I have always considered myself quite a nice person. I like food of all shapes, flavours and colours. From every country and continent. I don’t discriminate, I am an equal opportunity eater. It’s only the doctors who say I’m intolerant. And certain foods who refuse to tolerate me. They certainly refuse to recognise and respect my right to eat them without major physical discomfort and distress.


Gluten and lactose are not my friends.


Despite the negative attitudes surrounding me from many of those I love best, (cakes, ice cream, hot toast) I decided to become a chef. Not always easy when you live in a bread and milk filled world. I like to think that this has helped me become a better person as I embrace my differences and refuse to let the gluten get me down. I believe InTolerance. I am the InTolerant Chef.

Food should not be about what you can’t eat, but what you can and what you enjoy eating. This blog is about my journey of cooking and eating and discovery. It’s not a definitive guide to allergy awareness nor do my intolerances make me an expert. Your body is your responsibility, not mine. I only know what works for me.


I can tell you this..... No glutens were harmed in the making of this website.

September 25, 2011

Macaroons Not Macarons!



You say Po-tay-to, I say Po-tar-to...

or in this case,
Macaroons, Macarons





One is a biscuit made of egg whites and almond meal, shaped into discs that have a hard shell and sandwiched together with a soft flavoured centre. This is a Macaron:
















And one is typically made of sweetened coconut mixed with egg white, with a moist chewy middle.
This is the one I grew up calling a Macaroon, and I have to say that pastry chef extraordinaire Adriano Zumbo, agrees with me. Perhaps it's an Aussie thing?















Both are delicious, but while the Macaron is notoriously hard to master, the Macaroon is virtually idiot-proof. Perhaps this is the reason why we Aussies love it so much? :)

There is no sifting, no weighing, nothing harder than separating a couple of eggs- and if you accidentally do get a speck of yolk in, they won't even care! Just lots of easy, yummy promises that the Macaroon is happy to deliver.

Macaroons are often unflavoured, allowing the sweet coconut to be the star, but I have a bit of a soft spot for Cherry Ripe chocolate bars and this is a great less fattening way of getting a fix without blowing it.

Feel free to mix up the flavourings around a bit, I've used just dried apricots before with no chocolate and they were lovely as well.



Cherry Ripe Macaroons

Basic Recipe:
2 1/2 cups of Desiccated Coconut
2 Egg whites
1/2 cup of Castor Sugar
















Extra Flavourings:
I chose glace cherries, and some dark chocolate for dipping the bottoms ( 70* is generally lactose free)
















Whisk the egg whites up just a little to break them up
















Toss in everything else
















Use your hand to mix, mix, mix.
You might think it will never be enough liquid to bind the whole lot, but it really is- just be patient! Mix it around and soon you'll be able to squish a handful of the mix together and it will keep it's shape and squish marks.
















Roll or mound the mix firmly into about 12 little biscuits.

I tend to shape my lovelies very firmly, as I need conformity for cafe sales, and it's easier to use a mould than to mess about weighing each one. If you like you could add an extra egg white and just sort of scoop a pile on the baking sheet a bit more organically, I won't judge you for this, but it's hard to break an OCD style habit!
















Bake at 180* for 10-12 minutes.
They will get a light browning on the edges, but still be slightly soft.

Let them cool for about 5 minutes on the tray before moving them onto a cooling rack
















Melt the chocolate, and dip the bottom of each macaroon into it, wiping off the excess. Turn them upside down to set, then dig in and enjoy!
















Little mounds of more-ish-ness, still moist and tender in the middle but nice and firm on the outside with just a hint of oven tan. Yummm...




I'm always surprised how easy and yummy these little biscuits turn out.





Really, just 3 basic ingredients, minimum kitchen skills and you can pump out enough for a bake sale or school fete in about half an hour.
Just promise me one thing... don't tell anyone how simple these beauties are, OK? Somethings need to be kept between friends.



So, my Dearest Readers,

would you say Macaroon or Macaron?

24 comments:

  1. they look soooo perfect! nice to see a macaroon recipe rather then a macaron!

