Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/823875
maltatoday, MONDAY, 15 MAY 2017 14 Food Election Ingredients Makes about 15 sandwich cookies • 90g almond flour • 125g icing sugar • 2 large egg whites, room temperature • 1 pinch cream of tartar • 200g extra fine sugar • Sky blue gel food colouring • Orange blossom buttercream • 226g unsalted butter • 400g icing sugar • Orange blossom water to taste Method 1. Preheat oven to 190C. Line two baking sheets with parchment. 2. Sift almond flour and icing sugar together 2-3 times and set aside. 3. Whisk egg whites with a hand mixer until foamy. 4. Add cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. 5. Reduce speed and gradually add extra fine sugar. Increase speed and beat until stiff peaks form. 6. Sift flour mixture over whites with a fine sieve, discarding any lumps or coarse bits that remain. 7. Fold mixture together with a rubber spatula until just combined. 8. Place a small amount of the blue gel food colouring on the end of a rubber spatula. When batter is ready, it should fall from the spatula in a thick ribbon. 9. Transfer mixture to a piping bag. Pipe 1 or 1½ inch rounds on the parchment lined baking sheets. 10. Let piped macarons stand uncovered for 15 minutes to form a crust. 11. Decrease temperature to 160C just before placing the baking sheet in the oven. Bake pans one at a time for 10 mins, turning halfway through. 12. To make the buttercream, cream butter and icing sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy. If mixture is stiff, use 1 or 2 tbsp of cream to loosen. 13. Add orange blossom water in small drops (a little goes a long way!). Beat until flavour is thoroughly incorporated. 14. Transfer icing to a piping bag and pipe on half the macaron shells. 15. Sandwich the buttercream between two of the macaron shells. Election fever has set in and the whole island is coming down with it. Whether you follow every word that comes out of every politician's mouth or whether you think this is a whole lot of wasted effort, you can't get away from the frenzy that has gripped the island. Deciding on who to vote for may be tougher this year than it ever has been. Who is telling the truth? Who is lying? Why not follow your gut and see which recipes – red, blue, green or orange – appeal to you most. Today we eat like a Nationalist and go for recipes in blue. Stay tuned for recipes from the red, green and orange party. Munchies Blue macarons with orange blossom buttercream Red, blue, green or orange?