Because I live in India but read cookbooks from all over the world, you can't imagine how difficult it is to find ingredients or equipment sometimes. Specially when it's something silly and minor like baking parchment. That little silicone coated paper is the difference between successful macarons and the two stick-to-the-sheet failures that I've had. And that little silicone coated paper is what I can now buy in my city. Mumbaikars - head to Hypercity before they sell all the Waitrose baking parchment they are hoarding.
Even with the parchment, I wasn't ready to risk a proper macaron. Then I thought of long bookmarked Coconut Macaroons over at David's. It requires no beating or complicated mixing. Just cook egg whites, coconut, sugar and honey over a low heat then stir in vanilla and cool the mixture.
Refrigerate it overnight (or don't, but I did), then shape into mounds and bake - on a parchment, Yippee!! - for 20 minutes at 180C until golden. Optional, but completely necessary in my view, is then dipping the bottoms of each macaroon in melted chocolate.
Once the chocolate is set, these macaroons are headed to Srivalli's Mithai Mela.
Comments
I don't fret over what I can't get (that's not to say I would like to have them)so I just use lightly greased trays. Has worked for me so far. :)