i ♥ macarons...

photo of  i ♥ macarons by Hisako Ogita

when starting out in the domesticating world, most people would learn things little by little.  start with something easy and simple and once they have mastered it move on to something more challenging.  when it comes to mastering french cuisine and baking what did we decide to start with... only something that even the most advanced bakers have a hard time getting just right... of course...

macarons!

photo of  i ♥ macarons by Hisako Ogita

armed with all the right ingredients and equipment (sort of) and what we think is the macaron bible, we set out to make our perfectly puffed french confections. how hard could this be?

so we are well on our way making the meringue... mixing, whisking, macaronage, macaroner (these are not made up terms, but actual stages in mastering the meringue science... oh yeah, it's a science).  we form not so perfect little circles on the baking sheet, and "rap" the baking sheet to form the "pied" or "foot" (which we are still not completely sure what "rapping" is... we both had our own interpretations) and into the oven they go.

next up, buttercream macaron filling.  you would think this would be the easier of the two processes, no?  we did, and so it started off.  mix water and sugar and heat it in the microwave for one minute.  take it out and stir until sugar is completely dissolved and put in the microwave for another 4 minutes.

m: 4 minutes! that seems like a long time, are you sure?

p:  that's what it says... 4 minutes.  

m: ok!

(3 minutes later)

m:  i think it's burning.  it's black!!!

due to the fact that our buttercream is a bubbling, black mess, we make the executive decision to take the mixture out 1 minute early.  when we remove the scalding hot mixture from the microwave (which is now smoking) and gently place it in the sink, our actions are followed with giant explosion of caramelized chunks of glass everywhere!!!

still unsure where we went wrong???