and set, mix it with the almond powder.

Put the cream into a piping bag fitted with a smooth nozzle.

Assembly:

Icing:
100g of icing sugar
About 1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Mix the icing sugar and lemon juice, adjusting the quantities until you have a sort of fairly thick cream.

Put it into a piping bag fitted with a small smooth nozzle, and draw arcs on half of the shells to imitate the design of a tennis ball.

Then fill the other half of the shells (the ones without the design) and close with the "tennis" shells.

Place your macarons in the refrigerator for a few hours, or better yet, overnight before tasting them; they will be even better.
Enjoy your meal!