The Side Dish: Macaron Class at Sur La Table
Buon giorno, Friends! Or should I say, Bonjour mes amis!
Life has still been a bit stressful lately, which is why I have been quieter than usual both here on the blog and on social media. Peter still is not feeling 100% well yet. I will not lie: it has been exhausting for both of us. There has been some disappointment too. Our family trip to Italy has been postponed, which is a definite bummer, but a prudent decision since getting Peter healthy is the priority right now.
Since most of my engery has been focused on helping Peter and staying on top of things here at home, my little Inernet home has had to sit neglected for a bit. I always miss it, and I hope this post is the beginning of more regular posts. And I really hope that 2013 stops being a big, fat brat to us because honestly, we have had enough!
Despite the stress, I have been working hard at reminding myself to take some "me time" to focus on my physical and mental well-being. I am making sure to do small, "doable" things that are good for both body and soul: I am taking naps. I met a good friend for lunch. I went to get a pedi and a haircut. I did a little clothes shopping. I played a few games of fetch with Sienna. I am reading more. It has all been really, really nice.
Last Friday, I treated myself to a cooking class at Sur La Table where I learned how to make French macarons. This class was the perfect combination of my love of all things French and my adoration of baking, so there was no way I could pass this up! I received three gift cards to Sur La Table for my birthday last month {my family and friends know me well!}, so I used one of them to buy myself this class. Although I have only taken one other cooking class at Sur La Table, I have thoroughly enjoyed both experiences. The classes I have taken have both been well-organized and a lot of fun.
I have always thought that making macarons was impossibly difficult and best left to professionally trained pastry chefs, but it turns out that making these delightful and delicate French confections is something every home baker can accomplish. There are several steps to the process and it does take advance planning and preparation as well as a few dedicated hours, but if you stay organized, do not rush and break down the process, nothing about making macarons is particularly difficult. In the end, it is just a matter of practice and patience.
We had a wonderful instructor named Allison. She is a professional pastry chef, who earned her degree at Le Cordon Bleu in Austin. She was knowledgeable and detailed in her instruction and she exuded enthusiasm for both teaching and baking. She completely de-mystified the macaron-making process for me and made the class thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish.
Those are some of the macarons I piped myself!
There were only 7 students in the class {the perk of going to a cooking class on a weekday morning!} and we were divided into three groups, which made the learning experience feel more individualized. We all were able to ask a lot more questions and all of us were able to have turns mixing ingredients, piping the macaron batter, making the fillings and assembling the macarons.
There were Coconut macarons with banana buttercream filling... {blurry photo, sorry!}
Cinnamon macarons with espresso buttercream filling... {I could have eaten the filling alone, it was so good!}
And my group's creation, Cassis macarons with blueberry mascarpone filling... {we even brushed the tops of a few of them with gold luster dust. Fun!}
They didn't turn out as perfectly as the ones you see in bakeries, but that did not matter. I left the class feeling confident in the techniques I learned so that I can continue practicing making macarons on my own. I also left the class feeling refreshed and energized after having done something new, different and good for my soul.
I will be back soon with a new recipe. Until then, au revoir!
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So sad to hear that Peter is struggling and that Italy is postponed. love to all, Laura and Mike
Praying that Peter will make a full recovery so that yall can both enjoy the Italy trip! Next time you need some to join you in a class let me know!
They look lovely and delicious, Flavia. So glad you were able to treat yourself to some FUN. xoxo
I'm so sorry to hear that Peter is still not well and you weren't able to take your trip. 2013 really needs to shape up! I'm glad you are still finding some time to yourself though and I hope that macarons were a nice break from everything else.
So sorry to hear about your husband, I hope he recovers quickly! I'm glad you are still able to do things that bring you joy - this class looks like so much fun. I'm going to attempt macarons tomorrow - fingers crossed! :)