Sunday, February 27, 2011

The Macaroon Squabble

I'm not really sure I can call myself a baker, although I think my boyfriend would beg to differ. I think he seems to enjoy anything that comes out of the oven that is made by me. But I must tell you, I don't cook...I bake.

Baking to me is instant gratification and involves a much more fun outcome...always something sweet and the baker always gets to lick the bowl ;-)


I wouldn't call myself a baker as I'm no expert on the terminology or such things as Dacquoise, Foam Cakes, a Charlotte dessert, or Boiled Icing.

And...I've always been a bit perplexed with what the heck a macaroon is! I've eaten (or rather, devoured) my fair share of coconut macaroons and I've seen the cutest whoopie pie/Oreo cookie looking French macaroons. But really, what's behind the "macaroon" because a coconut and french macaroon look nothing alike?

Well, according to Dictionary.com, a macaroon is, "a drop cookie made of egg whites, sugar, usually almond paste or coconut, and sometimes a little flour."

And according to wikipedia, "A macaroon (/mækəˈruːn/ mak-ə-ROON }}) is a type of light, baked confection, described as either small cakes or meringue-like cookies depending on their consistency. The original macaroon was a "small sweet cake consisting largely of ground almonds"[1] similar to Italian or Moroccan amaretti."

Here (so we all have a visual) is an actual Lemon Meringue Tart courtesy of H Cakes.


By searching Google Images, I noticed Lauduree has to be THE expert when it comes to French Macaroons. As you can see below is the Laduree storefront captured by Moodboard


And their macaroons are absolutely adorable...



Because the coconut macaroon is one of my favorite treats, I was intrigued to try my hand at making them. How hard could it be, right?

This is definitely something I will have to perfect because although the taste was fantastic...it's really all about the presentation, and that is where I came up lacking.


So with some practice, I'm sure to perfect the coconut macaroon. Until then, here is what I imagined mine to look something like...

Courtesy Of: About-recipes.com

In the process of making coconut macaroons, I've learned what exactly they are, and I can now say I know what Dacquoise, Foam Cakes, Charlotte style desserts, and Boiled Icing are!

And all in all, my biggest fan seemed to like what came out of the oven, and that's pretty much all that mattered.


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