Baking #1

"Faites-vous des amis prompts à vous censurer." - Boileu.

Make friends with those who would be quick to criticise you.

I felt a french quote was relevant considering I baked French Macaroons, or Macarons, whichever you prefer.

The recipe I used was: http://britishfood.about.com/od/eorecipes/r/Easy-Macaron-Recipe.htm

It was really easy to follow and I loved making them.

Here is a summary of how to make french macaroons:

1. Whip the egg whites and caster sugar together to form stiff peaks which don't fall out of the bowl when you turn it over your head...

2. Add any pretty colouring that you want. I chose red because it was the 23rd of December and I wanted them to be christmassy. Also gel colouring is better to use than liquid as it maintains the air in the mixture...

3. Sieve in the icing sugar-almond mixture and fold into the bowl. Sieving will help remove larger pieces of nut that you do not want...

5. Pipe the mixture into a circular shape onto a lined baking tray...

6. Bake in a preheated oven for the given time or until they look fabulous...

 

7. Create the butter icing to use as a filling. I chose a mint green colour to match the christmas theme which also has a vanilla flavouring.

Spread onto half the cooled macaroons...

8. Sandwich together the biscuits to create your full macaroon...

finished products

They may not look perfect or shop bought but that is the art of home baking. The rustic, messy look is perfect and makes them even more enjoyable.

I bake a lot so I will probably be doing many posts like this one.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Lauren.