Welcome to the world of Macarons

In the 1970s, it was Jell-O molds.

In the 1980s, it was frozen yogurt.

And for the past decade? 

Cupcakes, cupcakes, cupcakes. 

Trendy desserts have come and gone, and some foodies predict another treat is poised to be this decade's defining sweet:

Bonjour, Macaron! ♥

The Macaron cookie was born in Italy, introduced by the chef of Catherine de Medicis in 1533 at the time of her marriage to the Duc d'Orleans who became king of France in 1547 as Henry II. 

The first Macarons were simple cookies, made of almond powder, sugar and egg whites. Many towns throughout France have their own prized tale surrounding this delicacy.

Since then, French Macaron cookies have been nationally acclaimed in France and remain the best-selling cookie in pastry retail stores.

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". It is meringue-based: made from a mixture of egg whites, almond flour.

They are fun and technical to make. Lots of colours and flavours and a variety of spices.

My personal favourite macarons are from  Pierre Hermé, but Laduree closely follows.

Pierre Hermé, Paris

In Switzerland the Luxemburgerli is similar to a French macaron but is said to be lighter and more airy in consistency.

A MUST-GO Pâtisserie  in Switzerland

The most fascinating thing about these little parcels of joy are the way you can play with the colours and flavours. You can combine offbeat and compatible flavours and make wondrous discoveries with textures and flavour profiles for one. Making macarons is highly therapeutic and a very spiritual journey at that for me. Everytime I make a batch, I discover a new destination in my culinary journey. Even though there are highly specialised and skill-fully trained experienced Macaron Chefs, the world has to offer, do not let the stories of hardships deter you from visiting this beautiful world of macaron making. You may not get it right the first time, but a couple of earnest tries, and you would get closer. I promise!

"Life is uncertain, eat dessert first."

Bon Appetite!
xoxo 

Star Tales

Enroute Dubai. 22nd May 2011. Local time: 11.01 pm.

I'm somewhere before Dubai, above deserted lands. I can't sleep. I'm tired. Nervous. I glance out of my little seat window, at the night skies. And do you know what I see? I see a neverending, everlasting cluster of stars.

This is not just a cluster. There are clusters and clusters. New to my eyes, but familiar to my soul. I feel stronger. I feel calmer. Its like they have all come out, to love me, to inspire me.

You have to be here, to see what I'm seeing. You know, if you were watching a cartoon, or a star treck movie, its more. Much more. This is surreal. Some are brighter. Some are bright. This is what heaven must feel like. And I know now, pixie land does exist. This wonder I see in front of me. I've seen this before. My skin has been touched by these lights before, rolling down those lush meadows. Alive is what I feel.

I try to close my eyes, and open it. Stare out. Take it all in. Click a mental picture. I try to save it in the deepest cores of my soul. Capture an element for all the sereton in my body. But everytime I close my eyes to recreate the picture in my head, it's beautiful, but when I open my eyes, there are more, much more sparkles. Maybe my human logic/experiences/stories blind me from accepting that my stars and night skies are real. I can go over this in my head a thousand times. But I wonder, nothing can be this beautiful. Not because I'm a pessimist. But because I've been told, Pixie land is a fantasy land. And you know what, fantasy is reality. Sometimes seeing is not believing, but believeing is seeing. And here I am, totally unexpectedly, experiencing one of the most divine moments of my life. And am taking it all in. Writing it down simultaneously. Just for the need to share this with you, and feel you closer to me in this watch of peace.

The Milky Way, shot from the North Sea coast.

I'm flying with the stars. Shooting.

If you watched this spectacular glow tonight, you would believe fairytales came from a very real place. 

A simple love, in a very complicated life.

P.S. Musings of a very dear friend. Tara* Nirula

“Pain, loss and separation are inevitable on the path of love, and the only way of avoiding them is by deciding not to take that path at all. In order not to suffer, you have to renounce love.It was like putting out your own eyes in order not to see the bad things in life.” - Paulo Coelho (Brida)

*Tara Nirula was an exceptional young woman whose vitality lit up International Students House and her kindness touched everyone’s hearts. Tara’s life was sadly cut short but her passion for the arts can survive through the opportunity this scholarship will give to other young people. 

The Tara Nirula ISH/LCF Graduate scholarship is a combined tuition fee and residential scholarship offered to international students from India with the ability and potential to make an exceptional contribution to the worlds of art, design, communication and performance. Applications are encouraged from those who feel they will benefit from further study to realise their full potential.

http://www.arts.ac.uk/fees-funding/funding/postgraduatestudents/mafunding/thetaranirulainternationalstudentshouseish/

The Tara Nirula ISH/LCF Graduate Scholarship will be offered annually and is the product of a partnership between International Students House and London College of Fashion, one of the UK's leading institutions for fashion studies.

