9.28.2010

Love and Milk Chocolate Macarons

macaron en rose



Love gives nothing but itself
and takes nothing but from itself.
Love possesses not nor would it be possessed;
For love is sufficient unto love.




country manor
macaron vase




And think not you can direct the course of love,
for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.
Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.




peonies
window




But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night,
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy;
To return home at eventide with gratitude;
And to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.




club macaron



I dedicate this post to my husband. Thank you for all that you do and all that you are.

Is there nothing better or more important in our brief existence on this earth than love?




Milk Chocolate Macarons

The macaron recipe can be found here. The recipe for the filling follows:


Milk Chocolate Ganache

168 g milk chocolate, chopped
77 g heavy cream
20 g butter, softened

Place chopped chocolate in a bowl. Boil the heavy cream and pour the boiling cream over the chocolate. Allow to sit for 2 or 3minutes. Stir. Stir in the butter. Chill until the consistency is spreadable.



Bon Appetit!



64 comments:

Anna said...

So beautiful! Your photos are amazing. I love Khalil Gibran, had no idea he lived in New England. I don't think I dare attempt macarons, but what a lovely post!

elra said...

How beautiful El, truly wonderful post to dedicate to your husband. I am sure he is very happy to read this.

Your macaron looks so perfect :)

vanillasugar said...

i have always admired khalil's thoughts on parenting/raising children. had no idea he lived in new england.
speaking of NE, are you getting this humidity? it's just been awful lately. i need dry air and fast.
that 1st photo is breathtaking...

Sharon said...

Love this. These aren't food photos. They're fine art! I love the poem, the sentiment and the macarons!!

Confessions of a Gourmand said...

I want to eat them but they're too pretty? How on earth did you get those macaron shots? Amazing!!

Megan said...

Beautiful poem, beautiful pictures, and gorgeous macarons!

Nancy said...

This looks fantastic and so elegant! I will definitely try to make them though I don't think they'll be quite as beautiful!

Fresh Local and Best said...

This is a beautiful dedication to your husband. We are here on earth for a very brief time, aren't we? And there is no better than to spend and focus that time on love.

Kristin said...

Your photos and poem are beautiful. Those cookies look insanely good.

BIg BOYs Oven said...

truly adoreable macraons! ;)

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Gorgeous macarons and awesome photography!

Cheers,

Rosa

Deeba PAB said...

Just beautiful and ever so evocative. Well written, gorgeous pictures and feet that win my heart each time I look at 'em { read many times over}! I love Kahlil Gibran too. Lucky Mr Man and lucky you too!
Those pictures are amazing, and so are you!

Sheryl said...

Amazingly gorgeous Macarons you have!!. I can never get smooth macarons all the time.It's annoying because the weather is humid here all the time..

redmenace said...

First, let me just say that the photos took my breath away. Just gorgeous! Your husband should feel very lucky for the photos, cookies, and you. A lovely dedication. xo

A Canadian Foodie said...

El. What can I say? You are a soft place to fall. Beauty. Artistic peace. I did not know Kahil Gibran was a New England resident. I have all of his books and have read The Prophet many times. I love seeing the world through your eye.
:)
valerie

Delish Dish said...

These are incredible photos. Your work transcends food blogging. Thank you for the relaxing pause out of my crazy day. Magnificent.

Mimi said...

You always leave me at a loss for words. Gorgeous photos and Khalil Gibran is so eloquent in his prose. He sums up life like no other.
Mimi

Asha @ FSK said...

beautiful, beautiful post with such lovely words! And, the photos!! so soft and befitting the mood!! Love this post El. And your macarons are just perfection, indeed!

lostpastremembered said...

The photo is a wordless poem... how beautiful those petals are... really lovely post... many thanks.

Xiaolu @ 6 Bittersweets said...

So gorgeous, these take my breath away.

Jeanne Marie said...

OMG! How beautiful is this blog post? I'm really lost in these pictures. I don't think I've ever seen a macaron look so good. I'd like to hang these photos on my wall in a frame :>)

Chloe said...

I'm in love with this post! Jeesh you have some lucky husband. Did you make these macarons for him? What brand of chocolate do you use? Beautiful, beautiful.

Fräulein Klein said...

Wow, it looks so delicious and so beautiful! Your blog is so great! Your photos take my breath away! Thank you so much for your comment on my photoblog!
I add you to my linklist on my daily life blog, I hope it´s o.k.!!!!
Have a nice day,
Hugs,Yvonne

Elisabet Figueras said...

Lovely post and so inspiring. The photos are wonderful.

El said...

Chloe, it's actually Callebaut milk chocolate. Thanks for your feedback.

Beth said...

What a beautiful post. I love the poetry, and the photos, and especially the tribute to your husband. Just wonderful.

Lynn said...

What a beautiful post. I need to read The Prophet again.

Viviane Bauquet Farre / Food & Style said...

