Earl Grey Macarons and Earl Grey Spread

Instructions

To Make the Macaron Shells:

1. Sift almond flour, powdered sugar, and Earl Grey tea leaves together. Set aside.
2. Beat the egg whites at low speed until foamy
3. Beat the egg whites with sugar until soft peaks form
4. Add the remaining sugar and whisk until hard peaks form
5. Sift the dry ingredients into the meringue and gently fold the mixture
6. Fold the dry ingredients into the meringue
7. Macaronage *Be careful not to overmix or undermix the batter
8. Place the batter into the piping bag fitted with a 0.4-inch round tip
9. Pipe the batter onto the baking sheet in 1.4-inch circles
10. Tap the pan against the counter 2~3 times to flatten the macarons and to remove air bubbles
11. Pop air bubbles with a toothpick
12. Let the macarons sit for 30 minutes(for 40 min to an hour in humid weather)
13. Bake for 8 min at 300°F and then for 5 min at 285°F (Time and temperature vary depending on which type of oven you have)
14. Let them cool completely and pair macarons of similar size

To Make the Filling:

1. Put milk, heavy cream and sugar into the saucepan and simmer over medium heat
2. Add in Earl Grey tea bags into the pan
3. Allow the tea to steep for 3 minutes and then remove the tea bags
4. Stir constantly until thickened
5. Once it has thickened enough, remove from the heat
6. Let it cool
7. Put Earl Grey spread into the Crème Anglaise and mix well
8. Pipe the buttercream and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the filling to set