Macaroons, French - Hot Chocolate Guy

Macaroons Preheat oven to 350 degrees (convection) Step 1 Pulse confectioners' sugar and almond flour in a food processor until combined. Sift mixture 2 time Step 2 Whisk whites with a mixer on medium speed until foamy. Whisk until soft peaks form. Reduce speed to low, then add superfine sugar. Increase speed to 6 on KitchenAid, and whisk until stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes. Sift flour mixture over whites, and fold until mixture is smooth and shiny. Step 3 Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip, and pipe 3/4-inch rounds 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets, dragging pastry tip to the side of rounds rather than forming peaks. Tap bottom of each sheet on work surface to release trapped air. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. Bake 1 sheet at a time, rotating halfway through, until macarons are crisp and firm, about 8 minutes. After each batch, increase oven temperature to 375 degrees, heat for 5 minutes, then reduce to 300 degrees. Step 4 Let macarons cool on sheets for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. (If macarons stick, spray water underneath parchment on hot sheet. The steam will help release macarons.) Step 5 Sandwich 2 same-size macarons with 1 teaspoon filling. Serve immediately, or stack between layers of parchment, wrap in plastic, and freeze for up to 3 months. Strawberry filling Combine all and cook over low heat about 20-30 minutes until thick like jam. remove the vanilla bean and blend until smooth with hand mixer. Caramel Filling Combine sugar and lemon juice in a heavy bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar. Then cook without stirring until a rich golden brown. Heat up the cream in separate pot. Add Cream slowly over the heat. Whisk in butter over the heat and cool to room temp. Buttercream Place sugar and egg whites in a stainless steel mixing bowl (Kitchen aid bowl). set over bowl of simmering water bath whisking constantly to 185 degrees. Transfer to the mixer and whip on high speed till almost cool. Gradually add the soft butter. The bittercream should be light and creamy. Blend in vanilla.