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About BraveTartFriday February 11, 2011
Say it With Flowers love= roses + sugar + booze 
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My obsession with Champagne and Roses goes back a long way, to the first Valentine’s Day dessert menu I wrote as a CIA grad working in a restaurant: Champagne panna cotta with rose flower water …and some other stuff. Meh. I can’t remember.
The champagne and roses part still sticks with me though. The fruity, toasty sparkle of champagne perfumed with a hint of floral sweetness. The name alone conjures pure romance long before the first bite, even without a hint of chocolate involved.
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, I can’t resist incorporating my favorite lovey-dovey flavors into something everyone seems to love right now.
Rose flower water scented macarons filled with champagne infused Swiss buttercream. Follow those links for the recipes; if that doesn’t strike your fancy, check out my Blood Orange and Bitters macarons here.
If you’d rather I make them for you, I’ll have these as mignardise on Valentine’s Day at Table 310 (read me blab about my dream job here).
This marks the third (and final?) post in my blitzkreig of Valentine’s Day posts. Read the other two, Love Bites and Pop Goes My Tart if you need more ideas.
What flavor combination signifies romance to you? Can you have Valentine’s Day without chocolate?
21 comments and counting
Feb 11, 2011 · 10:42 AM
I’ve found another macaronivore! Yeh. Also found someone who adores champagne and roses. This is sheer bliss! Bravo on the macarons and congrats on the restaurant venture at Table 310!
· Jill · http://madaboutmacarons.com
Feb 11, 2011 · 10:47 AM
fantastic looking macaroons.
· Zenobia · http://rawgirlinmumbai.blogspot.com
Feb 11, 2011 · 11:04 AM
champagne, roses, macaroons…how very luxurious! 
· jenny @ melting butter · http://www.meltingbutter.com
Feb 11, 2011 · 12:47 PM
Beautiful and delicious.. and elegant! What a romantic sweet for your sweet!
· Cheryl and Adam @ pictureperfectmeals.com · http://www.pictureperfectmeals.com
Feb 11, 2011 · 2:20 PM
These are beautiful! Perfect for Valentine’s Day
· Jessica · http://www.jessicasdinnerparty.com
Feb 13, 2011 · 7:51 AM
Absolutely gorgeous macarons. Love the flavors.
· Mad Hausfrau · http://www.diaryofamadhausfrau.com
Feb 13, 2011 · 9:48 AM
These champagne & roses macarons are stunning! Gorgeous color
· mala · http://www.familyfreshcooking.com/
Feb 13, 2011 · 5:05 PM
Thanks for all the lovely comments! I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine’s Day !
Feb 14, 2011 · 12:13 AM
What a stunning flavor combination!
They look absolutely delicious.
· A Bowl Of Mush · http://www.bowlofmush.blogspot.com
Feb 19, 2011 · 12:10 PM
stella,
I got one of these from w+m…simply amazing. Would love to meet you sometime at table three ten!
Anne
Feb 19, 2011 · 2:49 PM
Anne, thanks for finding me on BraveTart! I’m glad you enjoyed e macarons at W+M. Are you on Twitter? That’s a good way to check and see if I’m at the restaurant or not, I am totally glued to Twitter. cheers!
Nov 23, 2011 · 1:01 AM
Stella, I am wondering if you can tell me why I cannot seem to get feet on my macarons. I’ve got my oven temp adjusted/bought a new oven thermometer. Measuring all ingredients with kitchen scale, and I think I’m doing a thorough job with the macaronage. No Feet ever, yet. And. . . I get those silly peaks that don’t want to flatten out even after whacking. Am I being too whimpy on my macaronage? Do I need to get it even more fluid? -Deb
Nov 25, 2011 · 12:19 PM
@Deb, if you have peaks that remain even after whacking, then you’re definitely undermixing. So go on the offensive during macaronage next time and show ‘em who’s boss. 
The point of macaronage is to strategically deflate the meringue, too much air and they’ll just puff evenly all over, no feet. You may overcompensate next time, but that’s actually great! Only by seeing under and over mixed can you develop a mental standard by which to judge macaronage, instead of guessing. I hope that helps, let me know how you progress!
Dec 09, 2011 · 11:54 AM
Hi! One more question. Ive noticed that in some macaron recipes that use alcohol, some instruct you to reduce the alcohol before adding it to the buttercream (like in your recipe), and others use it straight from the bottle. Why is that? Is it simply that some alcohols have strong enough flavors, so it just isnt necessary to reduce them? Or is it more scientific and mystical than that? Just a little newbie curiosity.
Thanks for all the great advice!!
Dec 09, 2011 · 12:20 PM
@Ashley B, I think it’s just a matter of preference, but in some cases combined with strategy. In this instance, I was making champagne buttercream and needed to concentrate the flavor for it to really shine. Most liquors will have a potent enough flavor on their own and won’t need reduction, but a few teaspoons of champagne in a big batch of buttercream would just get lost. I hope that answers your question!
Mar 22, 2012 · 10:59 AM
@crispycrepe, two questions: are you using food dye in the macarons? If so, many brands are not heat resistant and prone to discoloring at any temperature. Second question: have you used an oven thermometer to confirm your oven temperature?