This is just so beautiful El! I adore the writing of Khalil Gibran... There is indeed nothing more important than love. And that energy shines in everyone of your photos, words.. and of course in your delicious macaroon!

Maria said...

Lovely post from start to finish!

Amy said...

Stunning, El. Like Anna, I didn't realize that Khalil Gibran had lived in New England. Thank you for the education AND for sharing the gorgeousness!

Ruma said...

This is truly magical. I love Khalil Gibran. The Prophet was incredible. Where did he live in New England? I'm sure he would have loved one of our macarons while he was writing. Your photography is sensational.

Sally pasley Vargas said...

Thanks, we all need poetry. (And those macaron photos are poems too.)

Lady Grey said...

Such beautiful photos... and those macarons look perfect!

chocolate princess said...

love. love. stunning.

Amy said...

Beautiful – but not too beautiful to eat! Chocolate ganache would get my vote for the best macaron filling.

Love the peony photos El!

Sophie said...

Oooooh,..El!! What beautiful pink macarons & with that chocolately butter filling,...yummmm!

Beautiful post & georgous pinkish pictures!

Nuts & Berries said...

his melts my heart. Did you take all of the photos yourself? Do you mind if I ask what kind of camera you use? Truly wonderful El.

Jess said...

Such good stuff, El. Amen to it all.

veron said...

Your photos are gorgeous and so are your macarons!

Jane said...

This is very pretty, meaningful and I love it!

girl paraphernalia said...

I absolutely adore the filters you used, I am a huge fan of using filters. I wanted to ask, do you sometimes use egg white powder in your macs?

I've been using a bit of it, rather than letting my eggs stew out for 24 hours, none the less, the photos are stunning.

Jo said...

A truly meaningful poem. Love the pictures and the macarons .. have to make a batch soon. Have had my ups and downs lately with this finicky cookie. Hopefully the next batch is an "up" one!

Blayne Beacham said...

My goodness these photographs are amazing!! Thank you so much for stopping by my blog so that I could find you! wow!

eddieross said...

What a beautiful & special post... and a delicious recipe too!!

E+J

Cristina said...

I've just stumbled upon your blog and it's absolutely beautiful. Your photos are breathtaking and writing, poetic. I need to make a batch of macarons, now.

El said...

Here's a couple of quick answers to your questions:

Nuts & Berries- it's a Nikon D5000

Girl- Just a pinch but I still age the egg whites.

Thanks for the comments!

my little expat kitchen said...

No, there isn't...

Ash said...

Oh, what a beautiful post!!!
French Macarons are one of the things I can never seem to perfect!! But seeing these I might need to give them another try!!
Gorgeous!!

Tracie Anne said...

OOOH. I love this blog! The macarons are perfect!!

RamblingTart said...

Stunningly beautiful, El. Ohhhh, this post is just gorgeous. :-) I'm just getting to know Khalil's writings and how I love them!!

Steph (desserts for breakfast) said...

oh, i absolutely LOVE that last photo! gorgeous! (as are all of the others, too)

kellypea said...

Well that was a fresh breath of romantic everything! Just lovely. My husband is my knight in shining armor, but has told me over and over that he "just doesn't get" poetry. *sigh* He does get food though. :)

Anonymous said...

I wish I could bake macarons. Mine always fail big time. Yours are perfect. How did you get that pretty pink color. Stunning photographs as well.

El said...

Hi anonymous, It's very simple. Gel food coloring added to the egg whites as they are being whipped.

Damaris said...

I thought I was being all romatic with my honey bites post http://www.kitchencorners.com/2010/10/honey-bites.html but woah you really delivered much more beautifully than any other post I have ever seen before. Lucky husband.

Your pictures are beautiful

The Errant Cook said...

Your photography is stunning. I aspire to take better pictures for my own tiny food blog. Perhaps a good camera would help, but that's only part of the equation! :)

Sanjeeta kk said...

Love the creeper on the wall. Beautiful macaroons.

Sherri Lynn said...

Absolutely beautiful. The images r so serene and the sentiment is amazing. Lucky hubs!

Maris (In Good Taste) said...

Gorgeous photos! I've never attempted macaroons before but YUM!

Cookiegirl said...

Smashing!!! There's no other word for it.

A Canadian Foodie said...

I just had to come back, El... for a little inspiration on this lovely morning. What beauty here. I learn more each time. I am a completely different person with a completely different voice, but in my next life, I hope to have a voice and an eye like yours.
:)
Valerie

The Cilantropist said...

So beautiful and full of romance. Great dedication to your husband, and those macarons look fantastic, absolute perfection. :)

Megan Gordon said...

Amazing, El. The post itself and the macarons. I love the picture of the peonies and am impressed with your success with macarons (I haven't reached any kind of success myself). Happy weekend!

Esme said...

El-thank you-you would like the French cooking book-it includes many basic recipes stock, pastry etc and technique tips which I always like.

Have you ever taken cooking classes in Paris if so do you have any suggestions?

Thank you,

To a fellow lover of Paris.

Esme