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Remember back when we had no idea that a macaron was different to a macaroon? For a brief moment in time, we had our meringue all confused with our coconut and no one was really sure what was going on.
And then we fell in love.
Macaroons are great and all, but have you ever been out with a macaron? That's love, baby. Sweet, sweet love.
Each biscuit is created perfectly imperfectly so no two are quite the same. That delicately crisp meringue shell melting enchantingly into its creamy centre, each bite an unfolding symphony... sorry, love has a way of bringing the hack poet out in us all.
Fortunately, the most wonderfully poetic thing about the macaron is that it's available to everyone. All of us, any time, because while the macaron presents as a high-maintenance princess in a castle in the clouds, at heart they're a simple sweet, no trouble to anyone.
Once you get to know them, of course.
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It's love, so naturally, the French started the whole thing. It's only fitting that we celebrate their ingenuity with a batch of French flag macarons. Plus reveal their secrets: the trick to preventing macarons from cracking is to let them rest for an hour before baking. Shhh...
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A further secret to making the perfect macaron is to store them in the fridge for a few hours after baking, then bring them back to room temperature before serving. That's how you get the coveted chewy-crispy-melty texture. Practice the technique often using this chocolate macarons recipe.
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Take your chocolate macaron next level with this Tim Tam slam situation. All the chocolate you love rolled in crushed Tim Tam biscuits. Slam us up!
While we're on the subject of classic Aussie tastes, do you fancy adding a little Vegemite to your macaron? Hear us out: it works a lot like salted caramel, only saltier and sweeter and better.
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St-Emilion in the southwest of France is equally famous for macarons as Paris. These aren't posh city macarons, though. Rather, the rustic St-Emilion version consists of a single almond biscuit without ganache or fanfare. Which makes them perfect for layering with chocolate mousse to create your new die-for dessert.
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Here's a recipe for a vanilla biscuit-chocolate cream macaron where renowned French pâtissier, Pierrick Boyer, steps us through the basics. He wisely counsels that macarons can take a little while to master, so keep trying. Fortunately, even a "failed" macaron using this recipe tastes divine.
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Trust Guillaume Brahimi to put a fancy spin on a classic. This is how to serve macarons at your next dinner party - a light and airy raspberry confection that is just as much art as dessert. Your guests won't know whether to eat it or hang it on a wall. Our advice? Eat the macaron.
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Let's end our macaron mingling with a choc cherry blast. Chocolate macaron shells with a rich cherry filling - sound familiar in the best possible way?
SBS Food is a 24/7 foodie channel for all Australians, with a focus on simple, authentic and everyday food inspiration from cultures everywhere. NSW stream only. Read more about SBS Food
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