Caramel macarons

Macarons, many food-bloggers have made them. But I didn't (yet). Why? I don't know. I have a sweettooth, so that's not the reason. But I've read that it looks simple, but isn't. A good macaron is crispy, has a bite, is sweet, but not to sweet. And it is whole.
I did find out that, that is a big issue. How do you get the macarons in one piece of the bakingpaper and then of the wirerack. And how do you fill them without breaking them? It took quite a while before I figured that one out (be really, really, really gentle and have a lot of patience).
But then I had make my own macaron! And I have to admit. They tasted wonderfull. It was totally worth all the cracked cookies, the lack of patience I have and the frustration that I had when I broke another one.
The slightly sweet macaron, the very sweet, but slightly salted caramel, which melted on your tongue and then the combination of the two. Wow. Wow. Wow.

After all the hard work I sat down, with a cup of tea and relaxed. Get the tension out of me. And enjoyed, totally enjoyed the macaron. It's certainly something I'm going to make more and in other versions. But after I do a yoga session or two (lol).

I adapted the recipe for the Caramel Fleur de Sel from a recipe from tartelette (www.tarteletteblog.com), a foodblog I do admire so much for the great recipes, but also for the ultimate photography (and styling).

The recipe:
Ingredients:
Caramel Fleur de Sel
- 240 gram sugar;
- 80 mL water;
- 115 gram unsalted butter;
- 150 mL heavy cream (or 50 mL mascarpone and 100 mL whipping cream);
- pinch of salt.

For the shell batter:
- 3 egg whites (L);
- 50 gram sugar;
- 200 gram powdered sugar;
- 110 gram almonds.

Preparation:
Caramal Fleur de Sel
In a heavy saucepan set over low heat, combine the sugar and water and heat until the sugar is dissolved. Add the butter and salt. Let it come to a boil and cook until it reaches a golden caramel color. Remove from the heat and add the cream. Whisk to combine and put back on the stove. Let it come to a boil again (low heat) and cook another 10-15 minutes. It will get a bit creamy.

The Shell:
The day before baking the shells seperate your eggs and store the egg whites in a bowl with lid overnight at room temperature.
The next day mix the eggwhites until a foam appears. Add the sugar gradually untill the merengue gets shiny.

Mix in a food processor or blender the almonds with the powdered sugar. Pulse until it becomes a very fine ground. Add 1/3 of the egg whites to the almonds and mix gently. Then carefully add the almondmixture with the remaining egg whites and fold the mixture in. Test a small amount of batter on a plate. When the top flattens it's good to go, otherwise fold it a few more times. Fill a pastry bag with a plain tip and pipe small rounds (1.5 inches - 4 cm in diameter) on a parchment paper baking sheet.
Let the macarons rest for an hour. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit (150 degrees Celsius). Bake the macarons for 10-15 minutes.

Preparing macarons:
Take two shells (without braking) and spoon a few tablespoons of the caramel on one shell. Place the other one on top and press gently down.