Keep Calm & Bake Macarons

12 Nov 2015 | Seoul, South Korea —

The first time I had macarons was way back in February 2012. I tried them at a well-known, yet overrated dessert shop in Davao, right after Danny and I had dinner. They had bright yellow, orange and green colors, which are very unlikely used by other bakeries. Since then, I developed a love for this delicate pastry, though I haven’t tasted the perfect one ever yet.

2012-02-10 19

While browsing the internet 3 weeks ago, I impulsively signed up a 3-hour chocolate macaron baking class with Cooking and More. It’s a small, humble cooking studio in Gangnam district, Seoul. Meeting a new bunch of people makes me feel a bit uneasy. But, at the back of my mind I thought – It wouldn’t be that bad since I signed up without any hesitation and there is something to learn. We were 18 female expats from different parts of the globe such as France, Russia, Singapore, Japan, Pakistan,  etc., who joined the said session. Because I was early, I had a chance to converse with some, including the patisserie.

© Cooking and More
© Cooking and More

P1090283

P1090284

Before the class started, they lent us an apron and provided us a recipe handout to follow, while the patisserie, Ms. Park, patiently discussed the procedure. She even taught us the difference between French and Italian macarons. It’s all about the concoction.

5

4
Find the hidden Mickey!
© Cooking and More
© Cooking and More
IMG_8773
Our finished product – crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside

feature2

While observing, it made me realized that baking requires strong arm muscles, even though we were already using an electric mixer. Every after step of the demonstration, we did some hands-on with the help of the 2 assistants, until we wrapped up and got to bring home those baked goodies. Each person should have 12 pieces of macarons, but the total outcome wasn’t enough for everyone. So, they gave away few of their finished products instead. I was lucky enough to get some of those.

IMG_8768IMG_8770

At the end of the session, I realized that baking requires so much time and effort. Not to mention, it’s an expensive hobby. If one is financial stable and patient enough to go through lots of trial and error, then he or she is truly passionate about baking.

© Cooking and More
© Cooking and More

heart.gif

P1090286