ctown13

I love ice cream cake and I attempted my first turkey cake last year. It was so much fun to make even though it took a lot of time and trouble shooting. I ended up making two and people loved them!

I didn't do anything out of the ordinary to make these work, just used coconut milk instead of whipping cream. I made the caramels exactly the way I normally do. Maybe it was luck, but I look forward to trying again!

Update: so I did it and with great success! I used my favorite fleur de sel caramel recipe from epicurious.com and instead of the cream, I substituted coconut milk from a can. They turned out creamy and with a nice coconut flavor. Everyone raved about them and I am very happy to report that it was WAY easier than I thought! Thank you for all of the excellent suggestions and help!

I'm currently making a haupia cake, which is a Hawaiian cake made with coconut milk, and noticed the beautiful, velvety texture of coconut milk. I love to make caramels and it got me wondering if I could make caramels with coconut milk. I searched the internet, but didn't really find any recipes. I did find dodol, which sounds like an Indian candy, but there weren't very many recipes. I was thinking I could substitute a certain amount of whipping cream with coconut milk or substitute the milk instead of butter. Any ideas or suggestions? I would love any recipes if you have them. I'm not looking for recipes that use flaked coconut, but just the milk. Thanks so much! The thought of silky, coconut caramel makes my mouth water!

Currently making a haupia cake. Whoa...it is going to be amazing!

Yes, I have wondered if they would truly give the recipe for their macarons! I love Pierre Hermes macaron book, which has many more amazing recipes. I did make the chocolate macarons out of the Laduree book and they came out pretty well! My first attempt at chocolate! The feet were a bit too spread out and messy, but people raved about them and I think the texture and flavor were pretty spot on! Laduree's recipe uses the french meringue technique and I must say that I still am a bigger fan of the Italian meringue, even though it is more labor intensive. Boy, I sure do love making macarons....I think I'm obsessed!

I was trying to buy this book and couldn't find it anywhere, except for a couple places selling it for a big markup. I ended up on amazon.com not too long ago and found that they had the book in stock! I was skeptical if it was the correct one, but I just received it in the mail a couple of days ago and sure enough, it is the real deal! It is a stunning book and I am looking forward to tackling the chocolate macaron recipe today.

You are so very welcome! Your macarons are beautiful and don't give up on trying for perfection! I've found that my own mind is the only thing that holds me back and I am learning to try and just go for it, instead of being scared of messing up. This came in the mail yesterday and I am dying to make the chocolate macarons. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a love of parisian treats, whether or not you want to make them. The book is absolutely stunning!

French macarons? Well, I guess only a good idea if you know how to make them! You can bake them days ahead and assemble a day ahead, which is actually preferred in order to let the flavors meld. Though, they are hard to transport because they are a bit fragile. good luck! I do think you are a bit crazy!

When it comes down to it, everyone has different tastes and if it is good, then it's good! Make sense?! Of course to call it a macaron, it must have the prerequisites, such as feet, smooth glossy shell, etc. I do think that the shell must have a crisp outside and soft inside. I have been baking macarons in my home kitchen for over a year now and I still have bad days! That's what makes baking them so intriguing. They are a mystery and so finicky! I much prefer the Italian meringue method (Pierre Herme's way), but they do tend to be more sweet than the French meringue method. I have found that the IM shells hold up much better and seem to have the more preferable texture. Good luck!