Macarons: A Comparative Mission (honest)

A few weeks ago I posted a recipe for macarons.  They were really yummy and were inhaled within a couple of hours by Mr. Boo and myself but I unfortunately had nothing to compare them to.  *Whispers* you see I had never eaten a macaron before!  I know, unthinkable, especially for a bona fide cakeaholic such as myself.  I felt it was only right that I rectify this situation STAT.  I couldn't have a recipe up on the blog with nothing for my very refined palette to draw on for comparison and with a tempting Laduree counter calling to me from Brown Thomas every time I enter the door well sure it would be positively irresponsible of me not to try a few.

Now, I must firstly admit that I have walked (very, very slowly) past the pastel temptresses many times without stopping to press my nose up against the counter in the manner of a hungry orphan.  There were two reasons for this unprecedented restraint on my part.  Firstly, I didn't want to stand there like a big piggy saying, "I'll have one of those, two of those, one of that one, three of them there and sure just shovel ALL of the chocolate ones into the box too".  Nope, not the impression I wanted to create at a counter I will no doubt return to on many occasions.  Secondly, I am of the impression that such a beautiful and delicious treat should be bought for you by someone else, especially for the popping of ones macaron cherry.

For this reason I instructed Mr Boo he was to buy a little box for me at his earliest convenience.  After a few months of no macarons I instructed him the day of the Flora Women's Mini Marathon that he was to wait for me at the finish line with the little green bag.  I arrived at the finish line soaked to my bones, weary and sore only to be greeted by a smile, no little green bag.  On enquiring as to it's whereabouts I was informed it was raining (eh, I know that, I am soaked to the bones in case you haven't noticed) and so he made it as far as BT2 where he settled himself in the warmth, sheltered from the rain and with a newspaper and caramel latte in hand for the duration of my gruelling trek (ok, ok it was only a 10K run but he needed to have the guilt's put on him).  I was far from impressed.

The next occasion to present itself after that day was a Saturday afternoon in June.  Mr Boo headed out in the morning and instructed me to be suitably dressed for lunch in The Mermaid Cafe on his return.  I followed his instructions and was ready and waiting like the good obedient wife that I am.  On our way into town I instructed him that instead of dessert in the restaurant we could walk to Brown Thomas afterwards and he could treat me to a box of macarons.  He agreed and all seemed right with the world.  That was until we emerged from the Port Tunnel and discovered that the world had ground to an abrupt halt.  Dublin Pride was in full swing; a fact that it would seem had eluded our knowledge until this precise moment.  A very agitated 45 minutes sitting in bumper to bumper traffic, more diversions than I care to remember from some very misinformed members of An Garda Siochana and a last minute decision to abandon the car on the quays and run like the clappers to the restaurant in a vain attempt to make our reservation and we made it (just about) before the kitchen closed for lunch, phew.  We enjoyed a beautiful lunch, viewed the revelry of Pride from our window seats and then decided to head to BT's for my treat.  In my panic earlier I hadn't quite put enough cash in the parking meter so we were now on a very tight schedule.  No fear though, there was macarons to be had so we could do this.  We could do it right up until the moment we walked past Size and Mr Boo decided he needed a new pair of runners.  "Relax", he says, " we'll go straight there next".  STRAIGHT THERE NEXT. Well maybe if he hadn't had to try on every pair of Jaysus runners in the place we might have gotten there but oh no, it took him a feckin' age before he finally decided on a pair of dark blue suede Addidas with orange soles and lime green stripes (he likes a funky runner does Mr Boo).  So that day we left town with a new pair of 'holiday' runners (which he has worn sevorial times already and we are no where near going on our hols yet) and no macarons.  For this reason I call them his 'no macaron' runners and spit on them when he wears them (I don't really spit on them 'cos that would be a bit 'scustin). 

Take three.  On Sunday we were expecting 6 guests for dinner.  A few minutes before they were due to arrive we were setting the table.  As I busied myself with napkins Mr Boo popped the cutlery out.  I made a simple request to him that he make sure to place matching cutlery at each setting (we have a 'good wear' set of 6 which meant the 2 of us would have different to the others but he was mixing them).  Well it would seem this was a completely unreasonable request right at the moment and he decided to tell me so in no uncertain terms.  I quietly rearranged his work and then heard a familiar 'beep, beep'.  It was only his parents who like to indicate their arrival whilst still in the car rather than just get out and ring the doorbell like regular folk.  So with me clearly not speaking to him he knew he was in trouble and decided to test the water with a cheerful, "mam and dad are here, come and we'll let them in".  A Tumbleweed drifted past at that precise moment so he tried again in the hopes that my ears had momentarily failed me.  He got a response this time along the vein of, "I'm busy, they're your parents so you go deal with them".  That pretty much confirmed I was still a little peed off with him.  Not being a rude host I followed him and greeted his parents with the smiles and hugs expected and then politely excused myself to the kitchen to finish the last minute prep work.  He popped in and out, each time testing me with a small pleasantry.  Each time the response, if he was lucky enough to receive one, was sub zero.  When our final guests arrived, his brother and his wife and her mam and dad, and relations hadn't improved he knew he was gonna have to pull out the big guns.  Once every body had been suitably greeted and I again retreated to the kitchen he gave me a little squeeze and promised to bring me out somewhere nice the following day.  I told him it was the least he could do and so the stand off was over.

