Tuesday Macarons

It's 4 o'clock on a rainy New York Tuesday, I'm on my fourth pot of tea, and craving something sweet and crispy to go with. For the record, I discovered macarons a few years ago while living in Brussels and I was instantly in love. These aren't to be confused with their chewy coconut-filled macaroon cousins, but rather they're the impossibly light and crispy meringue-type French cookies that sandwich together silky creams and ganaches in a rainbow assortment of flavors and colors.

Suddenly and subtly macarons have been taking New York by storm. Dessert shops across the city have added them to their menus, and now you can even have them delivered! Some have billed macarons as New York's next dessert fetish (after cupcakes)....which leaves me wondering about the next step: homemade macarons.
Apart from a great birthday experiment last year, in which my valiant husband did battle with two bags of pistachios and a veritable mound of meringue (with delicious, but apparently time-consuming results), my kitchen has never ever seen a macaron, namely because (full disclosure): I've long been afraid to try making macarons myself. For me, they fall into that category of finicky and frustrating French pastry that requires levels of skill and patience that I'm not entirely sure I have. I can tackle an authentic mousse au chocolat or tarte tatin with confidence and enthusiasm, but something about baking whipped egg whites just intimidates me.

The author of one of my favorite recipe blogs, canelle et vanille makes it sound easy, and look gorgeous, but I'm not entirely sure I'm convinced. Which brings me back to 4 o'clock, Tuesday: a lazy rainy day and a familiar sweet-tooth craving and I've just discovered I have all the ingredients I need for chocolate and salted peanut butter macarons. So the question is: do I dare?

Photos via canelle et vanille.