I baked: Coconut macaroons

Coconut macaroons, not to be confused with French macarons, is a baked confectionery made with dessicated coconut with a crisp exterior and moist, chewy centre . Unlike macarons, macaroons are very easy to make and requires very little skill.

There are two ways to make coconut macaroons; this one which I have adopted is considered the easy way, whereby sweetened condensed milk is used. There is a more complex method using egg whites, which apparently yields softer and more luxurious macaroons. That will be my next project.

I was very pleased with the result; the macaroons turned out looking really nice. Most recipes would instruct you to use a spoon and drop heaped tablespoonfuls of mixture on the baking sheet, but we shaped ours into small balls. It's more work of course, but don't you think they're fit to be served as petit fours now?

I find that the coconut macaroons taste better the following day, when the macaroons have absorbed some moisture from the surroundings and become a little softer. These little morsels were pretty addictive. We found ourselves popping one into our mouth everytime we walked past the kitchen. Very soon they were all gone.

Golden exterior with a chewy, snowy white interior

Coconut macaroons

Preparation time: 20 - 25 minutes

Cooking time: 18- 20 minutes

Makes 70

Ingredients

45g plain flour

1/8 tsp salt

200g dessicated coconut

250ml sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla essence

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease 2 baking sheets.

2. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Stir in the coconut.

3. Pour in the milk. Add the vanilla and stir from the centre to make a very thick mixture.

4. Shape into small balls and place 1 inch (2.5cm) apart on the sheets.

5. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on a rack.

If you like coconut, you will love these.

The wheels on the train go round and round
round and round, round and round
The wheels on the train go round and round
All through MacaroonVille.
(adapted from one of Baby C's favorite rhymes)

Hemingway's Restaurant-Cafe-Bar, Regensburg, Germany

Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) was an acclaimed American author and journalist who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. Although literature and poetry have been heavily influenced by the author, it is astonishing to see a restaurant show such tribute to the man.

The Hemingway's Restaurant-Cafe-Bar in Regensburg is such an establishment, its interior and tableware draped and decorated with images of Hemingway; and the breakfast set menus named after his literary works such as "For Whom the Bell tolls", "To have and have not" and "The Garden of Eden". The restaurant serves a myriad of international favourites such as pastas, sandwiches, burgers, salads and even Asian cuisine (noodles/rice).

However what caught our attention was the extensive breakfast menu which might as well have been named a brunch menu given its generous portions and choices. We both opted for the breakfast set "Der alte Mann und das Meer" - The Old Man and The Sea (1952), the literary work which earned Hemingway his Nobel Prize.

A hearty breakfast

A selection of two freshly baked breads. The brown one was particularly good with its slightly nutty flavour.

The set came with a choice of hot beverage, in my case coffee (notice the portrait of Hemingway's face on the cups),and a glass of Prosecco... What better way to start the day off than by getting merry during breakfast! Apparently Mr. Hemingway endorses this.

It was a titan of a breakfast; indulge in smoked salmon and trout, horseradish, scambled eggs with prawns, Russian eggs topped with caviar, tuna paste, tomatoes, cucumber and a selection of fresh fruits.

Smoked trout

Delicious scrambled eggs with prawns

Special mention must be given to the Russian eggs. The egg yolk is mixed with rémoulade sauce and topped with caviar, hence the name Russian eggs. The caviar, bursting with flavour, was washed down with some Prosecco leaving me to ponder... if only this meal was had by the seaside, it would have been the perfect experience.

All-in-all a great brunch experience and definitely one I will try to emulate in the kitchen in the near future!

Opening hours: Sundays to Thursdays - 9:00a.m. to 1:00a.m.
Fridays and Saturdays - 9:00a.m. to 2:00a.m.

Service: Efficient.

Price: €12.90 for a set. Reasonable considering the quality of ingredients used. i.e. salmon, caviar, Prosecco.

Location: Hemingway's Restaurant-Cafe-Bar, Obere Bachgasse 3-5, 93047 Regensburg, Germany

Tel: +49 941 561506

Website: http://www.hemingways.de