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  2. I ordered macaroons at a restaurant the other day, and I kept getting them mixed up and calling them 'macarons'! These look amazing, I'll have to try your recipe one day :)

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  3. I love making macaroons! I haven't done it in so long. You have definitely convinced me it's time. Oh and I love the addition of cherries and chocolate! YUM!

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  4. your macarOOns look so CUTE and round haha... and the cherries make them so fun to look at (and eat too, I'm sure). lovely! =)

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  5. Those are definitely macaroons! The whole macaron thing seems to be a big trend right now. They're very colorful and come in a huge variety of flavors, but I'll take a plain ol' coconut macaroon over the fussy macarons any day of the week. ;)

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  6. oh my - these look wonderful! And I would call them macaroons!

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  7. Ohh they look so delicious... perfect with a cup of tea:)

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  8. I was going to say that your mounds look perfect lol. I do like a good macaroon. Or macaron really. They look delish :)

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  9. Hehe it's so true, the two couldn't be more different in their degree of difficulty! :P Love the look of these!

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  10. I remember macaroons, readily available in bakers until the trendy multicolour usurpers took their place. Great recipe, thanks. GG

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  11. These look quite delish! I might have to hang my "macaron" hat up for a bit and make me some of these macaroons!

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  12. Never thought of it as never really had a chance for one (or two)...:O

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  13. You say to-may-to and I say to-mah-to. Looks pretty delicious whichever way you want to call it!

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  14. I can't say that I have ever been a fan of macaroon.. but I'll take your word for it :)

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  15. my mum would love thiss... ive bought her over 15 types of different coconut Macaroons.. too bad i never took a coconut trail :(

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  16. "Both are delicious, but while the Macaron is notoriously hard to master, the Macaroon is virtually idiot-proof. Perhaps this is the reason why we Aussies love it so much? :)" such a gold paragraph!! :P
    I was never a fan or macaroons. Perhaps I need to give them another go. & I'm new to the macaron party, but boy do I love them!!
    Heidi xo

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  17. Couldn't have explained it better myself!!!! Cherry ripe flavoured stuff is my favourite - these are divine. Bookmarked! :)

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  18. In German, it's "Makronen", and that refers to the coconut kind of this! Almond biscuit sandwiches are non-existent over here. ;)

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  19. I agree with you - it's a macaroon, not a macaron

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  20. Well, we seem to have a consensus Readers Dear, and I'm glad to say it's in favour of MacarOOn, not MacarOn!
    Hope your holidays are going well, and that you have a great weekend :)

    Muppy- They've been overlooked long enough! You could get your littlies to help with the squishing :)

    JasmyneTea- Which ones did they bring you though? Thanks

    Sarena NonDairyQueen- So quick and easy to throw together. A nice mix indeed!

    Winston- That's right! A bit of colour and lots of flavour.

    MichelleJ- Thanks, me too, I like old fashioned flavours.

    Lisa- Thanks and thanks!

    Cassie- Thankyou, anythings better with a cup of tea :)

    Nic@diningwithastud- I was going to crown them with a cherry on top- but thought better of it :)

    Lorraine- Two ends of the spectrum, but both delicious!

    GG- Let's start a revival, brighter colours don't mean better flavours!

    EatPlayShop- So much quicker!

    Tink- Thanks!

    Tigerfish- That's a shame :(

    Chopinandmysaucepan- Thank you muchly!

    Msihua- That's because you've never had CherryRipe flavoured ones before :)

    Dolly- You'll have to make her some. I bet she loved them!

    Heidi- Thanks sweetie! Definitely! They make so many flavours and such pretty colours too

    Christie- Thanks! Me too!

    Kath- That's funny, I thought they were a global phenomonon

    HotlySpiced- That's right indeed!

    Hope your holidays are going well everyone, and that you have a great weekend :)

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  21. I adore the Australian cheery ripe chocolate bar too. These look good. I'll save this recipe in my " recipes to try folder". Thanks.

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  22. I love your Cake Stand. Very cute.

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