All is not lost....

I like making things instead of buying them.  Although it rarely looks better, it generally tastes better and is a more satisfying process.  Until this weekend the only exception I could think of was puff pastry.  Standing for hours folding and refolding pastry is not for me when there is a perfectly good packet of it at the supermarket.  I am now adding macaroons to this list.  I realised it might be an ambitious task for me as I'm not brilliant with precise measurements and methods but I thought I would give it a go and just read very carefully what I had to do many times before even switching the mixer on.  I used the recipe from The Pink Whisk (incidentally a great blog written by last year's GBBO runner up, Ruth Clements) and made sure I knew inside out what I was supposed to do when.  I followed it to the letter only to have my heart cruelly broken when the first batch of macaroons came out of the oven looking like some kind of patisserie-based nightmare.  They were flat and had cracked on top and I clearly hadn't left enough space in between them as I had several large macaroons instead of the many more small ones I had piped.  (Whilst trying to pipe them I had also managed to cover myself and the whole kitchen in the mixture, making a mess much more in my skill set than piping it turns out). My funny looking macaroons were also grainy and even tasted a bit funny.  My husband convinced me to have another go and this was marginally more successful.  This batch at least were smooth and shiny on top and had risen the tiniest of amounts.  I had tried to be so careful when adding the almonds and icing sugar to the egg white and sugar but obviously I was too clumsy and had knocked too much air out.  They also weren't the lovely orange colour they were supposed to be but had a strange biscuity hue to them.  As they were just about serviceable I sandwiched them together with chocolate orange ganache (also from TPW) which was the saving grace of the whole afternoon. The ganache was so good I licked the bowl clean.  Now I have to find a way to make this wonderful orange, creamy chocolate goo again that doesn't involve making those blasted macaroons again.

For Ruth's Macaroons recipe (which I'm sure a more patient and less clumsy person would have more luck with go here: http://www.thepinkwhisk.co.uk/2011/01/how-to-make-perfect-macaroons.html.