Instructions

1. Place the frozen pistachios in the bowl of a food processor with 1 ounce of powdered sugar. Process until the pistachios are ground into a fine powder. The addition of the powdered sugar should help the pistachios grind up fine.
2. Add half of the almond meal and half of the remaining powdered sugar; pulse until combined and processed. Sift into a large bowl and repeat process with remaining almond meal and powdered sugar. Sift the mixture two more times and set aside.
3. Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the cream of tartar over the eggs and hand mix the two together with the whisk attachment for the stand mixer. Fasten the whisk attachment and beat the mixture on medium speed until foamy. Slowly add the granulated sugar and beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Increase the speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form.
4. Sift 1/3 of the almond mixture into the bowl with the meringue. Fold the ingredients together with a large spatula until incorporated. Continue sifting and folding until all the almond mixture is incorporated into the meringue and the mixture should drip slowly off the spatula; like lava flowing.
5. Transfer the batter to a large piping bag fitted with a 1/2? tip and pipe 1 1/3 inch rounds onto a silpat covered baking sheet. There are several different templates out there. Two that I liked are here and here.
6. Preheat oven to 325.
7. You’re going to LOVE this next part! Once all the batter has been piped or your sheets are full, grab the edges of the pan, secure the silpat with your thumbs (or any extra batter) and rap the pans on the counter. This releases any remaining air bubbles in the meringue. Continue rapping the sheets, turning occasionally, until no more air bubbles surface. Allow the macaron to rest on the counter at least 30 minutes.
8. Once they’ve rested and the tops are no longer sticky to the touch, bake at 325 for 9 minutes. Rotate the pans front to back and top to bottom and bake an additional 9 minutes. Do the wiggle test to see if the meringue is cooked. If the tops move easily from side to side when wiggled, indicating the meringue isn’t completely cooked, then continue to cook in 4 to 5 minutes intervals until they no longer wiggle.
9. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely before filling. For optimum flavor, allow them to set overnight before filling.
10. Microwave the chopped chocolate and half in half in a microwave safe bowl for 1 minute. Stir and then continue to heat in 30 second intervals until the chocolate is melted.
11. Add the passionfruit rum and stir with a whisk until combined. Pour into a pastry bag fitted with a round tip and cool until thickened.
12. Pipe a dime sized round of ganache onto a macaron and top with a second macaron; making sure to match the size and shape of each pair.