Desserts

Macaronic Fever

It"s Saturday morning and I"m craving for macarons. My devotion to this French pastry is so severe (yes, I"m using the word "severe" on macaroons) that I"m starting to find it a little odd. Colleague JL was sweet to get me Canelé macarons for Christmas last year. I was so thrilled when I retrieved the box from the pantry"s refrigerator, I was fighting to hold in a little girlish squeal. Not that I hardly get to eat these celestial drops from heaven (because trust me, I think I ingest more macarons than rice in my regular diet) but amazingly, this is what a macaron does to me. It turns me into this sugar-crazy sweet-toothed monster.   Canelé PÃþtisserie macarons, box of 6   Just the fact that it looks like a mini hamburger gets me all woozy. And they come in so many different colours; you get what I call  "The Macaron Colour-Therapy Dilemma" when you stand in front of the glass case trying to decide which colour you should have to match the Mood of the Day. Say... a raspberry pink when you"re feeling feminine and romantic, a pistachio green for a little spiritual boost, or maybe a sunny lemon yellow for feeling happy and gay (pun unintended). And the flavours that come with those colours, oh god. Now I"ve heard many people argue that all macarons seem to taste the same (simply sweet and extremely sugary) and if these confections were all made in one single colour, they can never decipher a raspberry dark chocolate from a lemon lavender. Let me just take this chance to contest that claim - which, to me, is terribly unfair to the French pastry and its creators. Macarons are definitely not merely sugar.  It is a brilliant invention of fresh ganache cream sandwiched between two moist, airy cookie shells. If you could take a moment to bite into one (just a small delicate bite please) and allow it to rest on your taste buds, a well-made macaron very slowly melts on the tongue and the flavour infuses into the soul. And then, you see words popping up in your head: Ahh, that"s what a ROSE petal must taste like. Ooh, and the cream is PRALINE. Oh, and if you get sugar-high easily, there"s a chance you might start seeing some stars too. And so, 5 minutes after retrieving that box of 6 macarons from the refrigerator, I looked up guiltily at colleague JL and whispered, Hey, guess what? I finished them  all. JL whipped her chair around and screamed, What?? You finished 6 macarons in 5 minutes? You are terrible, it"s not even Christmas Day yet! I just can"t resist those damn macarons. PS. If you are convinced by my obsession, feel free to visit my favourite macaron store Canelé PÃþtisserie Chocolaterie in Singapore. My all-time favourites are Rose and Pistache - the most simple and straight-forward flavours. PPS. Macarons are notoriously difficult to make. So, as much as I enjoy baking, I don"t even dare to think of trying on Macarons. Maybe I"m just too lazy. Unless of course, someone out there has made them before and wouldn"t mind teaching me a skill or two. ;) PPPS. Macarons are not macaroons. Or rather, Macarons are French macaroons. Confusing? While macarons are pretty to look at, macaroons are... well, not as fancy and do not come in the form of mini burgers. Google / Wiki to find out more about Macarons and Macaroons.


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