These Milk Chocolate Miso French Macarons combine the rich sweetness of milk chocolate with the savory saltiness of miso to produce a perfectly balanced, addictive treat.
For the milk chocolate miso ganache filling: In a double boiler or in the microwave (at the lowest heat setting), melt the milk chocolate, butter, cream, and miso together. Whisk to thoroughly combine. Strain into a bowl or a container. Let cool until the bowl is no longer hot to the touch. Cover and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours before filling the macarons. Return to room temperature at least an hour before using. (Can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.)
For the macaron shells: **Return the egg whites to room temperature at least an hour before making the macarons shells.**
In the bowl of a food processor, add the almond flour and powdered sugar, then process until the mixture is thoroughly incorporated, 30 seconds to a minute. Sift the mixture to make sure no lumps or bigger bits of almonds are left.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer, whisk the egg whites with the cream of tartar or lemon juice on medium-high speed until frothy, about 1 minute, then slowly pour in the granulated sugar. After 2 minutes, add the gel food coloring, if using. Keep beating until the egg whites are stiff, dense and creamy, about 3 minutes more.
Add the almond and powdered sugar mixture to the egg whites and, using a spatula, gently fold in the dry ingredients: slide your spatula all the way to the bottom of the bowl and come back up to the top. Do this about 6 times to incorporate the dry ingredients, then keep folding for a total of about 14 strokes until no pockets of dry ingredients remain and the mixture drops from the side of the spatula in a slow, lazy ribbon. Start testing the ribbon stage early to avoid overfolding.
Stack two baking sheets and line the top sheet with parchment paper. If you're not using parchment paper sheets, cut out the parchment paper so it fits exactly over the bottom of the sheet to make sure the macarons will lay flat. Slide macaron templates under the parchment paper, if using.
Transfer the macaron batter to a pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch (1.25-cm) round tip. Pipe 1 ½-inch (3.8-cm) rounds of batter, evenly spaced but still close to one another as they will not expand much.
Carefully slide the macaron templates off the baking sheets, if you used them. Let the shells rest on the baking sheets for 20 to 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 275°F (135°C) with a rack set to the middle position. Bake each sheet of macaron shells for 13 to 16 minutes, or until the shells are firm on their feet when you lightly tap on them with the tip of a finger.
Let the shells cool completely to room temperature before assembling them, about an hour.
To assemble the Milk Chocolate Miso French Macarons: Pair same sized shells together and set side by side on a work surface. If you refrigerated the ganache, let it warm back up to room temperature for at least 30 minutes, or until spreadable. Using a small offset spatula, spread some chocolate ganache over half of the shells. You can also transfer the milk chocolate ganache to a pastry bag fitted with a round tip to pipe the ganache over half of the shells. Close the macarons, very gently pressing the second shell over the filling.
STORAGE: Store the assembled Milk Chocolate Miso French Macarons in an airtight container and refrigerate overnight before indulging.French macarons will keep, refrigerated, for up to 3 days. You can also freeze assembled macarons in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
SERVING: Always bring these Milk Chocolate Miso French Macarons back to room temperature before serving.
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