Lemon macarons today . . .

And I can finally say that after MUCH trial and error (oh, so much error!) I have got it. I've mastered the macaron.

My first batch ever was fairly good, just through sheer luck. But then each batch was just the throw of the dice -- some good, some bad, some horrible. I was about to give it all up, but there's something addictive about making these thigns. Some of the problems were egg whites beaten too long (far too long in some cases!), or too little, oven too hot, cracks in surface, wrinkled surfaces, and all gooey in the middle even though the tops and sides were perfectly done (that was caused by using three pans underneath, not two -- I thought, 'If two's good, surely three's better!' Not really).

But finally, yesterday and today, I've got the hang of it. I know just how long to beat the whites, I combine the whites and TPT for just the right amount of time (called macaronage -- too little and you don't get 'feet'), I've finally found the perfect oven temperature, and I can even time them perfectly. Oh, and I got the perfect size tip to pipe them out with, and started a collection of gorgeous 'dust' colours (powdered food colours).

Now the fun really begins -- celebrating everything in life with macarons! Oh, the flavours and colours!