Yesterday we were making favors for a bridal shower. Check out the mini treats bags to share with your friends and family.

All you need is plastics bags, a colorful ribbon and a lot of imagination!!.

Eclair style macaroons!!!

I saw this type of macaroon when I went in my last trip to Paris, I never thought I would try to make them because the shape is very difficult to pipe, as you may see in the next photos, but the thing is that I gave it a try and they are not so bad in shape to be my first time!! Hope you enjoy the photos and be encouraged to make them too.

First pipe the eclair shape, use a circle pipe of 1 cm approximately.

Second, let them dry for 25 minutes as usual and bake them at 300 degree Fahrenheit for 16 to 18 minutes. I also made regular macaroons with the rest of the almond mixture.

Fill the eclair shape macaroon with your favorite mousseline , here I used a pistachio mousseline made from pastry cream and pistachio paste, delicious flavor yummy!!!., also you can combine them with fresh fruits like raspberries, blueberries, etc.

And voila!! , beautiful desserts for any occasions!!

Finally, fill your macaroon shells with your favorite ganache or buttercream, I made mine from white chocolate, heavy cream and pistachio paste.

New big macaroon project!!

Today I used a new technique to pipe the big macaroon, I made the two methods to compare and see the difference between both. Obviously, I prefer the one that is thicker, it has a better shape.

After i finish the shells, I made two recipes for the filling, a passion fruit- mango buttercream with fresh raspberries and a hazelnut mousseline cream ( cream made of pastry cream with hazelnut paste and butter) which is very light and fluffy. I piped them using a medium star tip and a medium round tip.

And now.......the final art!!!!, hope you enjoy the photos!!! , these desserts are perfect size for a formal dinner, weddings and showers. You can do it with different flavors and fruits!! , just use your imagination!!! 

The last photo!!, if you take a  look when you cut the macaroon the shells are perfectly smooth, there is no air between the layers, that is what makes a macaroon smooth as a sponge cake with almond flavor!!! Yummy!!!!

Coming soon I will be posting the recipes and more new projects!!!

Big macaroon filled of lychee buttercream and raspberry

Today's challenge was baking and preparing a large macaroon filled with raspberry and lychee buttercream. This desert is inspired on La Duree's original recipe. If you can successfully bake a regular-sized macaroon, making one of these is a walk in the park. Basically you take your pastry bag filled with the batter and pipe a modest quantity as you draw a spiral in the parchment paper. Depending on the size, you should make 3 to 5 concentric circles of batter. 

Now, if you want your surface to be very smooth and not show the rings of the spiral, go for italian merengue instead of french. The batter is less dense and allows the surface to even out.  Since I always use french merengue, you'll see from the pictures that the surface on mine are not precisely smooth, but again La Duree's look just alike!

Tomorrow we will have more photos of new projects...

SHOOT PHOTOGRAPHS

These photos were taken from a very good friend and professional photographer in Miami, Fl Melissa Amengual from I & M Photography. Check out her page  http://www.facebook.com/loveweddings, the most amazing photos for any kind of events, especially  showers, weddings and baby photos.