Of Bakes & Cakes...

Of late I seemed to have picked up a new interest where baking is concerned, and that is macarons. Some spell the word as 'macaroons'. It doesn't matter, we're talking about one and the same item, a French meringue cookie.

Though the ingredients to make a mac (as it is also fondly referred to) are simple - whites of large eggs, icing or confectioners sugar, caster sugar and almond flour (grind almond), the skill and technic that go into turning out a fine mac is not as simple.

Mac-making requires a lot of patience, and I mean A LOT! If the hens that laid those eggs see where most of their hard-boiled...errr, hard-pushed eggs ended up in...my oh my, how they would cry!

My passion for macs began late last year...but of course, my love affair with the said began earlier. Then, I was more interested in buying all those flavors offered by the mac experts. One day, I happen to find out that a good friend who is into baking while managing a household of 6 children maid-less, started her love affair with macs and mac-making. And successfully at that. So I figured, if she can why not me? Oh, as it happens, she is a lawyer by day.

Hence, every free time I have, were then (and even now) spent on searching the internet and cookbooks and journals on mac-making. Not contented with recipes and photographs, I googled for videos of mac-making. And my, there were bountiful!

Well, I have tried most of the recipes that I have copied...most didn't work, some did...and I find that David Lebowitzs' work well for me. My friend was also kind and generous enough to continuously give me hints and tips on how to improve on my skills and technics, and of late I seem to generate more success than failures where mac making is concerned. I have even baked on order...and gotten several more enquiries.

Now, am perfecting my skills and technics even more since I am planning to make it with my cakes and bakes!