You say Macaron, I say Macaroon

Whether you pronounce this delightful treat the French way ‘macaron’ or the English way ‘macaroon’ there is no denying they are heavenly! The price of these delights suggests that in spite of their ‘petite’ size and simple ingredients there must be a small degree of magic put into their creation. I do thrive on culinary challenges so I set out to discover if there was indeed magic in each small bite.

When FOCUS treated me to a voucher to Leith’s School of Food and Wine it was nearly a certainty that I would enroll for a baking course. And so it was never a more appropriate gift for me… my ticket to discover the secret behind macaroon making.  Keeping the calendar of FOCUS events running at a hectic pace this year meant I spent months anticipating the day I would finally get my chance to take this class. When the day arrived I waved goodbye to the team with a spring in my step.

Entering Leiths was like stepping into my dream world- pristine kitchens brimming with all the kitchen essentials plus enviable gadgets that only true foodies make room for in their kitchen.  Graciously greeted by one of the Leith's team members I was shown to the library where I met four other women equally eager to learn the art of macaroon making.

Before I could choose a book we were escorted to Kitchen 4 where the lovely and talented Ansobe started our tutorial. While demonstrating each step with precision, she calmly and clearly talked us through the recipe and we feverishly took notes in the recipe booklet provided.

At last it was our chance to give it a go ourselves. The excitement mounted as we boiled our sugar syrup and sifted our almond mixture. Ansobe moved between us ensuring we were not going off track. It was not long before we had each produced baking sheets with 20 beautifully coloured circles. While our creations rested Ansobe made a delicious salted caramel and discussed trouble shooting for some of the most common pitfalls.

The moment of truth then arrived!  As the oven doors opened baking trays revealed 120 perfect macaroons- each one with the essential ‘foot.’ A cheer was let out by all! We had in fact uncovered the magic behind macaroon making.

It was time to leave Leith’s so we waved goodbye with our treats in hand. I can’t wait to return to uncover the magic of another delight!

 

Written by Nancy Dickinson.  Nancy is the Director of Events and Seminars at FOCUS.

 

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