Blackcurrant Macarons

To make the shells, whisk the egg whites with the caster sugar and vanilla, using an electric whisk, until very soft peaks form. Add the food colour and whisk until stiff peaks form; these look good with a strong colour, but add as much as you like. (Gel colours won’t alter the texture of the mixture too much.)

In a separate bowl, sift the icing sugar and mix in the ground almonds. Fold in the whisked egg a couple of spoonfuls at a time. Once the mixture is smooth, load it into a piping bag and set aside.

Prepare 2 sheets of baking parchment by drawing around a 4cm round cutter, or similar-sized template, to give a guide for piping. Draw 20 circles on each sheet, with the circles at least 2cm apart. Turn the baking parchment over and put each on to a baking sheet or tray, so the pencil is on the bottom side, but still visible.

Pipe the mixture on to the parchment, within the circles. Try to keep the piping bag as still as possible when piping and to leave a single dimple in the centre of each blob as you pull the piping bag off.

Firmly slam each baking tray on to a worktop a few times to flatten the dimples caused by the piping and set aside for 45–60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 150°C/fan 130°C/gas 2. Bake for 18–20 minutes. Leave to cool completely before peeling away the baking parchment.

Make the filling by beating the mascarpone and cream together until fully combined. Add the icing sugar and beat together until the mixture just begins to thicken. Finally add the cassis and continue beating until thickened, then load into a piping bag.

Pipe the filling on to a shell, then gently pop on another shell. Be careful when pressing the top shell on, as they are fragile. Repeat until all the macarons are sandwiched together.