Macaroon Party

Amy & I went on a culinary adventure this past week into the wonderful world of the macaroon. Just thinking about it makes me want to make more tasty treats. Though we tried a variety of flavors including mojito (with chopped mint in the cookies and lime in the filling), pistachio, blueberry, and cinnamon vanilla, the chocolate was the winner. We used a recipe from Pierre Herme's cookbook, Chocolate Desserts of Pierre Herme. First we whipped 1/2 cup of egg whites (about 3 eggs) until soft peaks formed. We then folded in 2 cups of powdered sugar, 1 1/3 cups of almond flour, and 1/2 cup cocoa powder. The cookies were piped onto parchment paper and placed in a 350 degree oven (leave the door slightly open) for 10-12 minutes. After letting them cool and filling them with a coffee flavored buttercream, they looked like this:


Here are some pics of the other flavors:



Most of our efforts were not pretty enough to make the shelves of Pierre Herme, but we did have one little bit of perfection.

Gala Dinner - A Photo Essay

While I would like the photos to speak for themselves, I suppose a bit of background will help. During out stay in Bordeaux, we were scheduled to have a Gala Dinner at the chateau where we were staying. It was billed as a top-notch meal in one of the best surroundings in the world - a Bordeaux vineyard. Well, the surroundings were pretty amazing. The food - not so much. But in true Roving Foodie fashion, we ate and drank and laughed anyway.

Champagne and hor'dourves (Bugles)

Amuse Bouche of a Scallop and Asparagus with unidentified sauce

Foie Gras Appetizer
Trio of Lamb with "Green Sauce"The Piece d'Resistance Cheese Plate - unidentified cheese with unidentified jelly
Chocolate Dessert

The true highlight of the meal was the wine. The bottles of white and red were particularly good.

Bon appetit!