True to his word he treated me to a lunch in brasserie sixty6.  Before we reached the restaurant I again instructed him that instead of dessert he could treat me to a box of macarons and he agreed.  This time he kept his promise and with our bellies suitably full we wandered our way through shops finally landing in Brown Thomas where I found myself with my nose pressed against the sparkling glass of the Laduree counter.  I asked the girl for a box of 8 and she instructed me to pick the colour box I would like.  I chose the 'Rose' box (part of a SATC inspired collection).  I then chose a selection of flavours (rose water, chestnut, caramel, chocolate and bitter chocolate) before she wrapped them up and handed me my beautiful green bag.  Like a 5 year old with a bag of pic 'n' mix I walked away from the counter grinning from ear to ear.  A little wander around the men's department and a peruse of the sunglasses and he very generously treated me to these bad boys, before we headed home.

I made it all of the way home without sticking my face into the box of macarons, all so I could photograph them for you lovely people.  The sacrifices I make in the name of blogging!  Once I had snapped a few pics I sat down to have a little nibble, and they were yum.  Really, really yum.  They had a perfect crisp shell and a moreishly chewy inside and each had a different filling.  My favourites were the chocolate (no surprise there), followed by the chestnut, then the caramel with the rosewater coming up the rear.  And to conclude my comparative study, I have to say my own creations were pretty good.  My shell may not have been quite as crisp as the Laduree offerings and mine did lack feet, but in a blind taste test I think my own humble macarons could most definitely hold their own against the Parisian big boys.  One change I will make next time will be not to be such a lazy cow and actually make some chocolate ganache to sandwich between them and forego the lazier Nutella option, which in itself is perfectly acceptable but the ganache in the Laduree ones just ever so slightly gave them the edge.

Mint Crisp Pie

This was one dessert offering from our recent dinner party.  There were plenty of "mmmmmm"'s and "ooooooh"'s as people dived in and any slices that were not finished were requested to be wrapped up to be finished the next day.  I am a very accommodating host so I obliged of course and they were either demolished following breakfast the next day or with a cup of tea when our guests were nestled on their sofa at home recovering from the previous nights over indulgence. 

I have just entered this pie into English Mum's Big Bake Off competition, wish me luck.  I need the Green & Blacks hamper to complete my life. Honest!

Before I move onto the recipe for this pie I wanted to just talk a little about the base.  The base for this pie, as with most pies, called for crushed digestive biscuits.  Now, I'm not the biggest fan of digestive biscuit bases.  I find the butter soaks in too much and leaves a soggy base that really is not what I want to find at the bottom of a beautiful mousse or cheesecake topping.  For this reason I am on a mission to create a base more suited to my tastes. 

In this recipe I decided to use Bourbon cream biscuits which I have used successfully in the past.  While I was in the supermarket though my attention was drawn to a packet of Oreos with a chocolate cream filling and I knew instantly they would be perfect.  When I set about making the pie originally I crushed 1 x 154g packet of Oreo Chocolate Creme's and mixed them with the melted butter, but the quantity fell short of the pie dish I was filling.  I tipped the mixture back into the pan and ran to my local shop but was unable to find Oreo's in any shape or form.  I grabbed a packet of Fox's Chocolate Fudge Crunch Creams in a "they'll just have to do" manner.  Just have to do!  They turned out to be the perfect addition to the dense Oreo crust.  Not only did they pepper the dark muddy colour of the Oreo crust with flashes of a beautiful fudgey brown, they also gave the added bonus of little chewy fudge pieces dotted all around the crust.   A very happy marriage indeed and one I will use for many other pies to come.

Also, this is a really easy pie to make.  It is more of an assembly project than a baking one but the results are really impressive.  Make it in the morning as you will need time to boil and cool the condensed milk (you could also boil this the night before and allow to cool overnight), and simply add the whipped cream and crushed mint crisp bars just before serving.  Don't take my word for it though, try it out for yourself.  Enjoy!

Mint Crisp Pie
(Makes 1 x 8" pie, serves 6-8)

1 x 154g Packet of Oreo Chocolate Creme Biscuits
5 x Fox's Chocolate Fudge Crunch Cream Biscuits
3oz/90g Unsalted Butter (melted)
397g (1 tin) Condensed Milk
12floz/350ml Whipped Cream

3.5oz/100g Mint Crisp Bar

1.  Place the tin of condensed milk in a large pot.  Cover completely with water and simmer with the lid on for 3 hours.  Check occasionally to ensure the tin is still submerged in the water, top up if necessary.  Allow the tin to cool in the water before removing and opening.

2.  Place the biscuits into a resealable bag, expel all of the air before sealing and then crush the biscuits with a rolling pin.

3.  Melt the butter in a medium saucepan.  Remove from the heat and add the crushed biscuits and stir to ensure evenly coated with the butter.

4.  Transfer the biscuits to an 8" pie dish and press firmly onto the base and up the sides.  Place in the fridge to set for a couple of hours.

5.  Once the base has set carefully spread the caramel on top of it (take care not to disturb and lift the biscuits).  Cover with clingfilm and return to the fridge until read to serve.

6.  Break up the mint crisp bars ( I used a Lindt bar originally but when I was making the pie again today it would seem the chocolate fairies had been in and munched it so I had to make do with Cadbury's but both were equally good) and place in a resealable bag, expel all of the air before sealing and then crush the bars with a rolling bin.  Set aside until ready to serve.
7.  If you have bought single cream whip until it holds it's shape and leave in the fridge until ready to serve.  If you have bought cream already whipped make yourself a cup of tea and relax for a few minutes.  Go on, I said so.

8.  Before serving remove the pie from the fridge, spread the whipped cream over the caramel layer and then sprinkle the crushed mint crisp bars on top of the cream.