Yesterday was a glorious day here in London, I had a less than glorious morning (read: exam) and I was in dire need of a pep me up. I couldn't face the stuffy room I seclude myself in to revise, and the sun had come out. More than that- it was shining! The doom and gloom of the past 10 days of April downpours had abated and a few pals and I sought our cheering up in the form of a picnic with tasty tidbits from Wholefoods in Hyde Park.
Wholefoods was a whole new world for a foodie like myself, it was downright painful choosing lunch! I was cursing the girl who had suggested it. The only thing I knew I definitely wasn't getting was plain grilled tofu from the healthy bar. In fact I knew I would stay well clear of that entire area. Disclaimer: Wholefoods is insanely expensive however if you're not feeling too flush don't rule it out- instead "dine out" on the huge range of samples.
On a recommendation I found myself perusing the macaroon cabinet. Until this day, they'd been on my radar, as I'm always looking for a baking challenge, but they hadn't taken hold of my imagination in that way only a recipe can. I think that's because I'd never tasted one before- it's the only way I can explain this slip, this lapse in judgement. That's 22 years of macaroon munching I've missed out on. I loved how shiny they were and much to the (short lived) amusement of the server I spent quite a while on my choice and changed my mind mid order once or twice. I settled on a bright orangewater and a fauny caramel one. And my god- the path of my day changed in an instant. I ate both on route to the park, pre-lunch I might add, and was reserving an electric whisk to pick up on my way home 10 minutes later from my spot on the grass.
Later in the day, I began to doubt myself. Was making macaroons on a Monday night at 9pm really a good idea? They're the pinnacle of a pastry chef’s career! Was I setting myself up to fail? I'd had quite enough of that for one day. Was embarking on a quest to create macaroon perfection really a clever idea during exams? Would I catch macaroon madness and spend hours pulling out flat macaroons and crying over them instead of my text books? I needed reassurance so turned to my favourite macaroon enthusiast- Raspberri Cupcakes, who's so blasé about "macronage" she uses them as decorations. She in turn sent me to Brave Tart who rightly reminded me that "we're talking about a cookie here, not the Heisenberg uncertainty principal". After reading her ten commandments I set about making her basic recipe, and they came out perfect:
Look at those beauties!
My only "failure" is that I had dyed the mixture green...but considering they're filled with a simple lime buttercream, I can call them citrus and return them to the pedestal of perfection in my mind that they deserve.
Too long, didn't read (tl:dr) - I made macaroons for the first time today and they came out awesome. Try it for yourself- they're delicious.
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