Raspberry Lemon Macarons

My own father requested French macarons for Father's day.  They are so fun to eat, with their slightly crisp crust covering a soft, cake-like interior, and then the creamy buttercream in the middle.

I chose raspberry shells and filled them with lemon Swiss meringue buttercream.  Sweet, tangy, and delicious!

Lemon Swiss Meringue Buttercream

4 large egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
pinch salt
4 sticks (16 ounces) unsalted butter, soft, cut into 16 pieces
1/2 cup lemon curd

Place egg whites, vanilla, sugar, and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer and gently whisk over simmering water until sugar dissolves and mixture is 150 degrees, about 3-5 minutes. Place bowl on mixer and whip on high speed 7 minutes. Scrape down bowl. On medium speed, add butter 1 piece at a time, counting 10 seconds between additions. Mixture may look curdled. Increase speed to high and whip until it smooths out. Add the lemon curd and beat until fully incorporated.