MACARON MAKING!

Ah, my love for macarons! They are so moreish and so pretty to look at.
Macarons are colourful meringue-based almond treats made from a mixture of egg whites, almond flour, and both granulated and confectionery sugar.

The other day I had the opportunity to take a macaron making course with friend M. I love macarons and have tried from many places both here in Mauritius and back in London. My absolute favourites are from Laduree (especially the rose flavour) with their light and crispy shells but I'm also a fan of the chewy type too. I couldn't miss out on the opportunity of learning to make my own and also get cracking in fulfilling my new year goals of cooking and baking more!

Macarons from Laduree

We set off in the morning to drive up to our lesson up in the North hosted by the lovely Alice! The course is held with max. 3 people at a time which makes it a more cosy, friendly experience where you get to know each other other than just first names lol

The course started off with an introduction on how to make macarons and the 3 flavours we were making. Alice showing us a step to step guide (as well as some useful tips) on making the macaron shells and then showed us how to make the lemon curd filling.

First batch of shells

We then go the chance to get our hands dirty in making the second batch of shells. The second batch of shells rose more compared to the first batch (pink shells) and they were less glossy on the surface but I prefer it this way as they looked more homemade.

Took some getting use to the piping...

 Two tone colour from previous pink batch

Looking lovely in the oven

Thin crispy macaron shells

The second filling we made was coconut with white chocolate and the last filling was dark chocolate ganache (which had already been prepared in advance)

Whilst the last batch of shells were baking in the oven, we were offered a lovely salad for lunch by Alice and it was a lovely opportunity to get to the know the lovely hostess.

Dishing out the salad

Once all the shells were ready and cooled down, the fun bit of filling them started!
We sat outside on the terrace with a nice cup of tea and filled these lovely colourful saucers with the 3 fillings. It was quite therapeutic! lol

 Look at that dark chocolate ganache!

 Taking shape! Looking good!

With a nice cup of tea

We also got to take all the macarons home at the end!

It was a nice change from the usual mommy weekday routine and hopefully it is the start of more baking for me. Hoping to test out my macaron making skills soon!

The course is 3-4hrs long and is offered by La Cuisine D'Alice. She doesn't do the courses all the time so it might be worth checking her Facebook page for any updates!

I thoroughly enjoyed the course and would recommend it to anybody!

A little trivia - Did you know March 20 is the Jour du Macaron in Paris - Macaron Day! Pierre Herme created the idea over 10 years ago and at Pierre Herme and few other patisseries in Paris and around the world, customers will line up for a selection of 3 free macarons. In return, it is customary to give a donation at the door to a selected charity.


Who likes macarons and what is your favourite flavour?