Eversosweet, part deux...

Today I have mostly been making tiny, pastel-coloured almond macaroon biscuits.
Clearly that's not true; I have been doing many other things today but this was possibly the most entertaining.  Yes, yes, it's been a dull day.

Here is the recipe, so you can make them too:

For the macaroons:
200g (7oz) icing (powdered) sugar
100g (3½oz) ground almonds
4 medium-sized egg whites
75g (3oz) caster (superfine) sugar
Almond extract
Food colouring


For the filling:
100g (3½oz) softened butter
200g (7oz) icing sugar
More almond extract
More food colouring


Line some large baking trays with baking paper.


Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks, then gradually add the caster sugar until you get a thick, glossy meringue mixture.  Fold in the icing sugar, a few drops of almond essence and the almonds.  Divide the mixture up and carefully fold in a few drops of food colouring to each so that you have 3 or 4 different coloured mixtures.


Using a piping bag, pipe little circles of the mixture about an inch apart on the baking sheets.  I made mine about 1 inch diameter.  You should get around 50 macaroons.  Leave them to dry out for about an hour then bake at around 160c or gas mark 3 for about 10 minutes.  


When they're done, slide the paper onto a cold surface (granite worktops are perfect) until the macaroons are cool and then, using a thin palette knife, remove them from the paper.


Meanwhile, mix up the butter, icing sugar and a few drops of colour and almond essence.  I often add a few drops of very hot water to get the mixture going and to make it a nice, soft consistency. Either pipe or spread the filling between two macaroons and there you go!

One is supposed to religiously sieve the icing sugar before using it but I never do.  I rarely sieve flour before using that either - I know, it's shocking!  I sort of do understand the science behind sieving... but I sort of don't agree with it.  But that's just me and I've never really noticed the difference since I stopped doing it.  If you want to sieve, then sieve.  Also, if you want to add salt to carrots during cooking to make them taste more carrotty, then do that too. Personally, I think adding salt to carrots makes them taste more salty... but an army of foodies out there would probably have me swinging from the custom-built overhead herb-drying rack by my apron (don't wear one of those either) strings for so much as even thinking such thoughts.

And now, after an exhausting plethora of recent posts, I'm going to go and lie in a darkened room with cucumbers** over my eyes and listen to soothing whale song.  Actually I'm not... but it sounds quite nice.

Oh, and if you like the heavenly little glass cake stand and dome then you should probably go here... or the tablecloth here!

** Just noticed this and had to laugh for about 15 minutes while I considered the soothing possibilities of sticking an entire cucumber in your eye.   I meant, of course, cucumber SLICES.