>French Macarons- a love affair

>I follow the blog called Paris Breakfasts, and the author and followers are in love with macarons.  I didn’t see what the big deal was.  They’re colorful, pretty looking, and look tasty, but why all the hype?  Well, when we were in Paris we decided to try out Laduree ourselves- we waited in the line for a long while under the beautiful painted ceiling and were tempted by a rainbow display of beautiful cookies and desserts in the window.  If you’re wondering what they look like, Laduree supplied the desserts for the Marie Antoinette movie and they look every part the colorful deliciousness that they are.  One bite into them and Jeanette MacDonald started singing “Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life” in my head.  Wow- cookie bliss.  My favorites were the citrus and berry flavors, and the rose.
A few girlfriends were taking a class yesterday up in LA, so I figured in a long-distance sort of way I’d join in! A friend came down to visit and she, my husband, and I tried our hand.  We used this recipe, (he has more linked here) and I think for a first try they came out really well!  We didn’t have a pastry bag so we used a zip lock baggie and cut a little hole in the corner.  Heck, it worked.  They came out yummy, but we did bake them a little too long because they were crispy all the way through.  A few of the larger ones did have close to the right consistency.  Not too bad for a first try, but we will definitely try it again!