Hey guys, it’s Meghan, and I’m here to share another art-inspired recipe with you all! I fell in love with Gray's first series at the Parker hotel, so when I found out he was releasing The Parker Series II, I couldn’t wait to whip up a treat inspired by the collection. The series showcases a whimsical atmosphere with beautiful colors and exotic animals, so I knew that macarons would be the perfect medium to portray the imaginative work. I wanted to play around with the colors and structures from the photos, but still keep my designs simple. I’m always so inspired by Gray’s photography that it’s hard to narrow it down to one cohesive design! But in the end, I decided to stick with the unique colors of the poolside umbrellas and colorful balloons featured in many of the images. Here is the recipe for my Parker-inspired treat…
## **French Macarons with Buttercream Filling**
**Ingredients:** **For macaron shells:**
- 3/4 cup almond flour
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 1/4 cup superfine sugar
- pinch of cream of tartar
- 2 egg whites at room temperature
**For the buttercream filling (beat butter and then add the other ingredients until the mixture is smooth):**
- 1 stick of unsalted butter
- 3 cups of confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
**Tools:**
- whisk
- spatula
- sieve
- cookie tray
- Silpat non-stick baking mat
- piping bags
- piping tip 2A
- piping tip #1
- food coloring (green and ivory)
**Instructions:**
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. For the macaron shells, begin by sifting your almond flour and confectioners sugar using your sieve. Do this over a large bowl.
3. Next, add your egg whites to the mixer. With your whisk attachment, beat your mixer on medium/high speed until the egg whites begin to foam.
4. Add your cream of tartar and continue mixing until the mixture has a soft peak.
5. Add your superfine sugar and continue beating the mixture on high for eight minutes. After eight minutes, begin to add your food coloring. (I chose to add green and ivory to create a very light green.) Mix for another 20 seconds or until the color is uniform.
6. Add your almond flour/confectioners sugar to the egg white mixture. You will want to fold the ingredients with your spatula until you’ve achieved the right consistency. (Tip: It should mimic the consistency of lava. It usually takes about 50-60 folds, give or take a few, to do this. You’ll know that it’s right when the top of the batter looks smooth and shiny.)
7. Next you will want to fill your piping bag with the batter using your piping tip 2A. Once you have the piping bag filled, begin piping circles onto your cookie tray lined with the Silpat mat. Pipe enough batter into each shell so that the tops are smooth and shiny.
8. After you finish piping all of your shells, gently tap the tray on a hard surface to eliminate any air bubbles. You will let the macarons sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes so they can develop a matte top.
9. Once the tops of the macarons are matte, put them in the oven for ten minutes. After about 10 minutes they should come out with a smooth top and foot around the edge. (It's okay if they do not come out perfect, it takes some time to perfect the shells.)
10. Let the macarons cool for 20 minutes, then gently remove them from the Silpat mat and begin to fill the shells with your buttercream. Fill one macaron shell with the buttercream and then gently sandwich another macaron shell on top. Repeat this step for the remaining shells.
_Voilà!_ There you have your Parker Series Macarons. All that’s left to do now is decorate the tops of the shells as you wish. I had so much fun on our last collaboration, and this time was no different! If you didn’t catch the first recipe, check it out here, and for even more info and sweet treats, check out Nutmeg & Honeybee on Instagram **.**
Are you in love yet? We are dying over how pretty (and delicious) these macarons look. Thanks again to Meghan for sharing this amazing recipe! If you haven’t seen Gray’s **Parker Series II** yet, make sure to take a look **here**.
Xx Team GM
Photos: Nutmeg & Honeybee