Ingredients
Method
1.Grease two oven trays; line with baking paper. Process pistachios until finely ground.
2.Beat egg whites in a small bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add caster sugar and a few drops of colouring, beat until sugar dissolves; transfer mixture to a medium bowl.
3.Fold in ¼ cup of the ground pistachios, sifted icing sugar and ground almonds, in two batches.
4.Spoon mixture into a piping bag fitted with 1cm plain tube. Pipe 4cm rounds about 2.5cm apart onto the trays. Tap trays on bench so macaroons spread slightly. Stand about 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until macaroons feel dry to touch.
5.Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F.
6.Bake macaroons about 20 minutes or until firm to touch. Cool on trays.
7.Using a skewer, gently push small pieces of silver leaf onto macaroons, taking care not to touch leaf with hands.
8.Bring cream to the boil in a small saucepan, remove from heat; add chocolate, stir until smooth. Refrigerate 20 minutes or until spreadable, stirring every 5 minutes.
9.Sandwich macaroons with 1 teaspoon chocolate filling. Insert a stick about halfway into chocolate between macaroons; place on tray. Refrigerate until set.
Silver leaf, available from cake decorating stores, is delicate and fiddly to handle but worth the effort.
Note
