The Macaron. Crunchy, yet pillowy, smooth, yet chewy. It is only the French with their heritage of confectionery who can dream up such a wonderful combination of tastes and textures within a one-bite cookie.

Much more than its Wikipedia definition…

A macaron (/ˌmɑːkəˈrɒn/ mah-kə-ROHN; French pronunciation: [makaʁɔ̃]) is a French sweet meringue-based confection made with egg white, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond powder or ground almond, and food colouring. The macaron is commonly filled withganache, buttercream or jam filling sandwiched between two cookies. The name is derived from the Italian word macarone, maccarone or maccherone, the meringue.

… the macaron is a symbol of both sophistication and child-like delight. And although so very easy to enjoy, anyone who is not a pastry chef and who has tried his or her hand at making these at home will tell you that they are a challenge to perfect.

To get them just right, you need to measure perfectly, follow the recipe to the T and make sure you are in the right state of mind. According to Chef Pieter: “Macarons do not react well to stress or anxiety. Rather listen to music radio or whistle a tune and embrace the pastry chef within!”

When you are ready emotionally, get the ingredients together and try your hand at these delightful French treats. And talking about all things French, why not pour yourself a glass of wine when you sit down with your batch of macarons? We find that our recently released 2014 Culinaria Pinot Noir, beautifully echoes both the delicate nature of the macaron as well as its tangy blue berry filling.

Macaron Recipe for Bastille Weekend

Ingredients

4 large egg-whites

70 g  caster sugar

230 g icing-sugar

120 g ground almonds, plus 3 teaspoons

Pinch of salt

A few drops of purple food colouring, depending on how light or dark the macarons are wanted.