Macaron madness

So, blog post here is pretty similar to my Facebook post yesterday. My dear friend Connie and I made macarons. After perusing four recipes, two of which I had tried before, we landed on one from The Daily Herald. It was the winning recipe after the local cook had experimented twelve times. After doing it twice, I understood why it took her twelve times to get it right. So after yesterday, I’ve done it three times, and I can tell you right now, I will not make it to twelve times. I won’t even aspire to twelve! Macarons are lovely little delicacies. When savoring one, you know you have had a treat. Macaron making, however, has variables way beyond me.

Ladurée, look out! Connie Macaron Komora (yes, she has officially changed her middle name to Macaron) and I, Jane Ganache Hoppe, will be stiff competition. Well, maybe not today but someday soon, we will move right next door to your famous bakery in Paris and give you a run for your money. Granted, Ladurée, you sell 15,000 gorgeous, perfectly domed, exquisitely colored, 36-flavored, luxurious macarons PER DAY, and Connie and I spent four hours TODAY making 48 lopsided, misshapen, cracked-meringue macarons in both vanilla and chocolate flavors (count ’em, two), both with a sublime dark chocolate ganache filling (count it, one flavor).

But you know what, Ladurée, I bet Connie and I had more fun. We laughed when we accidentally poked holes in the meringue. This happened a lot. We laughed when the macarons were so bulgy, they rolled around on the plate instead of sitting flat. Yes, we had a great time. And you know what, our macarons melt in the mouth, same as yours. Maybe we’ll stay right here and let you have the international macaron market.

Thanks to my French friend Françoise for giving me the fun macaron tablier et torchon—apron and dish towel—a few years ago after I went crazy for these cookies in France. Although Parisian bakeries' macarons are more famous, my taste buds favored macarons from Ortholan in Montpellier.