Mmmm macarons

A few weeks ago, as I headed up to the cottage, I shared with you what was in my book bag. I did manage to find some time to read but unfortunately, none of the books were worth recommending.

Day After Night by Anita Diamant (which wasn't on the list but was the book I was reading when we left) was interesting historically - it's set in a British-run internment camp at the end of WWII - but I never got fully drawn in by the characters. The Memory Palace by Mira Bartok was a memoir about a woman (and her sister) and how they lived with their schizophrenic mother over the years, culminating in a bittersweet reunion and reconciliation on the mother's death bed. I find it hard to critique memoirs (it's someone's real life) but I couldn't help feeling like this book had been written as an assignment from the author's therapist because it felt a bit too factual and somehow lacking in emotion.

When we returned home, I dug into The Colour of Tea by Hannah Tunnicliffe. This book isn't quite 'chic lit' but it's close - a formulaic and predictable 'finding yourself' story with a happy ending. Set in Macao, China, it tells the story of Grace, who learns that she isn't able to have children while still grieving the loss of her estranged mother, and how the experience of opening her own cafe that serves macarons saved her sanity and her marriage. Etc. etc. etc.

Despite being a bit of a wash of a book, it did spark my interest in macarons, those tiny coloured french meringue-like pastries that come in all sorts of delicious-sounding flavours. Somehow, I've lived for 39 years and never tried a macaron. Even though I'm not a huge dessert fan, I worried that I'd been missing out on something important. So Mission Macaron was born.

I decided to visit Bobbette & Belle, a beautiful little french-style cafe in our end of the city. They had about 10 varieties of macarons available - I chose raspberry, cassis, salted caramel and vanilla for my mission.

People dedicate their lives to making and eating and writing about these unique little pastries, so I won't even begin to try to describe them in any detail. But darn they were good (cassis was my favourite). They're beautiful to look at, light and not too sweet, a perfect slightly crunchy, slightly chewy and slightly creamy texture, and the potential flavour combinations are pretty much endless. At $2 each they're not an everyday dessert, but they'd be perfect for a special occassion (like getting the kids out the door without a fight or an hour to yourself on a Sunday morning).

I can see how you could easily become obsessed with these little delights and I'm pretty sure these won't be the last macarons I ever eat. Mission accomplished.