Prolong That Valentine’s Feeling with Our Macaron Challenge

Warning: if you read to the end of the post you may experience an unexplained craving for fluffy french delicacies.

Valentine’s Day is but once a year but romance is here to stay. Just like the little gestures that make up a love story, macarons are subtle and sweet and lovely, and if you need reassurance to indulge without guilt, Epicurus gives us permission; “It is impossible to live a pleasant life without living wisely and well and justly. And it is impossible to live wisely and well and justly without living a pleasant life”.

We have a challenge for you: extend that loving feeling with some homemade macarons. Send us a picture before March 14 via our Twitter @frenchentree with hasthag #macaronrecipe or post on our Facebook wall and we’ll feature the winning recipe on our website.

If you’ve never tried a macaron then you have something to look forward to. From the presentation to the imaginative choice of colours and flavours, this little meringue inspired confection is by definition crunchy but yielding with a slightly chewy heart and a creamy filling. It’s origins can be traced back to the middle ages, allegedly in Italy, and then carried over to France by Catherine de Medici. The lightness of texture of the macaron lends itself particularly well to delicate flavours like rose, litchi, orange blossom, violet, and the trendy apertif varieties like carrot-cumin, tomato-basil, tapenade or truffles.

Have we inspired you? Get cooking and share your picture!