Macaron Food Camp

It has taken me some time to recover from the Bubblypalooza French Food Camp.  We started at noon and the last guests left again around 9pm, not counting the house guests who sat up later drinking Krug and Ruinart with me….a most memorable day that I was unfortunately unable to photograph because I was hosting.  But we had thirty guests, and it was crazy fun.  When the guests were seated, all at one long table under the loggia, it looked like this….with incredible peonies and lots of silver and crystal and generously oversized napkins at each place setting.

It was luxe. It was divine.  It was sumptuous and organic and local.  It was outstanding, if I do say so myself.  After our eight Champagnes and eight organic chickens, homemade pasta and duck fat croutons made from the magnificent Bread Artisan Bakery miche, we had dessert.   I kept it “simple” with flourless chocolate cakes in various sizes, organic cherries dipped in chocolate, a trio of lemon verbena, rose geranium and peach-champagne sorbets, and 150 Paris-style macarons.  The week before I made 900 twelve inch crepes, which I have yet to blog about, but  the thought of making 150 macarons wasn’t all that daunting.  They were slightly irregular as I wanted some to be bite-sized. 

I made Pierre Hermé chocolate macarons, and filled them quite generously with coffee buttercream, and when the buttercream ran out I added chocolate ganache to the pastry bag and made coffee-chocolate swirl.  These were a bit chewey, but also delicious~

There were passion fruit and lemon and a raspberry buttercream; various flavors to suit every taste….and at the end of the day, every single macaron was gone….eaten or taken home.   The tray by the way is from Mary of QStreetQvale….made for eggs, but don’t they work for macarons as well???


France, and Paris especially, loves color.

 For macarons, colors and flavors, nature inspires~

Though I’d also say, in France and Paris in particular, interior decor inspires.  Pink and pistachio Empire chaise…

Pillow…macaron…?  Oui.

  
or pistachio…make mine the real deal ones from Sicily, raw like this and true green. Note the price of the best…around $38 per pound....

Each French Food Camp is a logical progression from the last, and for one last month we will delve into the world of macarons.  Don’t call it a cookie, it’s not a cookie.  It’s a pure Parisian confection, and it can be finicky.
 

For our next event, Saturday June 20th, we will focus solely on the beloved Macaron.  I’ll show you all the secrets of how to mix the batter, how to get the coveted foot, and how to dress, fill and store them.  What to look for and what to avoid…you will learn it all.

If you love Macarons and make them at home, bless you…if you buy them for $3 each and want to know how to make them yourselves, this class is for you.  We will have a simple lunch of salmon caesar salad, and tea with all the trimmings, but we will spend a solid three+ hours on how to make, fill {and eat} macarons.  The class is $65 and you can sign up HERE. 

Have a lovely weekend, and be sure to indulge in something sweet!