Anyway, despite the crazy wind and yellow sand blowing all over the city, I met up with Deb this afternoon and her friend Anne at The Fig Tree, a newly opened patisserie and baking school. Deb emailed us earlier this week to see if we were interested in taking a macaroon baking class. Those of you who know me, know I love macaroons. My old team and I used to buy boxes and boxes of Laduree macaroons whenever we went to Paris for work. So when Deb told us about this class, I had to try it out!
Well, making macaroons is NOT EASY. And no, Chi Chi, it's not simply taking two cookies and slapping them together with a bit of creme inside (although we did do that, but we had to MAKE the cookies first)! Anyway, if there's anything I learned today, it's the fact that macaroons are hard to make, and I'm more of an eater than a macaroon baker!
Still, the class was a lot of fun. The Fig Tree was a really nice school in Chaowai SOHO, and it's refreshing to have someone like our instructor Lin try to pioneer the baking industry in Beijing. Maybe one day we'll see a Crumbs cupcake shop here...or better yet, Magnolia Bakery...yummm :)
Unfortunately, I didn't take step-by-step photos because I was busy measuring, whisking and piping. I also don't think my career will ever lie in baking, because I was one of those retarded students who screwed up left and right during class. My meringue went flat at one point, and the teacher pointedly showed it to the rest of the class as "This is an example of what NOT to do." Oops.
Oh well, my macaroons did turn out ok in the end - no cracking, no falling apart, and according to Mike, they taste yummy!!!
Anne and Deb, eager and ready to learn
Whisking by hand is just way too much work
My second batch of meringue with powder sugar, almonds, vanilla extract and food coloring
So this is what macaroons look like before you bake them
My macaroons in the oven...see the little legs forming?
My macaroons!!!
We were very proud of ourselves
My little collection
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