If you know me well, you know that I am generally not the person to worry about the newest "trend" in anything. I don't have enough time, money or patience to worry if the shoes I'm wearing are the coolest at this particular moment. My hair may look pretty fashionable for about the first 6 weeks after I cut it, then it starts its' "Mane Phase" in which I do not cut it or style it for several months afterwards (FYI - I am in month SEVEN of Mane Phase 2011-2012 right now. It is getting large and in charge.) I love particular pieces in my wardrobe and rarely add anything new to it...but if I do get all crazy and hit the shops, my purchases are mostly the old stand-by colour palatte of black, white, gray or brown - although I did go all wild and add a yellow skirt this fall...look out world!
So while fashion and style may not be my thing, as I am happy with the normal old me and my larger-than-life head of hair, there is actually ONE thing that I try to stay on top of trend-wise...
SWEETS!!
Pinterest is evil for someone like me. I am not so much the one to look at or God-forbid re-pin a super easy 20 second crockpot dinner recipe. I have taste buds - but no crockpot. I like my food with nutrients in it and not stewed within an inch of it's life. But you put an amazing cake in front of my face, or a challenging chocolate recipe, and you can be sure that I will accept the challenge.
The Hart Test Kitchen is open for business.
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| Liv's 1st Birthday Behemoth. |
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| My brother's Banoffee Bday pie and Prada's Chicken Bday Cupcake! |
Cakes. Cupcakes. Pies. Chocolate.
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| My own bday pastry layered cake with fresh custard... |
Whatever it is - I have given it a whirl.
Everyone has seen that Martha Stewart recipe where she blew out the eggs and refilled them with chocolate so that when you break off the REAL EGG SHELL, there is a ganache chocolate egg inside.
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| A week's work yielded these beauties! |
Don't lie; you wanted to see the finished product, but damn if a sane woman would waste precious time and energy to do it. Well, I wasted a week of my life doing it for Easter a couple years ago and it was TOTALLY worth it (Although I think my husband and I nearly fell out over an argument about how to swirl the hot chocolate around the inside of the shell...long story.)
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| Liv's 2nd Bday Elmo Cake pops! |
So when a new challenge presents itself to me, I will indeed hesitate but that good old Amer-I-CAN spirit rears its ugly head every time and I usually wake up half-way though an attempt covered in flour, holding a piping bag and getting ready to throw in the towel. This last time was no different.
Perhaps you have seen the beautiful French macarons.
Sweet little meringue sandwiches.
Tiny baby clouds of sugar and goodness.
They come in a rainbow of colours, flavours and look like happiness.
I gave in Saturday. Challenge accepted.
What made me give in, you ask - someone wrote in a baking forum that the only eggs that would ever be suitable for this recipe would be free range eggs. I needed to prove that my eggs are indeed the best eggs in the entire universe - if not just the best in Via Pra Grande.
So I ground, whipped, stirred, melted and whisked my Saturday afternoon away.
I lovingly dripped food dye into the mix to make them the perfect Tiffany blue.
Then it got messy.
Piping the mixture to perfect circles is not the easiest of jobs and if I must be so bold, it is a process best completed with a partner...I am stubborn, so I did not reuqest the assistance of Hart Husband, but next time I certainly shall.
Leave them to sit, and pop them in a low oven to cook for a few minutes.
Lesson learned - My Tiffany blue quickly faded when they were too high in the oven. Next time I shall sort that out...
Let them cool and then sandwich them with fresh fresh cream and jam.
Another Hart Kitchen triumph!!
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| Not too bad for a first attempt!! |
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| Bday Castle Mania... |
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| Bday cake for the big kids! |
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/macaroons_04669
(Note - in the English language Macaroon and Macaron have come to mean the same thing, although the difference between the two is usually the use of coconut...)
xoxo sjkh
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