Mission to Macarons

There is a certain food that has been trying to bump cupcakes out of my #1 favorite sweet treat spot for a while now. I am referring to the adorable French Macaron. Not to be confused with the coconutty overly sweet macaroons. From wikipedia:

"It is meringue-based: made from a mixture of egg whites, almond flour, and both granulated and confectionery sugar. The confectionery is characterized by its smooth, domed top, ruffled circumference, and flat base. Connoisseurs prize a delicate, egg shell-like crust that yields to a moist and airy interior. The French macaron differs from other macaroons in that it is filled with cream or butter like a sandwich cookie, and can be found in a wider variety of flavors that range from the traditional (raspberry, chocolate) to the exotic (truffle, matcha tea)"

Doesn't that just sound beautiful and tasty?

I had my first macaron about 3-4 years ago. I was at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco having brunch. The dessert table was overwhelming, but in a very very good way. They had all of the typical options like tiramisu, cheesecakes and napoleons. Around one side of the table were 4-5 bowls filled with mini macarons! I have been reading food blogs for years so I knew what macarons were, in theory, but I couldn't imagine what they tasted like. (Sidenote: I have what I consider to be a pretty unusual ability to be able to very accurately imagine what things will taste like. If I know the majority of the ingredients in a dish I can almost taste it in my mind. This makes watching the Food Network very interesting and also torturous.) So I'm pretty sure I grabbed one of each flavor on my plate. I remember putting the first one in my mouth and being shocked. They were light and chewy. The chocolate one had a very light chocolate flavor but a very deep ganache filling. The raspberry one was perfectly fruity and not too sweet. I even like the pistachio one and I am not usually a fan of pistachio flavored things. Long story short (TOO LATE, KAYLA!) I kind of fell in love. I also was on a mission.

Unlike cupcakes, macarons are not on every single street corner. Over the past few years I've really only had macarons a handful of more times. The best of those times, of course, being from Thomas Keller's Bouchon. His macarons are also the size of a drink coaster. So you can't go wrong there.

Where was I going with this? Oh yes. So I've been tired of only being able to come across these precious little gems every once in a blue moon and I decided I am going to make them myself.

Through reading all of my various food blogs, I almost scared myself out of doing it. There are so many steps! There are so many bloggers who made 4, 5, or even 6 batches before coming out with something that even remotely looked like a macaron. I didn't want to set myself up for disappointment. I was not cocky enough to think "Well I am going to get it right on the first try."

Puh-lease. I can barely brush my teeth correctly on the first try, let's just be honest here. The other thing I had going against me was all of the warnings that you had to follow instructions exactly in order for these things to come out o.k. In case you didn't know, I am not one for precision. "Good enough" is usually "good enough" for me. Perfection and precision are not my bag. Plus, you needed a kitchen scale! You have to measure things in grams and/or ounces! Who does that? (The answer: Bakers. Real bakers measure things in grams/ounces, Kayla.) Despite all of the things stacked against me, I decided that I had to try.

Part II to follow...

Cupcakes bridging the gap

I promise there are some baking posts to come in the future. I pinky promise. In the meantime I wanted to share a cute experience I just had involving cupcakes and teenagers. My favorite and least favorite things, respectively.

I made a run to Lunardi's this afternoon because I needed to buy some almond flour and Safeway doesn't carry it. (Sidenote: Did you know that a small bag of almond flour costs $11??? Is that highway robbery or what? From now on I will buy it in bulk if I need it). Anyway, as I was walking in the store I saw someone sitting at a table outside with flyers, etc. and I thought "Oh crap, someone is going to try to sell me/get me to sign something" so I walked quickly by just barely glancing. I was wrong though. It was just a couple of high school kids selling cupcakes! To make it even more awesome, they were donating all of the money they made to help towards the BP oil spill. Could that be any cuter/more awesome???

I went inside and bought my grossly overpriced almond flour and when I came back out I walked over to their table. I told them I didn't want a cupcake but I did want to donate to their cause and they were stoked. They said "Don't you want a cupcake?? Everyone loves cupcakes!" I laughed. I told them I loved cupcakes more than anyone they know and I could prove it. I turned around and showed them my cupcake tattoos and they thought they were "so cool." They asked if I was a baker and I told them I am an aspiring baker, I hope to be a professional someday but right now it's just for fun. They asked me if tattoos hurt and I was honest. I told them they hurt but it isn't the worst pain ever, by any means. I also told them to wait to get their first tattoos and to make sure its something they really want. I told them to check out my license plate when I drove away, since that says Cupcake too and then the one kid said "You are, like, the coolest chick EVER."

Hahahahah!!

Did you guys know? I am the coolest chick ever. So says some 15 year old kid.

It made me smile though. Maybe not all teenagers are horrible little bastards.

Oh, what was I buying the almond flour for? For that, you'll just have to check back later this week.