Hello lovely readers,
When I was invited to attend a macaron (not the coconut macaroons ahem!)
workshop, I instantly accepted and committed to attending. Thereafter, I
realised that I would be fasting at the time, but hey, I was so keen to
attend. I mean two hours out of my day is doable right? And whilst I
don't usually do events or anything of the sort during Ramadaan, this
workshop was going to teach me to make super awesome macarons!
The set up was beautifully done, with really yummy snacks and drinks -
none of which I could indulge in (thankfully I could pack a goodie bag
to take home). The executive chef, Sanet, and her pastry chef, Retha,
welcomed us and after mingling and quick chat with my BWB buddies, we
started the demonstration of making the perfect macaron.
It really does seem so easy to make, and the actual secret is in getting
the consistency just right. I mean egg whites, sugar, food colouring
and ground almonds… what could go wrong right? Actually lots! The piping
action, for one, has to be done at a 90 degree angle to ensure the
macarons raise evenly. Secondly, the almonds, need to be so fine that it
doesn’t clog the piping bag.. and so on and so on.
Aside from the technical side of making macarons, the workshop was just
so much fun! I was in stitches for most parts of the morning and
catching up with the ladies was the best part. What I really love about
our group is all the different personalities, and how well we all fit
together.
I would like to thank Sanet for hosting us in absolute style and opening
up her kitchen to a bunch of (sometimes rowdy) women. The hotel was
such a beautiful setting, the perfect background to learn the art of
making dainty little macarons.
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| Sanet awaiting the rush of all the ladies |
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| Retha, pastry chef and magician in my eyes |
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| So lucky I could pack some these goodies as a takeaway |
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| These wouldn’t as a goodie bag treat, but for obvious reasons didn’t last long! |
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| Nicola is pretty close to making perfect macarons- so impressed! |
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| Heather asssiting to seperate the eggs |
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| Just add ground almonds and you have the makings of a perfect macaron |
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| Beautiful Alice, adding the food colouring |
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| Practising the piping on meringues |
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| Sarah, using some elbow grease to ensure that the almonds are finely ground |
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| Lauren, who kept repeating the new word MACARON…. |
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| Jen, drawing outlines as a template to ensure evenly sized macarons |
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| Voila! |
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| Jens, most creative gift jar :-) |
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| Add a bit of lippy before hitting the road…. |
An amazing morning spent with newly found friends!
