A fascinating museum that not many people get a chance to see.
In the middle of London’s legal heartland, the 17th century houses that make up Lincoln’s Inn, this museum is testimony to its delightfully eccentric founder, an architect and obsessive collector. It is packed with Egyptian sarcophagus, stained glass from the medieval Palace of Westminster, Greek vases and Roman bronzes but the setting is as important as the exhibits.
Although Soane died in 1832, his will dictated that the collection remain intact and that entrance is free.
The National Gallery is at the very center of the Trafalgar Square. Started in 1824 and regularly refreshed through the centuries by strategic purchases and donations from the collections of impoverished aristocrats, the cut-off date for art works is 1900.
Still, there’s plenty left to enjoy including a cluster of Leonardo Da Vincis, Botticelli and a superb capsule collection of Post-Impressionists, including Monet, Cezanne, Van Gogh’s Sunflowers and Seurat’s Bathers at Asnieres.
Happens so much (especially if you shop at Costco!) – food spoils before you eat it. Best thing to do is to know how best to store things so they last the longest time. Here are a few charts that will help
I know that NO ONE has a fridge that looks like this, but they were actually designed to handle different foods.
This chart does have one mistake. Tomatoes should be stored UPSIDE down, at room temperature until they are ripe. Then put them in the fridge.
One of the hardest decisions every day (I mean Christmas season) is deciding which and how many toys to get for your kids. The thing is, at least when they are young, they pretty much deserve everything. (That can also be read as “Everything you didn’t have”).
So what do you do?
I don’t know. I just like buying them stuff so I do. Even knowing they will forget about it within a week. I just love seeing their faces light up when they get a gift.
Whether for a Birthday, Holiday, Anniversary or just as a Thank You, it is important to find the perfect gift.
What should you get? The most important thing is that the gift should be USEFUL. This does not mean simply practical.
Useful means that it will be viewed/ played with/ remembered/ smelled/ etc. long after the gift was given.
So you need help finding the right gift? Good luck. I can’t help because the perfect gift comes from knowing and caring about someone deeply enough to understand them.
Macarons NOT Macaroons! They are really tough to make but well worth the effort. After a lot of searching and trying different recipes, we finally found one that works.
Pay CLOSE attention to all the tips – they make a HUGE difference! No other recipe we found was as complete as this one. Not even serious eats!
THE MERINGUE!!!! That meringue HAS TO BE STIFF! I had no idea French meringue could be whipped to such a thick marshmallowy consistency but all it takes is a bit of extra whisking. You’ll notice the meringue start to fill the whisk when you’re getting close to the right stage.
Age your egg whites! Separate the eggs, place the whites in a clean glass, cover with plastic wrap and let them hang out in the fridge for a few days before using. This will dehydrate them and make them perfect for macarons.
Sift, Sift, SIFT! Those larger pieces of almond flour will mar the surface of your macarons. Best practice is to sift then whiz in the food processor and repeat two more times. Discard the larger particles, don’t try to press them through the sieve.
The mixing will take some practice, you will fold and fold the batter and then use the spatula to GENTLY press the batter against the bowl. You want to remove some of the bubbles but not to many… Continue this until it reaches a thick “lava” consistency. It should slowly fall off the spatula in ribbons and be able to form a figure eight without breaking.
Pipe the macarons perpendicular to the surface. If your tip is pointing a bit in any particular direction when you pipe the macarons might be oblong or malformed.
Add your coloring to the meringue after it reaches the soft peak stage.
When you are finishing the piping motion stop squeezing the bag and pull up with a circular motion.
The macarons will be best after 2-3 days resting in the fridge.
If you over-bake the shells and they’re too crisp, brush the bottom with some milk before assembly to soften them up.
WHAT ARE THE STEPS TO MAKE THIS FRENCH MACARON RECIPE?
HOW TO MAKE THIS MACARON RECIPE
1. Sieve the icing sugar and the ground almonds together in a large bowl and whisk together.
2. Whiz the dry ingredients in the food processor and then sieve again. Repeat this process two more times.
3. Whip the egg whites with the cream or tartar. Add salt and gradually add the sugar. Mix until the merengue reaches the soft peak stage. Add any gel food coloring in at this point.
