Black Sesame Macarons with Stabilized Orange Liqueur Whipped Cream

Tried the recipe I Love Macarons by Hisako Ogita recently and found it really good so I'm sharing this recipe with you peeps.

Although i had reduce the temperature to 150C my macarons still turned slightly brown for my previous attempts so last night after the macarons started to puff up i covered the top with an aluminum foil.

Black Sesame Macarons
(makes approximately 2 dozen macarons)
(adapted from I Love Macarons by Hisako Ogita)

85g grounded almonds
150g powdered sugar
2 tbsp black sesame powder
90g egg whites, room temperature
65g caster sugar

Method

1. Mill grounded almonds, powdered sugar and black sesame powder in a food processor.
2. Sift x 2 the milled mixture from step 1 into a mixing bowl.
3. With an electrical mixer, beat the egg whites until foamy, add in the caster sugar and beat until glossy and stiff peaks form.
4. Fold half of the sifted dry ingredients into the egg whites until combined then add in the rest of the dry ingredients and mixed until thoroughly combined.
5. Line baking tray with parchment paper and pipe the batter into 2cm circles onto the parchment paper until batter is used up. Let the shells rest for approximately 30-45mins for the surface to be dry.
6. Preheat oven to 150C and bake the shells for 15mins, remove from oven immediately and let it cool completely before removing the shells from the baking tray.

Stabilized Orange Liqueur Whipped Cream
(adapted from Diana's Dessert)

1 teaspoon powdered gelatin
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
3 tbsps orange juice
2 tbsps Grand Marnier Liqueur or any orange flavored liqueur
A few drops orange color paste (optional)

Instructions:
Refrigerate the mixing bowl and beaters for at least 15 minutes. In a small heatproof measuring cup, place gelatin and water. Allow to soften for 5 minutes. Set cup in a pan of simmering water and stir occasionally until gelatin is dissolved. (Or heat for a few seconds in the microwave.) Cool to room temperature. Gelatin must be liquid but not warm when added to cream.

With an electric mixer, beat the cream and sugar in the chilled bowl just until traces of beater marks begin to show distinctly. Add the gelatin mixture in a steady stream, beating constantly. Add orange juice and grand marnier just until stiff peaks form when beaters are raised.