I said I would never do it but the challenge was too hard to resist any longer: I baked macarons.
The last two years, it seemed at least once a week (or more!) I'd run into macarons on some baking blog. The writer would speak of many spoiled batches where the feet didn't form or the tops cracked. My curiosity would bring me to read the recipe, see the egg whites and lose interest. It's been my experience that egg white based cookies are rarely very tasty. But show me enough posts on blogs across the internet where people are challenged by baking something (remember the creation of Chuck? His creation and continual use and existence is because of the challenge. Sourdough isn't on the top of my list of things I like to bake) and eventually I'm going to have to see what all the fuss is about.
I got down to making feet....
....and smooth tops. I'm not particularly sure what's so difficult about it. I followed the directions of the recipe I was using for Chocolate Macarons and that was that. In fact, I found it to be so uncomplicated that I'm sure that I must have had beginner's luck and the next time I make macarons the cookie sheet is going to be a mass of footless crackled tops.
Next time? Did I say next time? Oh yes, there's going to be a next time. These things are worth the hype! The first bite or two doesn't seem to be much--just lots of crisp, airy flavor bursting in your mouth--but pretty soon you realize that you are reaching for the second one.
Macarons are oddly addicting.
