This recipe will make 40 macarons.  This is a recipe that cannot be halved easily, but once the macaron are filled they can be kept in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Method

Chocolate Filling

• Melt the white chocolate slowly over a bain-marie or in pulses in a microwave and mix with the crème fraiche, stirring until smooth.
• If you get any lumps it’s simply because the chocolate has started to set so just re-warm the mixture carefully and hand stir until they have all gone.
• Cover and keep in the fridge until needed.
• It will keep for  up to three days in the fridge

Cranberry and Pine Nut filling

• Blitz the two ingredients in a food processor until well combined, but not completely smooth.
• Leave to stand for 20 minutes and then squeeze the mixture to remove any oil that the nut have released.

Shells

• Put caster sugar, food colouring and water in a pan, bring to 120 °c
• While this is cooking , whisk egg whites in a mixing machine until fluffy, once the sugar is at the right temperature, slowly pour  the boiling sugar down the side of the bowl with the machine still running to make the meringue. Continue to mix on a medium speed until when you touch the bottom of the bowl it is cool.
• Put the almonds, icing sugar and egg whites into a bowl and mix until fully incorporated. This will be stiff at first but will get easier as you are mixing
• Once the mixture in the machine is cool fold the meringue into the other bowl and continue to stir until fully incorporated.
• Transfer the mix to a piping bag and pip circles the size of a £2 coin onto lined baking sheets.
• Sprinkle the chopped pistachios on the top of half the shells.
• Leave the shells to form a skin, this will normally take about 20 minutes. When the skin is formed you will able to touch the shell without it sticking to your finger
• Bake at 140 °c  for 13 minutes
• Allow to cool before filling
• Once the shells are ready to be filled place the white chocolate mix into a piping bag.
• On the flat side of half of the shells, pipe a circle of the white chocolate ganache, leaving a small hole in the middle for the pine nut mixture.
• Ball or spoon the cranberry mixture into the centre of the piped circle so it fills the hole.
• Once this is done place the remaining shells on top to complete and chill for at least one hour before serving