Pineapple Pink Peppercorn Macarons

In a large bowl, sift in the almond flour (2 ⅘ cups) and powdered sugar (2 ⅔ cups). Whisk to combine. Add several drops of yellow gel food dye and 4 ½ oz egg whites. Use a spatula to completely combine everything to form a pretty dense almond mixture. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer add the 4 ¾ oz egg whites, granulated sugar (1 ¾ cups), and kosher salt (pinch). Set over the simmering water and whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture feels hot when you rub it between your fingers, 3 to 4 minutes.

Transfer to your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Increase speed to high and whisk until medium peaks form, about 5 minutes.

Use a spatula and fold the meringue into the dense almond mixture in 3 additions. Continue folding until the batter loosens slightly. Stop folding once you can lift the spatula out of the batter and trace a few figure 8s without the batter stream breaking.

Fit a large piping bag with a 1/2” round tip. Transfer some batter to the piping bag. Get out 3 half-sheet trays. Flip them over so the rim is down. Line the top (which is actually the base of the tray) with either a Silpat or parchment paper (if using parchment, you’ll have to adhere it flat to the tray with some of the batter).

Holding the bag perfectly upright, pipe even macaron mounds in 4 even rows of about 6 macarons in each row. Pipe the macarons to about 1.5” circles, and they will slowly spread to around 2” circles. Continue filling your piping bag and filling all 3 trays with circles. It’s ok if they are slightly different sizes; that’s part of the homemade charm. Slam each tray down a couple times to burst the air bubbles. Then let hang out for about 30 minutes to dry the shells slightly.

Bake a tray one at a time for 11 to 12 minutes, until the macarons have risen and feel firm to the touch, but haven’t picked up any color. Let cool on the trays. The shells, stored covered at room temperature, can be made up to 1-2 days in advance.

Add the pineapple (1 whole), sugar (¼ cup), salt (½ tsp), and ¼ cup water to a medium saucepan. Increase heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pineapple is tender and turning translucent, 10 to 15 minutes.

Squeeze the water from the gelatin (1 sheet) and add the gelatin and pink peppercorn (½ tsp) to the compote. Stir to combine. Use an immersion blender to carefully puree down the pineapple compote until no large pieces remain (some smaller ones are fine). Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate to chill completely. This can be made up to 3 days in advance.

Using an electric hand mixer, beat the butter (4 sticks) in a large bowl until creamy. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar (2 cups). Then add the salt (pinch), vinegar (2 tsp), and pink peppercorn (1 tsp) and beat in. Taste to see if you’d like more sugar. But I don’t think it needs that much. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 1/4” round tip.

Organize all your macaron shells into pairs of equal sizes. Flip the uglier one in each half over to expose its flat side. Pipe a ring of the buttercream into an even circle around the circumference. Then dollop about 2 tsp of the pineapple compote into the center. Repeat for all pairs. Sandwich them together. Then pipe a small dot of buttercream on top and press an almond into the center.

Now this is the annoying part. Transfer all macarons to a baking sheet or platter, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit out for 1 day at room temperature. This will soften the macarons, especially if you overbaked them slightly. Then enjoy. Macarons can also be frozen for up to 2 months. Let thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.