Macarons with Lime and Basil (PH)

Shells: To the basic batter add green coloring, a little finely chopped basil and a little finely grated lime zest (half a dose is enough).

Lime-basil cream (enough for at least a dose and a half of macarons by the basic recipe):

How to make the cream: Boil 1 cup of water. Fill a small bowl with cold water with 2-3 ice cubes in it. Wash and dry the basil leaves. Drop them into the boiling water for about 5 seconds, then remove and immediately transfer them into the bowl of cold water. Once cooled, take them out onto kitchen paper to dry. In a small microwave-safe bowl, warm 2 tbsp water with 1½ tsp sugar until they boil and the sugar dissolves. Add the basil leaves and use a blender to purée the mixture. Reserve it. Prepare the gelatin. Boil a large bowl of water — you don't need to fill the bowl, 1-2 inches of water on the bottom is enough. In a large stainless steel bowl (that will conveniently sit over the bowl of boiling water), whisk together the eggs, sugar, lime zest and juice and the basil purée. Placed over the pot of boiling water (bain-marie), stir continuously until the mixture reaches 84°C. Strain the mixture to get rid of the lime zest and the larger pieces of basil, then return it to the bowl. Combine with the liquefied gelatin, then stir slowly with a mixer or by hand, mixing for 10 minutes. If the mixture is too stiff (if it doesn't seem to mix easily with the mixer), add a little warm water, 1 tablespoon, but be very careful not to add too much. The mixture should resemble runny pudding. Add the almond flour. Transfer to a small bowl and cover with fresh cling film. Leave in the fridge until the mixture cools (at least 5 hours).

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For the shells: 3 large egg whites, aged for at least 24 hours 125 g almond meal 210 g powdered sugar Zest of 2 limes, very finely grated (using a Microplane is best) 30 g granulated sugar Green and yellow gel food coloring

Make the shells: Take the egg whites out of the refrigerator about an hour before making the macarons to bring them back to room temperature. Line two doubled baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Place the almond meal, powdered sugar and lime zest in the bowl of a food processor. Finely grind everything together for a minute or two. Stop the processor, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, and process again for a minute. After processing the powdered sugar and almond meal, carefully sieve the mixture but put any zest that doesn't go through the sieve back into the bowl (you want that flavor in your macarons!). Reserve. Put the egg whites in a large stainless steel bowl. Beat at medium/high speed with a handheld or stand mixer. Once they start to get bubbly and white and the whisk is lightly leaving marks, slowly add the granulated sugar. Keep on beating until stiff peaks form. Add 4 drops green and 2 drops yellow food coloring (or to taste) to the egg whites along with a third of the almond-sugar mixture. Fold to incorporate by sliding a rubber spatula down to the bottom of the bowl and gently bringing it back to the top. Keep on adding the almond-sugar mixture a third at a time until everything is incorporated, always folding gently and never beating. Pour the batter in a pastry bag fitted with a round ½-inch tip, then pipe equal rounds of batter on the parchment-lined baking sheets. Let rest for 20-30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 300°F (150ºC). When the shells have rested enough, bake for about 15 minutes, or until the shells are firm on their feet when lightly tapped. Let cool the shells completely, then remove from parchment paper. Fill with lime-basil cream, then refrigerate for 24 hours before eating. Enjoy within the next 5 days for the best texture and flavor.