be mine, valentine!

valentine's day came early for me this year, in the form of a heart shaped box of macarons from the macaron cafe. and let me just say:

dé.li.cieux.

instead of gushing about a holiday (made up or not) that only a relative few actually enjoy, allow me to indulge in describing my new-found, head-over-heels, love-at-first-bite affair with you.

i am over the moon about these macarons.

if you have yet to hear of or experience the joy that is a macaron from the macaron cafe, at least start the visual feast by looking at their gallery. there they have beautifully crisp photos of each of their various macarons, ranging from apricot to pineapple, rhubarb to violette.

the first time i visited the cozy café, i was shocked to see the variety of the macarons that they actually had available. yes, the gallery is impressive, but i had assumed that there wouldn't be nearly as many available in real life. i had such a hard time narrowing it down to only three, but to have purchased more would have been gluttonous (and i'd like to pretend that i can eat sweet food in moderation).

at the very first bite, i knew that these petite confections were flying to the top of the list of things i must make myself. a while ago, i had purchased the book i love macarons on a whim, and now i am so happy that i did--i am only a few steps away from creating sweet macaron love, and when i get the opportunity to do so, i'll document the experience to share.

they only last a few bites at most, but each nibble is so delicately delicious that the brevity of the experience is made up for with flavor, which lingers sweetly on the palate. the texture is hard to describe, it's somewhere between cake and cookie, which is owed to the very specific nature of their preparation. for example, when mixing the meringue and the flour, once the flour is completely incorporated, one must scoop the batter a specific way (macaronnage) about fifteen times. if less than ten, the macarons won't shine, if more than twenty, they'll appear greasy (ogita 26). how particular! and yet, totally worth the effort.

so far i have tried fourteen of the morsels of heaven, and haven't found one i don't like. i can't wait until i'll have tried them all, but i want to pace myself. all in the name of moderation, right?

if you're looking to share something sweet with someone sweet, or just want to bring a smile to yourself, you know where to look.

(note: i am not affiliated with the macaron cafe, in any way, shape or form, beyond being an appreciative customer.)

Ogita, Hisako. I [love] Macarons. San Francisco: Chronicle, 2009. Print.