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Ingredients (makes about 30)

• 140g ground almonds
• 250g icing sugar
• 2 egg whites
• a pinch of salt

 For the filling 

• 100g low-fat soft cheese
• 25g 70% cocoa dark chocolate

How to

1. Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140/gas 3.
2. Whizz the almonds and 25g of the icing sugar in a food processor until fine. Mix with 175g more icing sugar in a large bowl. Whisk the egg whites until stiff, add the remaining 50g icing sugar and whisk again until thick and glossy. Fold into the nut mix. Spoon into a piping bag with a 1cm nozzle and pipe out 10p-coin-size blobs of mixture, well spaced. Poke any pointy tops down with a wet finger. If you don't have a piping bag, just snip the end off a sandwich bag and use that instead.
3. Leave to dry for 30 mins, then bake for 12- 15 mins until risen. Cool on the paper. Beat the cream cheese with the chocolate and use to sandwich the macarons together. Will keep for 1 day filled, or up to 3 days unfilled, stored in an airtight container.

Chewy chocolate macarons

Mix 140g ground almonds with 175g icing sugar and 25g cocoa powder. Whisk the egg whites. Once stiff, add 50g icing sugar, then whisk again. For a coffee filling, mix the soft cheese with ½ tsp instant coffee dissolved in a few drops boiling water.

Delicate vanilla macarons

Mix 140g ground almonds with 200g icing sugar and rub in seeds from 1 vanilla pod. Whisk the egg whites. Once stiff, add 50g icing sugar, then whisk again. Sandwich together with a little dulce de leche.

Recipe adapted from BBC Good Food

Here is a video on how to make French Macaroons:

Sucre - Macaroon from Sucre - Founder - Joel Dondis on Vimeo.

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Ingredients (serves 4)

For the sauce vierge 

• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 garlic clove
• sea salt
• 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large ripe tomato
• handful fresh tarragon
• handful fresh basil
• handful fresh coriander (you can substitute mint if you like)
• ½ lemon, juice only

For the scallops

• 8 large diver-caught scallops, roe attached
• olive oil, for drizzling
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
  

To serve

• lemon quarters

How to:

1. For the sauce vierge, dry-fry the coriander seeds in a hot frying pan until they release their aroma. Place them in a pestle and mortar and crush.
2. Peel the garlic clove and mash to a paste with the tip of a knife and some sea salt. Add the garlic paste to the pestle and mortar.
3.  Add 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to the garlic and coriander and stir.
4. Remove the core and seeds of the tomato. Chop the flesh roughly and add to the pestle and mortar.
5. Roughly chop the herbs and add them to the pestle and mortar. Crush all the ingredients together well to form a sauce. Allow the flavours to infuse while you prepare the scallops.
6. Trim off any tough, sinewy flesh and remove any black veins from the scallops, but keep the roes intact.
7.  Heat a frying pan or griddle pan until hot. Drizzle some olive oil over the scallops and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
8. Place the scallops on the hot pan or griddle and cook until they're just cooked through, about 2-3 minutes on each side, depending on size. They'll feel firm to the touch when cooked. (If the scallops are very large, you can finish them in a preheated oven for a few minutes.)
9. Finish the sauce vierge by adding the lemon juice (don't do this until just before serving or the herbs will turn black). Adjust seasoning and stir well.
10. To serve, spoon the sauce vierge over the scallops and garnish with the quartered lemons.

Recipe via the BBC

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