French Macarons

Finally – successful macarons! I made these, but not without help.

I took Chez Pim’s Macaron Madness class at the lovely Love Apple Farms. My first attempt to make these addictive treats at home was not exactly successful.

I’ve been wanting to try again, but I decided I needed confidence in the form of some actual instruction. There were a number of little tips and tricks I learned, including what the batter should look like before piping the shells. Also: I used a French meringue at home, but in class we used an Italian meringue (cooked sugar added to egg whites).

My baking partner suggested we use pink food coloring, and I was totally on-board with that. Pim taught us to make fillings – chocolate ganache, salty caramel, and a white chocolate cream that can be used as a base or compliment to other flavors (Pim puts a dollop of her jam in the middle of a bit of the white chocolate cream). I used some raspberry jam mixed with the white chocolate cream to make a raspberry filling that was flavorful but probably a little too runny.

I make so much ice cream, I’m always left with whites – so macarons are a perfect companion to my frozen adventures. I think I’ll try a couple of different fillings – a Swiss buttercream, and this olive oil ganache (this recipe for the shells is similar to Pim’s).

• French Macarons (Chez Pim’s Macaron Madness)