Maple Bacon Macarons

Version 1 — Italian meringue shells

Cream cheese and maple syrup filling (½ dose is enough for a standard recipe): Beat the butter and cream cheese on high speed until creamy. Slowly add the powdered sugar and maple syrup. Refrigerate until set.

Bacon in maple syrup (½ dose is enough for a standard recipe): Preheat the oven to 150°C. Put two layers of aluminium foil on the tray. Arrange the chopped bacon making sure the pieces don't overlap anywhere. With a pastry brush, brush the bacon well with the maple syrup and mustard mixture. Bake for 10 minutes (until caramelized and crispy); some pieces may need turning around the 8th minute. Brush them with more syrup. Let the bacon cool for 5-10 minutes on the tray, then move it to a bowl. Don't let the bacon cool too much before moving it, or the foil will stick to it and make removal hard. Set aside 25 bacon squares and purée the rest so you can roll the sandwiched macarons in it.

Assembly: Fill the piping bag with the cream mixture, put a bacon square on top and sandwich. Roll the macaron sides in the ground bacon.

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Version 2 (OR)

Macaron ingredients: 1 cup confectioners sugar, 3/4 cup almond flour, 2 large egg whites (room temp.), pinch of cream of tartar, 1/4 cup superfine sugar, candied bacon bits.

1. Sift confectioners sugar and almond flour (do not skip this step!). If necessary, use a food processor on the larger pieces that did not make it through the sieve and sift again. If you skip this step you will have lumpy cookies.
2. Using a large bowl and an electric mixer on high, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Slowly add the superfine sugar. (If you don't have superfine sugar, run some regular sugar through a food processor.)
3. Continue mixing until stiff peaks form. This will take a few minutes, so be patient.
4. Gently fold in the almond flour and confectioners sugar with the egg whites using a spatula. Do not over mix or you will have flat cookies, but don't under mix or you will have a lumpy batter. Add food coloring (if desired, we didn't use any) and candied bacon at this point.
5. Transfer to a pastry bag or just use a Ziploc bag to pipe the macarons. On a sheet of parchment paper, trace circles with a pencil, flip the paper over so the marks are on the baking sheet, and pipe the macarons keeping them flat (no peak).
6. To remove air bubbles, lift the baking sheet a couple of inches off the counter and drop it. Repeat a couple of times.
7. Leave the macarons out to form a shell on the outer surface for at least 30 minutes. Use this time to preheat your oven to 375°F.
8. Put the macarons in the oven. Lower the temperature to 325°F. Bake until the tops are crisp, about 10-12 minutes (ovens will vary). Raise the oven to 375°F and lower to 325°F between batches.

Candied Bacon: 1/2 pound raw bacon (thick cut is best), 1/8 cup brown sugar, 1/8 cup maple syrup. Preheat oven to 375°F. On a foil-lined pan, coat the bacon with the brown sugar and maple syrup. Bake until crisp. Using kitchen scissors, cut the bacon into small squares (about 1/4 cup bits for the macarons and 1/2 cup for the filling; eat the rest!).

Cream Cheese Filling: 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, 1 cup confectioners sugar, 1/4 cup butter, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 1/4-1/2 cup bacon bits. Let cream cheese and butter soften at room temperature. Cream the butter, cream cheese and vanilla until well combined. Sift the powdered sugar and slowly add it (add more if needed to thicken). Stir in the bacon bits.

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Version 3 — Recipe from Sur la Table Cooking Class

For the meringue: 145 g powdered sugar, 145 g almond flour, 113 g egg whites, 1/8 tsp cream of tartar, 100 g granulated sugar, brown food coloring.

For the maple sauce: 170 g bacon cut into small pieces, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/3 cup water, 1 tbsp corn syrup, 3 tbsp unsalted butter, 1/2 cup maple syrup, 1 tsp sea salt.

Cook the bacon in a skillet or non-stick pan over medium heat until crispy and the fat has rendered. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a small heatproof bowl and set aside. Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir just until the sugar dissolves and add the corn syrup. Continue to boil until the mixture reaches an amber color (320°F-340°F on a candy thermometer); once the sugar takes on a darker hue it can quickly burn, so watch it. Remove from heat and stir in the butter, followed by the maple syrup. Mix in the bacon and salt. Transfer to a small bowl and refrigerate until thick enough not to ooze out the side of the macaron (10-20 minutes). To assemble, place a small spoonful of the maple sauce onto the flat side of a macaron and top with another. Macarons can be refrigerated up to 3 days and actually taste even better on the second day.