Macaron class in SF

When the macaron craze started several years ago, I was really into them at first. They are adorable, come in all different sizes, flavors, colors... However, I never really fell in love with the taste of macarons. They are super sweet and a lot of normal flavors don't have enough depth for me. Even when I visited France and ate macarons from everywhere from famed bakery Laduree to the corner grocery shop, I still didn't *love* macarons. When I got an opportunity to eat them, I treasured the little sandwich cookies, but I wasn't really obsessed with them. I could take them or leave them.

My view changed after taking a macaron class last weekend at Bonbini pastry school. Successfully making these little baby macs (with the help of skilled instructor Thip of course :) ) piqued my interest in these macarons all over again. The recipes we made were really well thought out, and I really enjoyed making as well as eating them!

I have made macarons before, but it was nearly impossible for me to achieve consistent results. The class turned out to be a great idea because I learned the Italian meringue method, step-by-step. While the Italian method is a bit more complicated, it is worth it because the results are much more predictable. Every student was able to produce a batch of macarons with feet. We also learned how to make ganache by pairing dark, white, or milk chocolate with different kinds of flavorings. I can't wait to try to make them on my own next time!! :)

dry ingredients

checking the meringue

piping the shells- this is the teacher piping perfectly

piped shells- ready to go in the oven

ooh lala cute little baked shells

finished product (these are the ones I made personally!)

blue cheese, tangerine, rose-raspberry, and chocolate maccies!

The taste was really exquisite. Most were not super sweet which was a plus. I would say my favorites were the rose-raspberry and the blue cheese. The rose-raspberry brought to mind the classic Pierre Herme flavor combination. It was delicate and a little floral without tasting like a perfume. The blue cheese was surprisingly delicious. It was savory, but still retained the dessert quality of a macaron.

Overall, I would highly recommend this class to anyone in the SF bay area. You will learn a lot and best of all, you get a box of your work to take home with you!