I Dream of Canada: Macarons Revisited

"Energy and persistence conquer all things." - Benjamin Franklin

I've been at it again - baking macarons, that is.

I haven't attempted baking these little beauties since last May, so it's been a while. And I've also changed locations from a humid, dank area to a drier one at a higher elevation, so I was very hopeful about the results.

I pulled out my little macarons cookbook and looked at my options. I've been wanting to do the Maple-Bacon-Bourbon filling for a while now, but was torn over whether to pair it with chocolate or orange shells. A friend whose taste I trust recommended orange, so that was that.

Oh man, was that ever that.

breakfast for dessert, anyone?

These were a stroke of genius. The Maple-Bacon-Bourbon will spin visions of Canadian wilderness and mounties before your eyes, while the orange cuts the heaviness of the maple syrup and bacon.

all lined up

My shells were not the prettiest (hey, I haven't made these in almost a year), but the meringue came out well. While humidity was not an issue, elevation was (being a mile above sea-level will do that). However, adding a generous helping of cream of tartar brought about the desired results.

That is some very happy bacon

Now that I've figured out how to make these in my current location, I will start playing around with more flavor combinations.

To be continued...