4. The meringue needs to be whipped to STIFF peaks so it’s actually best to finish the whisking off by hand. This way you’ll have a better feel for then the meringue is done.
5. Add a third of the confectioner’s sugar and almond mixture and fold in gently. Move the spatula in circular motions bringing material from underneath to the top. Add the remaining dry mixture and continue folding.
6. You’ll know it’s ready when it has a “lava-like” consistency, forming a thick ribbon that slowly blends back into itself when drizzled from your spatula. A figure “8” test will tell you when the consistency is correct. The batter should drizzle off the spatula and form an eight. Stop immediately at this point.
7. Transfer batter to a piping bag fitted with a round tip, I usually use a 12 tip. Pipe onto a sheet of parchment paper fixed to a baking sheet. You can use some batter as glue to hold the sheet steady. Pipe perpendicular to the surface and try to be consistent with the sizes. You can print a guide out and have it below the parchment paper to help you pipe uniform circles. When you are finishing the piping motion stop squeezing the bag and pull up with a circular motion.
8. Tap the tray several times to remove air bubbles. Allow to sit for 40-60 minutes so the macarons form a skin. You should be able to touch the shell and feel a dry surface. Heat oven to 300F. Bake for 20 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when if the shells don’t wobble when you move them. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes on the pan then transfer to a rack to cool completely. 9. Pipe your filling onto the back of half the shells. Form a sandwich and enjoy!
Can you make macarons on parchment paper?
Parchment paper is actually the best surface to piping macaron shells. You can still use a silicone mat for the macarons, but the silicone is a bit sticky for the batter. Don’t use wax paper or a buttered/greased surface.
Do macarons need cream of tartar?
Cream of tartar helps to stabilize the egg whites when you whip them up. It’s not necessary but can help you on a humid day.
Macaron recipe
Ingredients
For the Cookie
100 g egg whites room temperature 3 large eggs
140 g almond flour 1 1/2 cups
90 g granulated sugar just under 1/2 cup
130 g powdered sugar 1 cup
1 tsp vanilla 5mL
1/4 tsp cream of tartar 800mg
For the Buttercream
1 cup unsalted butter softened 226g
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar 100g
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp water 30mL
1 pinch salt
Instructions
For the Macarons:
Sift the confectioners sugar and almond flour into a bowl.
Add the room temperature egg whites into a very clean bowl.
Using an electric mixer, whisk egg whites. Once they begin to foam add the cream of tartar and then SLOWLY add the granulated sugar.
Add the food coloring (if desired) and mix in. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
Begin folding in the 1/3 of the dry ingredients.
Be careful to add the remaining dry ingredients and fold gently.
The final mixture should look like flowing lava, and be able to fall into a figure eight without breaking. Spoon into a piping bag with a medium round piping tip and you’re ready to start piping.
Pipe one inch dollops onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (this should be glued down with dabs of batter). Tap on counter several times to release air bubbles. Allow to sit for about 40 minutes before placing in oven.
Bake at 320F for 12-15 minutes, rotate tray after 7 minutes. Allow to cool completely before removing from baking sheet.
For the French Buttercream Filling:
Combine sugar and water in medium saucepan. Heat over low heat while stirring until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium- high and bring to a boil
Put egg yolks in a stand-mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat until thick and foamy.
Cook the sugar and water syrup until it reaches 240 degrees F. Immediately remove from heat. With mixer running, SLOWLY drizzle hot syrup into bowl with yolks.
Continue mixing until the bottom of the bowl is cool to the touch and the yolk mixture has cooled to room temperature.
Add in butter one cube at a time allowing each piece to incorporate before adding the next. Add vanilla and salt. Continue mixing until buttercream is smooth and creamy. (About 5-6 minutes.) Add food coloring if desired.
For Assembly
Pipe your filling onto the back of half the shells. Form a sandwich and repeat. Macarons should be aged in the fridge for 1-3 days for best results. This allows the filling to soften the shells inside.
It was always the most radical of the major Victorian museums, installing gas lighting so evening sessions could be attended by the working classes. The most popular galleries include Islamic and Asian art,
Very strong on exhibitions (although these attract an extra charge) that touch on the contemporary pop culture and fashion; including ones on David Bowie, the 60’s, Balenciaga and Pink Floyd.
