Hi! I took part in a baker's event some time back, where each baker was challenged to use tea in their recipe. We had the option of choosing from a selection of tea from Newby. As I love fruity flavours, I chose the Strawberry & Mango Tea.

When brewed, this tea is very refreshing and surprisingly bright. The description from their site: "The sweetness of summer berries. The luscious richness of rip mangoes. The spiciness of fine black tea. Smooth and fruit-filled. A refreshing treat."

I rehydrated dried mangoes before, so I thought of trying the same technique on this tea, which is essentially dried strawberries and mango... and it worked! Was really happy with the result of the puree and incorporated it into the buttercream filling. I also kept some to be filled in the centre of the macarons, as the taste is mild in the buttercream. In the end, there wasn't much flavour of mango, mostly strawberries. 

Still a pretty unique flavour that carries some tartness. Try it out if you are looking for something special or if you have some dried fruits to spare! You can adjust the sugar level to suit your taste :)

STRAWBERRY & MANGO TEA MACARONS
by Sumopocky

Servings: ~ 8 macarons
Time: 1.5 hour active time + baking time

Ingredients:
[For Macaron Shells] 
Meringue: 35g of Egg whites + 45g of Castor sugar
40g of Almond flour
40g of Powdered/icing sugar
Black food colouring
Red food colouring

[For Tea Macaron Filling]
50g of Softened unsalted butter
25g of Icing/powdered sugar
20g of Strawberry & Mango Tea
200ml of Water
Red food colouring *optional
Directions:
[For Macaron Shells] 
1. Begin by making meringue. Beat the egg whites on low speed using an electric mixer until it is white and frothy (approximately 1 minute). Gradually add the sugar 1/4 at a time. When the first addition of sugar has completely dissolved (approximately 1 minute later), increase the mixer speed to medium and add until all the sugar has been incorporated. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
2. Sift the almond flour and icing sugar to the meringue.
3. Using a spatula, start the macaronage process until the wet and dry ingredients just start to combine. Read here on how to macaronage. 
4. Scoop out 2 tablespoon of batter and split into equal portions. To one half, add red food colouring to get pink. To the other half, add black food colouring. Transfer to piping bags with small tips.
5. To the remaining batter from Step 3, make a pale pink batter with red food colouring and continue the macaronage process until it has a molten-like mixture. Transfer to a piping bag with a medium sized opening.
6. On a tray lined with parchment paper, pipe out circles from batter in Step 5 about 2.5 cm in diameter. Knock on a flat surface to get rid of air bubbles and spread the batter.
7. To half of the shells, draw little pig's face. Pipe ears and snout with pink batter from Step 4. Then, draw on eyes and nostrils with black batter.
8. Let the shells dry for approximately 30 minutes in an air-conditioned room. You should be able to touch it gently with the tip of your finger without it sticking.
9. Bake in a preheated oven at 150°C for ~ 10 - 15 minutes. Let it cool.

[For Tea Macaron Filling]
1. In a small pot, bring the water and tea to a boil. Let it simmer until all the water has evaporated and the dried strawberries and mango are rehydrated. Stir it every once in a while to prevent it from burning. Let it cool.
2. Meanwhile, cream the butter using an electric mixer and add the icing sugar. Beat until it is light and fluffy. If you want, add red food colouring to get a pink colour.
3. Add half the puree from Step 1 to Step 2. Mix well. You can add more icing sugar till you get a desired texture. Transfer to a piping bag.
4. On a plain macaron shell, pipe out a ring with the buttercream from Step 3. Spoon out puree from Step 1 in the middle. Close with the little pig macaron shell.