And so it was that I found myself, late on a Saturday night, leaning over a baking tray with a paintbrush in my hand, lovingly gilding a new batch of macarons with edible paint. These ones would have Cleopatra weeping in her catacomb, gleaming and sparkling and outrageously opulent as they are. One forgets sometimes that this is just a biscuit.
The macaron shells were made as the usual recipe (previous post), but with some freshly, finely grated cinnamon added in.
The ganache filling is, it has to be said, deeply, deeply good. Sensuous and unctuous and mellifluously, dulcifluously delicious, it is worth making even if you don't have the inclination to fiddle about with piping bags making macarons. It is suitably autumnal, and would work well in most other puddings - especially ones scented with vanilla and cinnamon.
Spiced pear and chocolate ganache:
ripe pear, finely cubed
cinnamon stick
vanilla sugar/demerara sugar and a little bit of good vanilla EXTRACT (by no means "essence")
good dark chocolate - I used Willie's 100% Cacao because it's incredibly good, but feel free to go for something less hardcore
cold unsalted butter
Over a low heat, melt down the pear with the spices and sugar to make a compote. Grate in the chocolate, stir until melted in, and taste - the first flavour should be chocolate, followed by the pear and spices. Off the heat, beat in a knob of cold butter, which will make the mixture shiny. Allow to cool and then refrigerate if you want it thicker - though know that this is best warm, wrapped up in freshly made crepes with vanilla ice cream. Autumn bliss.
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