Banana and Salted Caramel Macarons
MasterChef Junior winner and San Diego teen, Nathan Odom, shares his famous recipe for Banana and Salted Caramel Macarons. He won the banana mystery box challenge in episode 5 with this recipe!
Yields about 12 macarons.
Ingredients
For macarons:
1 2/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup almond flour
3 large egg whites
¼ cup granulated sugar
For filling:
½ cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. water
¾ tsp. unsalted butter
3 tsp. heavy cream
¾ tsp. fleur de sel (French sea salt)
1 banana, pureed
Preheat oven to 260 degrees.
Directions
For macarons:
Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper.
Sift the flour and confectioners’ sugar together into a bowl. Set aside.
Using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until foamy. Gradually add in sugar and continue beating until glossy and holds soft peaks. Fold in the dry mixture until fully incorporated.
Load the macaron mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large, plain, round tip. Pipe 1½ inch discs of batter onto the prepared cookie sheets. Tap the sheet pan on a flat surface to release any air bubbles form the batter and allow to rest for one hour, until a skin forms over each macaron.
Bake for about 10 minutes until cookies are set. Do not allow them to brown. Let the cookies cool completely before filling.
For filling:
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water over medium-high heat. Do not stir. Slowly let the sugar melt and change to an amber color. Next, add the butter and cream. Stir until everything is incorporated, then stir in the fleur de sel. Allow to cool slightly; then whisk in the banana puree. Allow to cool completely before filling macarons.
Watch Nathan present his Banana and Salted Caramel Macarons to the MasterChef Junior judges in season 3’s episode 5 at www.fox.com/masterchef-junior/full-episodes. “Like” MasterChef Junior on Facebook at facebook.com/MasterChefJuniorFOX.
published: March 2015
