The Biscuit Mill and Macaroons

On Saturday my wife took me to The Biscuit Mill. I have mentioned before that I am not really a big fan of flea markets and that the only flea market where I actually find something interesting to look at was the Milnerton Flea Market. Well, seeing that she always talk about this place, I decided to tag along to see what the hype was all about. Apart from the fact that is it situated inside an old mill with a very cosy atmosphere all around the market area, I didn't really get any excitement from going there. The stalls are similar to what you find in many other markets, but I have to admit that the "Neighbours Goods Market" somehow impressed me, if I have to mention something other than the beautiful Cape Town girls that were hanging out there. I am not into baking and cooking, but my wife is and she finds it very stimulating to stop at each table and taste or have a look at what they have to present to the inquisitive buyer. She even knows some of the bakers and cooks by name, like she is one of the members of the Cape Town Cuisine Scene. OK, she did do a cooking course a few years ago and she does know one or two of the who's-who in the cooking industry, but I didn't know she would recognise people standing behind a table selling stuff that I didn't even know how to pronounce.

Anyway, the food really looked good, and although I don't really know what all the dishes and stuff are called, one thing did interest me, a gentleman that was selling a funny looking biscuit in varius colours. Just a day before a French colleague of mine brought some very tasting round biscuits to work which I really liked. I didn't know what they were called, so I couldn't even describe them to my wife. When I saw these biscuits at that table inside the goods markets, I immediately knew it was something similar and bought some just to confirm that this was in fact what I had the day before. My wife, the cook slash baker, immediately told me what they were when I showed it to her. They are called macaroons. Yeah right, I knew that! I have no idea why she knew the name of these little biscuits that I have never seen before, but she told me that apparently it is quite difficult to get them into that perfect round shapes. I knew my wife is always up for a cooking challenge so I asked her if she would have a try and make me some when we get home. I wasn't really worried about the shape, but as long as they were going to taste like the ones I had previously, and have the same texture, I think I would've been satisfied.

At home she took out one of her favourite cooking magazines and on the front cover were nothing other than macaroons. OK, that explained her knowledge about the biscuits, but could she make them? On the Internet she looked for more recipes and found a web site of a women who tried 8 batches of cake mixture before she even started getting the shapes right. She was just about to quit when her last batch looked edible.But this was not going to kill my wife's enthusiasm so she started her macaroon project. Please do not ask me the ingredients, but she managed to whip up a concoction that looked very similar to meringues. Then it was pressing the biscuits with a pastry bag, more or less the same size. Leaving them standing for a while so that they can flow down into a round shape and in the oven. Voila!

A couple of minutes later she took out the biscuits and I was impressed to say the least. Perfect! She then added the center filling and when the two sides were glued together I had my own batch of macaroons, just as perfect and delicious as the ones I had at the market and the day before at work. I ate so many macaroons that at a point I knew that if I don't stop now, I will never eat macaroons again. Let me know if you want the recipe, I can always ask the best macaroon baker for hers. I know her by name.