I am slightly obsessed with french macaroons, how can you not be. Flavours like Jasmin mango, bergamot, lime and basil and praline make me go abit funny. Recently I visited Laduree Harrods and bought this box of macaroons. Choosing the flavours was so hard and after much deliberation I chose salted caramel (my favourite), icy mint, coffee, blackcurrant, vanilla and rose.
Louis Laduree opened his first patisserie tea salon in Paris in the 1870's. Today over 40 pastry chefs bake and create hundreds of macaroons a day. Notoriously difficult batches of macaroons often fail, a perfect macaroon should be crisp on the outside and slightly chewy in the middle with that perfect initial lift at the base.
Due to my 'macaroon madness' obsession I have tried and tested many recipes in search of perfection. The best recipe so far has come from Claire Clark's fantastic book 'Indulge'. I have spent many hours unsure as to why a certain batch of macaroons has just not worked out. The whisking of the egg whites and oven temp in crucial (use an oven thermometer!).
Macaroons are great to photograph and as I am so new to SLR photography I feel I am final getting to grips with my new camera and understanding light more. I can't wait to treat myself to a macro Lens.
Whilst I was in London I stumbled upon Divertimenti on Marlybone High Street, a culinary Aladdin's cave. I could have gone crazy but shopped with restraint and am looking forward to using these ring moulds and could not resist to pastel coloured ice cream bowls.
xxx
No comments:
Post a Comment