Macaron Shells

1. In a medium sized bowl sieve the almond meal and powdered sugar together
2. If there are large chunks of almond meal remaining in the sieve dispose of them
3. In a large clean bowl add the egg whites, and using an electric mixer beat until foamy
4. Slowly add the sugar and beat until stiff peaks
5. Add your food colouring of choice and beat until well distributed
6. Fold the sieved almond meal and powdered sugar into the meringue in 2-3 additions, scraping around the bowl and down the centre
7. Once all folded in, press the batter around the bowl and before folding it into the centre
8. Continue until you notice that the lines that form when the batter falls back into the bowl slowly start to disappear
9. Transfer to a piping bag with a round tip and pipe out 1.5inch circles
10. Allow to dry for 1-2 hours
11. Bake in a preheated oven at 140°C for 10-15 minutes (I find that it's usually done at 13, but it depends on your oven so make sure to check! If you give your macarons a wiggle they shouldn't be moving, that's when they're ready)
12. Remove from oven and let cool

Earl Grey Buttercream

1. Combine the earl grey tea leaves and milk in a small saucepan, heat until steaming
2. In a medium sized bowl beat the egg yolk with sugar, then slowly add the heated milk/tea
3. Transfer the yolk/milk mixture back to the saucepan
4. Heat stirring often until the mixture has thickened
5. Remove from heat and allow to cool
6. Once cooled add the room temperature butter and beat until light and silky
7. Transfer to a piping bag
8. Match similar sized macaron shells with each other
9. On the flat side of one shell pipe a blob of buttercream
10. Top with a matching shell
11. Place in airtight container in the fridge for a day to mature (gives deeper flavour and chewy texture!)