Raspberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream Macaron filling

This recipe is adapted from Natasha’s Kitchen and I added Swiss meringue to make the filling slightly thicker.  The macaron itself is sweet, so I heavily reduced the sugar amount in the basic Swiss meringue.  So far this is my favorite filling that has a very refreshing taste.  For the macaron recipe, please visit my page “French Macarons“.

Ingredients:

Reduced sugar Basic Swiss Meringue:

1	Egg white
2 Tbsp	Granulated sugar

Raspberry Buttercream:

1 cup	Fresh raspberries
2 Tbsp	Granulated sugar
1 Tbsp	Fresh lemon juice
1 Stick	Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
1/4 tsp*	Salt

* If you use salted butter, then omit salt in your recipe.

Directions:

1. Place egg white and sugar in a heatproof mixer bowl set over a pan of simmering water. (picture 1)
2. Whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture registers 160 degrees on a candy thermometer. You will see the meringue becomes more white and thicker.  Remove from heat and let cool.  (picture 2)
3. In a small sauce pan, combine raspberries and granulated sugar and cook over medium heat. (picture 3)
4. Add 1 tbsp of lemon juice.  (picture 4)
5. Cook until bubbling.  Remove from fire.  (picture 5)
6. Press the raspberries with a spoon through a fine sieve and discard seeds.  Put the raspberries juice aside and let cool to room temperature.   (picture 6)
7. In a mixing bowl, beat butter until whipped and white.  Add in Swiss meringue and beat until well blended.  (picture 7)
8. Add in raspberry juice and beat until whipped and fluffy.  (picture 8)
9. Add salt and mix until well blended.  Spoon the mixture into the piping bag and pipe the filling onto the macaron half.  Top with another half and press gently so that it looks like a mini hamburger.  (picture 9)