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More Macarons …

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Salted Butter Caramel & Chocolate Donut

Yesterday was a perfect Sydney spring day, so Kala and I caught a ferry for the short ride to historic Balmain, where we lost ourselves (often unintentionally) in the labyrinth of historic little streets.

We stumbled upon great coffee at Charlottes in Rowntree Street, and investigated the boutiques of Victoria Street before finally finding our way to Adriano Zumbo’s  tiny pâtisserie for a macaron fix. We tried Chocolate Donut and Salted Butter Caramel – delicious, but still not quite good enough to beat Ladurée’s Cassis & Violet.

Footnote:  Patisse has closed it’s retail outlet in Waterloo so I will never know if the Rose & Lychee would have been a winner !!

Ponderings …

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The entrance pond

Just in time for the spring breeding season I have my long awaited frog pond !!

When I built a pond in the garden of my last house in the middle of Bellingen, it took only a matter of weeks before the frogs moved in.  There were frogs in the bamboo, frogs on banana leaves and frogs on rocks. On many humid, rainy summer nights the only way to get a good night’s sleep was to resort to earplugs!

As mad as it may seem, I am hoping for a repeat performance at my new house. When I landscaped the entrance I added a small ornamental pond, more for looks than with a frog habitat in mind.  But it wasn’t long before a dwarf tree frog and a marsh frog took up residence, so I have high expectations now that my new (and rather large) pond has been built.

I won’t bore you with all the technical details, you can read them on the attached pdf if you are interested.  All the heavy work and engineering was done by Rick who flew in from Singapore to do the job, and the planting and the pebble placement was done by me … standby for news of a frog invasion !!

Fenella’s Pond Details   

♥ ♥ ♥

Nice … my highlights

Published on by FJB

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If you only have a few days to spare, here is my selection of experiences and top sights. Make sure you check opening times for the restaurants as they close on different days of the week.

  • Farmer’s Market in Cours Saleya – a large market full of wonderful fresh seasonal local produce. Try the socca (chick pea pancake) with a glass of local rosé. Get there about 9am to avoid big crowds. We found a reasonable coffee at Les Ponchettes on the corner of Place de la Poissonnerie and Cours Saleya.  Daily except Mondays. From 8am to approximately 2pm.
  • Brocante Market in Cours Saleya – around 200 dealers congregate every Monday to sell antiques.  Includes kitchen paraphernalia, artworks, fabrics and nick nacks. Prices are a bit high but you can usually negotiate.  Roughly the same hours as the Farmer’s Market.
  • Walk to Le Chateau – for fabulous views of the city.  Take the free ascenseur (lift) to the top and walk down the hill ending up in Rue Rosetti in the old town.  Then wander around the narrow streets of the Vieille Ville (old town).  The ascenseur is at the eastern end of Promenade des Anglais – set slightly back from the seafront.  Look for the signs.
  • Palais Lascaris – a small baroque palace in the heart of the Vieille Ville. Beautiful architecture, musical instruments and paintings. Combine this with your walk down from Le Chateau (above). 13 Rue Droite. Daily 10am to 4pm except Tuesdays.
  • Hotel Negresco – walk along the Promenade des Anglais at night and stop off at the fabulous belle époque style Hotel Negresco for a cocktail or a glass of champagne in Le Relais bar. Rather expensive but worth it for the experience.  The hotel looks particularly beautiful at night.
  • Train trip to Villefranche sur Mer – a pretty seaside village with steep winding streets and plenty of cafes and restaurants for crowd watching. There is a Sunday Brocante market which gets going at about 10am.  The train trip takes less than 10 minutes from the central railway station.
  • Dinner in the Vieille Ville – at night the Cours Saleya converts from a market to a dinner venue. We had a great Soupe de Poissons at Le Safari – sit outside for people-watching.  If you don’t find anything to your liking here, then venture further into the vieille ville.  We liked L’Escalinada for typical Nicoise food and Oliviera for fresh local produce matched with provencal olive oils.

If you have more time, consider a market tour and cooking class with Rosa Jackson of Les Petits Farcis – a wonderful day and worth every Euro !!

Macaron Madness …

Published on by FJB

The whole world seems to have gone mad for macarons ….  and for a while I wondered why.  I mistakenly thought that macaron was the posh French name for macaroons – those lumps of dessicated coconut and condensed milk I had eaten in my childhood.  I remember quite enjoying macaroons at the time, but now I realise that macarons and macaroons are light years apart.

A macaron is a meringue confection made of ground almond, egg white and sugar, sandwiched together with a flavored buttercream, ganache or jam.  The classic macaron shell should crackle as you bite into it, the centre should be dense but not chewy, and the filling should not be overly sweet.

Once I had tasted my first really good macaron, I too became obsessed … I tried macarons made by great names like Ladurée, Hediard, and Fauchon in Paris.  I tried them at Liberty’s and Harrods in London and even Canelé and Jones the Grocer in Singapore. So far, the most delicious macaron I have tasted is Ladurée’s Cassis & Violet – two little lilac coloured clouds separated by an intense layer of tangy blackcurrant jam.

But watch this space … I have yet to sample any of the weird and wonderful creations by Adriano Zumbo, or a classic by Vincent Gadan (who recently appeared on Australian Masterchef) .

 So many macarons, so little time !!