December is nothing like December used to be when I grew up in the Valley. I used to get snow on my birthday in late October back then! In less than three weeks my thesis will be handed in. I really see the light in the end of the tunnel. It's crazy how fast that time went. It is crazy that soon I won't have to think about papers and exams ever again. There will be more stories to tell and more time for storytelling here too! I actually told myself last time I posted here that I wouldn't post anything before I had accomplished a batch of successful macarons and because I had one trying experiment after the other it took me a while to get this post up. But me and Mari had another try at it a couple of days ago and we DID IT!
I spent two nights in a row making my own almond meal, the third on making the macarons and then a last fourth night on filling them with lemon buttercream and cherry jam. They turned out as good as I could get them, with crunchy light surfaces and a soft middle. To sum up my process - I did pretty much whatever this list of videos told me and I read the very useful French Meringue Macaron 101 many times. You might already know if you've tried macarons before, and if not, then I highly recommend it.
The funny thing is, I started to think about making these in January. That means, I have been procrastinating doing them longer than I have been procrastinating work on any painting I've ever done. Which must mean that baking scares me a little, and that I probably should dive into culinary things more often. Maybe it's something to add to my New Year's resolution list this year!