Pink Peppercorn Macarons with Strawberry-Orange Jam

As promised, Hallie and I got together to stress bake again and some wonderful, wacky and delicious things resulted from our efforts. When it comes to Hallie's and my baking relationship, she's definitely the mad genius who's like, "I know! WE'LL MAKE A STEAK TARTARE LINZER TORTE! They'll never expect it!" and I'm the one who provides a lot of encouragement, writes down lists of the ideas she spews, occasionally buys fruit and sometimes pours the sugar into the mixer when her elbow's broken. Which it is right now.

I can't tell you how fun and surprising I found these macarons to be. We basically adapted a standard macaron recipe to include the strange spicy sweetness of pink peppercorn, then made a quick strawberry-orange jam to pipe inside the shells. And that first bite...a literal party in my mouth. Airy, crispy/chewy cookie, sweet, tangy jam and...what's that? That little cha-cha at the end of it? Oh yeah, pink peppercorn. Your tastebuds will be intrigued, seduced and challenged all at once. Basically, these things are like taking your mouth to grad school.

We fed these to Hallie's boyfriend and some friends that were over to watch basketball. Let's just say that exciting as these cookies are, they are probably not meant to be consumed within a sports viewing environment.

Pink Peppercorn Macarons with Strawberry-Orange Jam

For the jam:
1 lb strawberries, hulled
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon orange zest or 1/4 tsp orange oil

For the macarons:
3 room temperature egg whites
2/3 cup almond meal
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tablespoons pink peppercorns

To make jam: In a heavy saucepan, begin to slowly heat strawberries and honey until they begin to release their juices. At this point, stir in the sugar and orange oil and bring to a boil. Continue to boil, stirring to make sure that the jam doesn't burn on the bottom, until you begin to see the fruit turn dark. Turning down heat a bit if necessary, continue to eyeball and test your jam's thickness by using the sheet test. The sheet test is when you dip a clean spoon into your jam it should come off the edge of the spoon in a wide, clumpy sheet instead of a single loose drip. Once you feel your jam has thickened enough, take it off the heat, remove to a bowl and allow to cool. It will thicken even more once cooled.

To make macarons: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together the almond meal and powdered sugar, breaking apart the clumps of meal with your fingers. In a food processor, grind the peppercorns until well broken apart and fragrant. Whisk the peppercorns into the meal/sugar mixture.

In a separate bowl, beat eggs to extremely thick, stiff peaks, then beat in granulated sugar. It should have the consistency of marshmallow fluff. Add a pinch of salt. Sprinkle a little over a third of the almond mixture into the egg whites and with a rubber spatula (and a light hand!) mix just until barely combined and still a bit streaky. Continue with the second third of the almond mix, then the third. Then, fold and gently press the mixture 10 times to incorporate. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag, and pipe out your macarons onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. I find it helpful to make little round stencils on the paper. If your piping job is uneven, wet one of your fingers and gently pat the tops of the macarons into place. Let sit for 10-15 minutes until the tops of the macarons have a thin film over them and are dry to the touch. Bake at 375 for 8-13 minutes, until they are risen and firm.

Let cool completely, peel off of the parchment paper, fill with the jam and prepare to have your sweet mind blown apart.

Try these! And then brag to your friends. Enjoy!