Macarons aux fraises tagada

Fraises tagada...

a candy that I hadn't heard of untill I stumbled upon a post of macarons aux fraises tagada on Tart'in & chocolat who referred to the macarons recipes from Mercotte and Pure Gourmandise. The macarons looked wonderful so I hàd to make those macarons. Unfortunately, the recipe of Mercotte wasn't that easy (especially the syrup-thing for which a sugar thermometer was needed). The recipe of Marina from Pure Gourmandise had quite common ingredients so that was the one I wanted to follow...

only one problem left....

I couldn't find fraises tagada in the Belgian supermarkets. Luckily I spent my holidays in France where the fraises tagada almost seem to be a national childhood memory like Prousts madeleines. So plenty of fraises tagada in the French supermarkets. Since I didn't know if the candies taste and the macarons would please us I only bought one bag of fraises tagada.

This precious bag has been waiting in my cupboard for about a month and a half, that is, until my thesis was submitted and I had found some recipes (rice tart and waffles of Liège) in which I could use the egg yolks that were going to be left after creating the macarons.

Making the macarons took me about...well, about half a week and lots of planning...

According to the recipe of Pure Gourmandise, the egg whites needed to be separated from the yolks at least 24 hours. After forming the macarons on the baking plate, they needed to rest overnight (The next day my mum was a bit worried because those cookies I baked were still really soft :s). I let them rest more than a day (because I had a really busy day) and baked them in between the graduation and the graduation reception that I was invited for (actually while I was having dinner and getting myself ready for the reception).

Once they were baked, I had to put them back in the oven (just for the night) because I had no other (safe) place to put them (without them being eaten already) and I didn't return from the reception untill late. Only the next day (I lost count, the forth day is it?) I started making the ganache with the fraises tagada and the white chocolate. For glueing the macarons togheter, the ganache was surely sticky enough.

The result of the 4 days of making macarons looked like this...

Good enough for the first time, I think, but still some work on techniques though ...
and maybe on buying a good food colouring so the nice rose of unbaked macarons doesn't turn into some salm-like colour...

Last minute graduation reception

After six years of studying at the K.U.Leuven I finally graduated (even with distinction!) and obtained my masters degree in psychology (more specific: clinical psychology for child, youth and family).

The proclamation itself was quite a pityfull business. Althoug we saw more than 15 profs leaving the room where they held the deliberation, only one (!) made the effort to be present at the proclamation and I suspect him of being there only because two people have to follow on the list when the names and grades are being read aloud. Because we only gratuated after the third examination period no official reception (with drinks, snacks and professors giving speeches) was held. Until last year our faculty was the only who held two official promotions, one in july, after the second examination period, and one in september. This year they decided that they couldn't afford two promotions anymore so they only held one in july (instead of doing it on an evening in september so that everyone who graduated that year and even those who are already working, could be present).
Luckily Annelore (a friends friend) invited me at the last minute to a party/reception that her parents threw for her graduation.

No pictures from that party though, I didn't take my camera with me and besides, we were all to busy eating those delicious snacks and desserts that Annelore's parents ans sister created.

There were:
- mini vegetables with dip
- cherry tomatoes with a shrimp-mayonaise filling
- different types of chips (also with dip)
- little mediterranean quiches, halved for serving
- mini cheese croquettes
- mini spring rolls
- panna cotta with berries and raspberry coulis on top
- mini creme brûlée (with caramel sauce on top instead of the 'brûlée')
- white bavarois with limoncello and crushed bonbon Napoleon on top

Although I'm not so into last minute party-invitations, I'm glad I accepted the invitation this time. The role of the yummy snacks should be obvious, but probably more important is the fact that we all had a 'real ending' to those years as a university student.

Squirrel Hero!

Although I don't like the taste of fresh breath-mints (they just tast too minty for me), mints seem to give superpowers to little squirrels....

We saw just a sneak peek of this Vigorsol ad while we were watching football on tv (the Squadra azzura against...some other national team) and an injured player had to be carried off the field (apparently the Italian tv uses this moments to advertise...).

Because our knowledge of the Italian language does not consist of more than proper greetings, asking where we can find the toilet and ordering bread, pizza, pasta or gelati, we didn't really understand what was told while we saw the squirrel doing really heroic things. Showing only the last part (where the squirrel runs to the end of the branch and shows his superpowers) didn't really help us either....

Luckily things like YouTube exist and their even seemed to be an English version of the ad....

After a quick search on the net we found that the brave squirrel, a.k.a. Cippi, even has a website where you can not only watch and download the ad, but you can also play some games and download a screensaver and a wallpaper.

I might have to rethink my opinion about mints and put some of them in my handbag... You never know what you can find on your way...