Basil and pine nut macarons

Hurricane Irene came and went. The New Yorkers, who didn't have to evacuate, were stuck home and, stricken by cabin fever, decided to use some of this extra food they frantically packed in their cupboard for the long weekend and spent some time by their miniature stove. I am no exception. What else was there to do this weekend? Listen to the media go on and on over Irene? No thank you. In the end, I made ice cream, berry pancakes, a custard pie, a paella.... I think we all gained weight in the end. Final assessment of Irene's damages: + 5 pounds per head in this house.
This past week, however, a dear friend of mine was kind enough to share her excess basil with me so I could bake macarons - Thank you Allie! Indeed, I had the excentric idea to make basil shells and fill them up with pine nut paste. Call these: "pesto macarons"! I wasn't too sure how my shells would turn out if I incorporated chopped leaves in them, but I was pleasantly surprised. The shells had a delicious basil aroma when coming out of the oven and tasted even better on my palate.

Basil & Pine Nut Macarons: (Macarons au Basilique et aux Pignons de Pin)

90g aged egg whites (about 3, aged on your kitchen counter 24 hours or longer)
110g almond meal
200g powdered sugar
30g granulated sugar
1 cup of fresh basil leaves, chopped as small as possible

optional: green food coloring (preferably in powder form)

Pine Nut Paste for the filling:

1/2 cup pine nuts

2 tbsp powdered sugar

2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1/4 tsp sea salt

Sift together the almond meal and powdered sugar in a big bowl.  You don't want any lumps in there. Throw in the finely chopped basil.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer. You may add the green food coloring at this point if you wish. When the whites start foaming, throw in the granulated sugar. Beat on high until stiff peaks form.
With a rubber spatula, dump the egg whites in the almond mixture and FOLD gently until the dry ingredients and egg whites are well married. However, do not stir too much. Run a knife through. If the line disappears after ten seconds, stop folding.
Throw this paste in a large  decorator bag (fitted with an Ateco #807 tip if possible) and pipe away on a silpat covered baking sheet. The macarons should be about 2 inches in diameter and 1 inch apart as they spread a little.
Let them rest for 20 to 30 minutes. Pre-heat your oven on 280F.
Bake the macarons for 18 minutes (keep an eye on them and you can give them a push with a finger to see if they are set). Let cool completely.

Prepare the filling by throwing the pine nuts in a food processor. Process until crumbly and add in the powdered sugar and salt. Pulse until incorporated. Add in the softened butter and pulse some more until the mixture is creamy.
Spread a layer of this pine nut paste on a shell and cover with another shell. Repeat with all shells and refrigerate overnight to allow the filling to harden and the flavors to marry.