The Story

Mother’s Day Macarons! What a lovely idea. Something very special from your heart and the heart of your kitchen. How they got to be such a huge craze, I don’t know. I can tell you how it all started for me.

It was my 11-year-old niece, Julia, who came running into my kitchen with her “Beginner’s Macaron Kit.” Of course, my first reaction was to be the kind of auntie that I had always wanted as a little girl, with that “yes, we can do anything together and have fun” kind of spirit. My second reaction was sheer panic. Um… macarons? As in French Macaroons? As in extremely-tricky, most-people-fail-at-first macarons? But you should never let ’em see you sweat – and this would be a great time to put that philosophy into practice. Could I really let Julia down? The little gal that wears an apron embroidered with the phrase “What Would Julia Do?” Well, what would Julia do? After reviewing Julia Child’s macaron recipe, I decided to hunt for a simpler version, and I found it. So here’s the big picture: there are only five ingredients to French Macaroons, so that’s not the challenge – it’s the technique that’s a bit tricky. But it’s worth the effort. Especially for Mom and Julia.