macarons

Macaroons

Don't knoe whether you guys caught the article regarding the much sought after macaroons on the sunday times the last weekend. But here's just my thoughts and reviews regarding the varieties available now.

'Macarons seem to be everywhere' (as adapated from the sunday times November 11 'BIG ON MACARONS' article)... well i guess tts very true. However the scale tilts towards the popularity of french macarons (spelt with a single 'o'). These colorful confections are both appealing to the eye and sweet to the tasters thus explaining its broad appeal. Whimsical creations, i never quite understood the hype till i got my hands on the wonderful macarons made by my fren Evangeline at bossacafez. After then, my journey with macarons reached an abrupt tasting after i tasted the most 'sweetest' (pun intended, sweetness level was one tt made me cringe); the taste of the almond was almost non-existant. Till then i wld often stop to admire these little things but never to purchase them even when i stumbled upon the beautiful display at canele patessierie.

Essentially, macaroons consists of 3 basic ingredients, almonds, egg whites and sugar. Simple as it sounds, the different preparation methods could produce a wide variety of macaroons.

I had the privilege of tasting another 2 variations with the help of Babe who generously surprised me with two packs from Dolci after reading the article on the sunday times. *thanks sweetie*.. They were the Brutti Ma Buoni and the Italian Amaretto. the former described as ugly had a crunchier texture as compared to the latter due to the use of crushed almonds as compared to grounded almonds. I loved these coz the almond flavor was much more pronounced and the texture of the pastry reminded me somewhat of a wholesome cookie. The latter on the other hand was chewier, a tad sweeter and held more elegant shapes after being piped. I prefer these as they had a wonderful and intricate flavor tt cld be savoured with every nibble.
enjoyed these with a cup of coffee whilst pondering aimlessly through my course notes. Life can be good sometimes.

meanwhile, my birthday wish list is growing longer. and as expected they mostly consist of baking related stuff. Kk, lets see. here are some stuff tt i REALLIE reallie want!

  • Books - 'Sticky Chewy Messy Gooey' by jill o connor
    'Demolition Desserts' by Elizabeth Falkner
    'Desserts by the yard' by Sherry Yard
  • Kitchen Aid (i want a red or yellow one!)
  • Cupcake Stands
  • More Silicon Baking Pans
  • Cookies Cutters ( BIG NICE ONES!!! ones tt i can do cookie decorating on)
  • A set of Ramekin Cups
  • Valrhona chocolate or an expensive slab of french chocolate
  • Accessories from Anthology
  • Canvas shoes from River Island (i'm a size 4.. dun understand their sizes there. Its a miracle i've such small feet. Hmph...)
  • A pot of Mint plant

yep.. i'll update the list as it goes. heeh. and here's a sneak peak of the bdae venue. Still deciding upon the theme of the party and i reallie do wish my guest wld be spontaneous about it. I guess slightly insane guests are welcomed then tt wld spice it up a little.. orite, i'll just leave my ideas to myself. hehe. Till then, guess everyone has to pull up their socks for the exams then.

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