My first Macaroons!

For a long time now I have been dying to make my own Macarons-

the very pastry "soooo much in fashion" for the moment - according to the media.

So today, a grey and windy day that no one in ther right mind really felt like spending outdoors, I finally had a go at it!
Oh my, if I had only known the amount of how butter-sugar-calorie-rich they were!

They did not turn out half as pretty as I had wanted them to! But for a first go....
at least they tasted well. Next time I´ll grind the almonds into a much finer flour. That might do the trick! The thing is: I have never, ever been able to make meringues rise the way they should. To the shape of small bowler hats..
How on earth do the professionals do it?

Last time I had macaroons was in Washington DC. I know they cost a fortune each, but what a delicacy! The various perfumes of rose, hazel and pistacio!
(No! Wrong! The last time I had a macaroon was last fall at the Truffle-Lagotto-Romagnolo farm here in Gotland. A truffle macaroon!)
This little chef here, by the way, I found at the Red Cross fleamarket
(for a about a dollar) the other day.
He had a very ugly/silly expression on his face (thus the price?) so I gave him a total facial makeover with some oil paint and named him Paul Bocuse after the famous chef below.

I hope he does´t mind. Bocuse that is.
I do not intend to do anything to his grim looks though!

The Wiki on Macrons:
A macaron is a sweet confectionery made with egg whites, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond powder or ground almond, and food coloring. The macaron is commonly filled with buttercream or jam filling sandwiched between two cookies. Its name is derived from an Italian word "maccarone" or "maccherone". This word is itself derived from ammaccare, meaning crush or beat, used here in reference to the almond paste which is the principal ingredient. It is meringue-based: made from a mixture of egg whites, almond flour, and both granulated and confectionery sugar.

The confectionery is characterized by its smooth, domed top, ruffled circumference (referred to as the "foot"), flat base, mildly moist and easily melted into mouths.

Macarons can be found in a wide variety of flavors that range from the traditional (raspberry, chocolate) to the new (truffle, green matcha tea). The fillings can range from jams, ganache, or buttercream. Since the English word macaroon can also refer to the Coconut macaroon, many have adopted the French spelling of macaron to distinguish the two items in the English language. However, this has caused confusion over the correct spelling of the cookie. Some recipes exclude the use of macaroon to refer to this French confection while others think that they are synonyms.

How they make them at Sucre´.

And here is a photo and link to my favourite "Macaroon Blog": Paris Breakfasts!