Her favourite food was pizza. Don't we all absolutely love 'em!

Once my oven is up and working, hopefully by the end of the week, lets do some delish crispy home-made ones. Till then, Happy mid-week cooking!

Bon Appetite!

xoxo

La Dame blanche

I first visited Chamonix ( shah-moh-nee) almost a decade ago, which has now become an almost annual activity with the family.I may not have distinct memories from each of my trips, but the ever-so-fresh beautiful valleys and majestic yet humble Mont Blanc, has never failed to bring me closer to my elements and inspire me in so many years. Zero monotony. Each visit has been new, exciting, relaxing and absolutely splendid to say the least. One of my sole reasons to travel is always discovering new cuisines, local farmer's markets, fresh ingredients and grasping the food ideology of a place through its culture. Needless to say, i have been blessed with some wonderful friends spread across the World. Chamonix, or as I like to call it, 'My second home', is still raw and organic, even with its growing demand in tourism. It is also sometimes known as La Dame blanche (French for "the White Lady") .

Travelling from India, the easiest access to this beautiful haven is a flight to Geneva. Chamonix resides in the French Alps, very close to Switzerland. It is barely a couple of hours drive away from Geneva Airport. And the drive- Oh La La! Absolutely breathtaking and refreshing. Its like a breathe of brand new life. Everytime!

 Landing into Geneva Airport.

It all began in 1741 when two Englishman, Windham and Pococke, discovered the 'Chamouny' valley and its glaciers. In their travel they met rural mountain farmers from the region who lived off animal husbandry and a sparse harvest of oats and rye. The first ever ascent of Mt-Blanc was made in 1786, and in 1924 Chamonix hosted the first ever Winter Olympic Games. 

Driving through the lush : Enroute Chamonix!

This underdog town has very strong and traditional food roots, which are also experimented with in some of their local restaurants.Most of the restaurants have seasonal/weekly menus which make them even more interesting and caters wonderfully to the explorer in me. And EVERYTHING is exquisite on the menu. The locals love their food and take such pride in cooking it, which shows when the food is served on the table. Even the smallest cafés serve nothing but the best. One of my most favourite things to binge on there is the fresh Chantilly Cream, the heaven-like Macarons, fresh morning croissants and the exuberant variety of cheese: both local and regional, to name a few! The local farmers' markets are intensely inspirational for me. They affect the way I approach food and cook at a sub-conscious plane. The passion and pride each stall owner has in his local produce is almost sacred. All your sense organs can feast on the local fresh array of cheese, meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, wines, pastas, breads, pastry, flora & fauna, art and much much more!
The farmers are encouraging to sample their produce, for the love of food! *Sante*

 

Local pâtisserie in the Chamonix town square.

 

 A visit to the Local Farmers Market on a sunny Saturday morning.

Other than eating and food shopping there are tons of other outdoor activities and sport one can enjoy in the lap of nature. Trekking, paragliding, rafting are some of them I have explored. There are over 100 walking/trekking paths in and around this quaint township. 

Tranquil walking paths, amidst countless summer streams.

Onset of sunset, outside my Chalet balcony : Mont Blanc, covered by passing clouds.

My visit to the St.Bernard breeding farm, 10 mins from Chamonix.

Its only in the recent years, that I have spent my summers here. But it all started with visiting Chamonix to ski down the perfect snow laden slopes and end the activity with piping hot Cocoa in the cafés by the slopes.

For the ones who like more site seeing, there is a train/cable-car ride which takes you the top of Mont Blanc, which has some preserved ice caves and fossils, and ofcorse not to forget the renowned glaciers.

Spending a week there in a year, is a primary rejuvenation and a soul refuel.

A splash of fresh water on the face in the bathroom taps right from the source itself, The Alps, is the perfect way to begin your mornings here! There is not a moment spent in this valley, when you feel a mere sense of existence.  You only feel completely alive. Even if it is being curled up with your favourite book in the sunny outdoors or days of exciting adventure sports. This is where we all come back to Life!

Some of the Must visit restaurants:

http://www.hameaualbert.fr/en/gallery 

(The homemade chicken liver terrine, onion jam & mushroom in vinegar is an essential)

http://www.restaurant-caleche.com/

(Any Savoy Fondue!)

Statutory Warning: The above are some brilliant local restaurants. There are tons of little places in and around the town square which must be explored as well! Most of this town can be covered on foot.

P.S :Bear in mind the local cuisine of this region is strongly influenced by Switzerland, making it unique

 Bon Appetite!

xoxo