Fill in the blank:
A: My husband is away on a business trip in China. I have encouraged him to have life-changing, mind-blowing ____________ while he's there.
B: And while the cat's away, the mouse will play, so I take the opportunity to have some life-changing, mind-blowing ___________ myself.
Answers to above:
A: dumplings
B: macarons
I have always claimed not to like macarons. It should be noted I don't like Oreos, either. Or whoopie pies. Or buttercream frosting, all of which I find cloying and gritty. But at a friend's house this week, she introduces me to Pierre Hermé macarons. And even though I've always said I'm not that kind of a person, I must admit I not only love it, I just cannot get enough. More! More! The "cookie" part has a pleasant crackle as you bite through it, and then a sticky chewiness that's just right. But it's the filling that makes the biggest difference to me: intensely flavored, creamy smooth, and not too sweet. The flavor tastes like real salted caramel, or real raspberry, or real (you get the idea) and not fake-frosting.
This picture, by the way, is not of Pierre Hermé but rather of the only other macarons I've ever tasted that I liked. And that's because I helped make them! My friendly neighbor Loredana, who has a baking degree from le Cordon Bleu, invited me to watch, learn, and "help". So some of that handiwork is mine. But given how much time, effort, and expense it takes to make them, I think I'll stick to buying them on special occasions at Pierre Hermé, and turning up my nose at them the rest of the time. Though I think now that I've crossed that threshold, I may re-try the famous Ladurée to see if I give them my stamp of approval as well.
Anthony, meanwhile, has been gorging on dumplings, every which way. He's had them fried, steamed, boiled, salty, porky, seafoody, sweet, soup-filled, custard-filled, and -- of course -- Shanghai style. He's had them for breakfast, he's had them for dinner, he's had them late into the night. And he threw in some noodles just to spice things up a bit. Oh, and he's had them spicy. Here's a picture of who my husband has been seeing a lot of during his week away from the old ball-and-chain:
But still, I am relieved to report that even after the most mind-blowing dumplings of his life, he comes back to me in the end. He arrives off the plane with a gift of...bean-paste mochi dumplings.
A: My husband is away on a business trip in China. I have encouraged him to have life-changing, mind-blowing ____________ while he's there.
B: And while the cat's away, the mouse will play, so I take the opportunity to have some life-changing, mind-blowing ___________ myself.
Answers to above:
A: dumplings
B: macarons
I have always claimed not to like macarons. It should be noted I don't like Oreos, either. Or whoopie pies. Or buttercream frosting, all of which I find cloying and gritty. But at a friend's house this week, she introduces me to Pierre Hermé macarons. And even though I've always said I'm not that kind of a person, I must admit I not only love it, I just cannot get enough. More! More! The "cookie" part has a pleasant crackle as you bite through it, and then a sticky chewiness that's just right. But it's the filling that makes the biggest difference to me: intensely flavored, creamy smooth, and not too sweet. The flavor tastes like real salted caramel, or real raspberry, or real (you get the idea) and not fake-frosting.
This picture, by the way, is not of Pierre Hermé but rather of the only other macarons I've ever tasted that I liked. And that's because I helped make them! My friendly neighbor Loredana, who has a baking degree from le Cordon Bleu, invited me to watch, learn, and "help". So some of that handiwork is mine. But given how much time, effort, and expense it takes to make them, I think I'll stick to buying them on special occasions at Pierre Hermé, and turning up my nose at them the rest of the time. Though I think now that I've crossed that threshold, I may re-try the famous Ladurée to see if I give them my stamp of approval as well.
Anthony, meanwhile, has been gorging on dumplings, every which way. He's had them fried, steamed, boiled, salty, porky, seafoody, sweet, soup-filled, custard-filled, and -- of course -- Shanghai style. He's had them for breakfast, he's had them for dinner, he's had them late into the night. And he threw in some noodles just to spice things up a bit. Oh, and he's had them spicy. Here's a picture of who my husband has been seeing a lot of during his week away from the old ball-and-chain:
But still, I am relieved to report that even after the most mind-blowing dumplings of his life, he comes back to me in the end. He arrives off the plane with a gift of...bean-paste mochi dumplings.
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