EAT

Adriano Zumbo's Dessert Train, Star City, 

IT was a cold, miserable day and there was a line up for the dessert train - but we were at the front of it!

We took our seat and watched the little train carry plates of sweet goodness around before grabbing a Violet Crunchie and a Pineapple and Mint Splice. The Violet Crunchie was a mousse dish; light as a feather and somehow tastes exactly like a violet crunchie even though the only real chocolate on there is that little square. Divine. The splice was a total refresher, soft juicy cubes of pineapple dot the mint syrup which is soaking into the crumbs. The pineapple foam was total bliss, it just kind of evaporates in your mouth. It doesn't melt, it just goes away, but somehow you're left with that beautiful pineapple taste.

The next dessert pulled off a carriage was the little cherry delight. I forget what it was called but I like to think of it as a deconstructed cherry macaroon. The bottom layer was a coconut paste with some cherry coulis and an Italian meringue piped on top. It was so good I forgot I was eating (basically) raw egg white. Next course!

Watermelon Yoghurt. That was a no go for me. Watermelon makes my ears itchy and the yoghurt was super sour. It looked super pretty with the foam though. So, onto the next plate which was probably my favourite. 

It was a beautiful Hazelnut Dacquoise which is basically a fudgey, wafer-like biscuit. It tasted a like nutella but nowhere near as sweet and the hazelnut was far more prevalent. The overall texture of the dacquoise was amazing and the hazelnut cream next to it was so super smooth and silky. I enjoyed that perfect, crunchy little hazelnut at the end.

The macarons. Hmm. I hope to think I was just expecting something mind-blowingly amazing because, honestly, I was disappointed. I also like to hope my disappointment is due to the fact that my 'first choice' flavours were sold out, but the logical side of my brain says no. I ordered two buttered popcorn macarons, one cream bun macaron and one passionfruit macaron. Each had a really beautiful flavour which was totally spot on but the macarons were, well, dry. The cream in the centre was silky but those shells were dry and crumbly (not to be confused with crackly, as they should be). That beautiful, sticky, almond-rich chewiness that macarons usually embody was non-existent. I hope my macarons just came from a bad batch. 

All in all, a delicious experience and one I would go back for (with the hope of chewy macarons).

VANILLA & WHITE CHOCOLATE MACARONS

Photograph by Ell


Vanilla & White Chocolate Macarons 


These precious little gems are enjoying a well deserved surge in popularity at the moment. There are a few myths surrounding the cooking of Macarons but as long as you take time and care in cooking them, they'll turn out just fine... and of course a little bit of love never goes astray!


Vanilla macarons:
1 1/4 cups almond meal
1 1/2 cups pure icing sugar
4 eggwhites (best at room temperature)
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla paste (essence will also do the job)
A few drops of food colouring, optional


Ganache filing:
180g white chocolate
3 tablespoons thickened cream


Method:
Line 3 trays with baking paper. It's a good idea to make a circular stencil 4cm in diameter to trace onto the paper. Once traced, make sure you flip the paper over! Sift almond meal and icing sugar together into a bowl.


Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add the castor sugar and beat until dissolved. The mix should be thick and glossy. Add vanilla and a few drops of food colouring. Carefully fold in half the almond mixture until just combined. Fold in remaining mixture until combined and glossy. The mix should be thin but still cloud like.


Spoon into a large piping bag and snip 1cm from the corner - a simple plastic freezer bag will suffice. Pipe 4cm rounds (or fill the stencils), making sure you leave a few centimetres between each one. Once piped, tap each tray on the beach to knock out any big air bubbles.


Leave to rest for one hour so that a thick skin forms on top. Doing this will allow the crunchy shell to form. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 130C. Bake for 20 minutes or until crisp and firm on top. Leave these to cool on the tray!


Meanwhile, put the white chocolate and cream into a microwave proof bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Stir. If the chocolate has not melted, put it in for another 30 seconds at a time until smooth and glossy. Pop this in the fridge until it has cooled and thickened to a spreadable consistency.


Once everything is cool, match up your macaron halves and spread a teaspoon over half the macaron. Sandwich together. Repeat this until they are all paired up and pop them in a container and into the fridge for an hour or so.


Always store in the fridge and (for optimal taste,) remove the macarons 10 minutes before you want them.


Enjoy!