Prep time: 50 minutes

Bake time: 10 to 12 minutes per batch

Baking temperature: 340°F (170°C)

Ganache chilling time: at least 3 hours

Start by making the ganache. Finely chop the white chocolate and place it in a bowl. Remove the stems from the cherries, cut them in half, and heat them in a saucepan with the sugar, mashing with a spatula. Use a blender to puree into a cherry sauce. Add the Kirsch. Strain the sauce over the chopped white chocolate, making sure to press through all the fruit pulp.

Let the chocolate melt from the heat of the cherry sauce. Gently stir with a spatula until smooth and creamy. Let the ganache rest for at least 3 hours.

Preheat your oven to 340°F (170°C).

Meanwhile, prepare the macaron shells. Place the powdered sugar and almond flour in a food processor. Blend for 30 seconds to make the mixture fine and even. Sift into a bowl.

Pour the water and granulated sugar into a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir with a spatula and heat over medium. Place a candy thermometer in the syrup and monitor the temperature (first 237°F/114°C, then 244-246°F/118-119°C). Put 1/3 cup egg whites (75 grams) in the bowl of your stand mixer. When the syrup reaches 237°F (114°C), start whipping the egg whites on high speed. When the syrup reaches 244-246°F (118-119°C), lower the mixer speed.

Pour the hot syrup over the whipped egg whites. Increase the mixer speed again to cool the meringue. When the meringue is almost room temperature, add the red food coloring. The cherry macarons should be a light red. Pour the remaining egg whites over the almond-sugar mixture. Mix with a spatula. You should have a thick almond paste. Check that the meringue is just warm to the touch, not cold.

Fold a small amount of meringue into the almond paste to loosen it. Then add the rest of the colored meringue. Fill a piping bag with some of the batter and pipe onto a baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 340°F (170°C), turning the baking sheet halfway through. Let the macarons cool completely before filling.

When the ganache is set, fill a piping bag fitted with a small tip (about 1/5 inch/5mm) with the cherry ganache and pipe a small mound in the center of each upturned shell. Top with another shell. Make sure the filling reaches the edges so the macarons stay moist inside. Chill the filled macarons in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving.

Source: Pâtisserie Christophe Felder