Tart White Chocolate Lemon Ganache

Tart White Chocolate Lemon Ganache
6 Tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp lemon zest
6 oz. white chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 to 3/4 tsp citric acid
Pinch of salt

Heat cream and lemon zest in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil. Slowly pour the cream into a heatproof bowl containing the chopped white chocolate and let sit for 3 to 5 minutes. Stir gently until all of the chocolate is melted and you've obtained a smooth ganache. Sprinkle the citric acid and salt over the ganache and stir in thoroughly. Let cool to a cool room temperature until thickened before filling macarons. (It's fine to speed up the cooling by popping the ganache in the fridge but make sure it doesn't get too hard to pipe/spoon on

lemon filling

For the Buttercream:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cubed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest

french pastry cream

French Pastry Cream
Creme Patissiere

6 egg yolks
A heavy bottomed 21/2 quart stainless-steel or enameled saucepan
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups hot milk
2 TBS butter
1 TB vanilla extract or 1/2 TB vanilla and 1 or 2 TB run or Kirsch or....

Place the egg yolks in the saucepan, and with a wire whip gradually beat in the sugar. Continue beating for a minute or two until the mixture is thick, pale yellow, and forms ribbons.
Beat in the flour, then beat in the hot milk in a thin stream. Set over moderately high heat and stir slowly and continuously with a wire whip, reaching all over bottom and sides of pan, until mixture thickens. As it turns lumpy, beat vigorously to smooth it out.

Lower the temperature and continue stirring for several minutes to cook the flour and thicken the cream. Be very careful about scorching cream in bottom of pan; be sure your pan is heavy, be sure to keep stirring, and do not use high heat, particularly after cream has started to thicken.

Remove from heat; beat in butter and the flavouring. Clean off sides of the pan with a spatula. Film top of the pastry cream with 1/2 TBS milk, rum or kirsch to prevent crusting. Chill. (Pastry cream will keep 3 or 4 days under refigeration or may be frozen.)

macaron filling salted caramel

Salted Caramel Frosting

Ingredients

• 2 sticks (1 cup) room temperature butter
• 1 brick (8-ounces) room temperature cream cheese
• 1/2 cup salted caramel (homemade or store bought, if you cannot find salted caramel, add about a teaspoon of sea salt)
• 3-4 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Cream together the butter and cream cheese.
2. Pour in the salted caramel. Beat until combined.
3. Slowly add the powdered sugar, and beat for a few minutes until really light and fluffy.