Old-fashioned macarons

Keep leftover egg whites from separating eggs in a container in the fridge for up to two or three weeks; they are the best thing to use in patisserie and save breaking eggs.

Put all the almond meal and all the sugar in a bowl and mix with a spoon to a nice blend of ground almonds and sugar.

Add about 60 g of egg white and incorporate it slowly; the mass must stay rather solid and uniform, not liquid.

The macaronnade: mix and then flatten the mass, pressing down really hard -- but stop short of making an almond paste.

Fill a piping bag, standing it in a jar; leave room at the top because the paste expands.

Pipe small mounds; the opening is about one and a half centimetres, about half an inch, and the size of the macaron is up to you.

Brush a little plain water on top of each and flatten any peaks slightly.

Bake at 180C, non-fan for this recipe, 10 to 15 minutes depending on size, until they flatten a little and take a chestnut light brown colour with cracks on top.

Cooked at 15 minutes. They are dry like biscuits on the first day and good beside coffee.

Keep them one or two days in a cupboard and they go a little soft and gooey inside, like a meringue, and do not break when pressed.

Sandwich two with peanut butter, or chocolate, or any filling, to recreate the double macaron.