by jessica yoon
This Darjeeling tea macaron with yuzu is full of floral aromas and delicate flavors. It’s a great recipe for those who are looking to tackle a big-ish baking project. Even if you’re intimidated by the techniques don’t worry, because flops taste just as good as ones that turn out perfectly.
I’m embarrassed to admit, but I love it when pumpkin spice products overflow the market. To me it 1. signifies the return of fall, 2. allows me to officially bring out the sweaters and scarves (although I haven’t been able to wear them quite yet in LA), and 3. reminds me of my best friend (a pumpkin spice mega fan) who’s still off living the dream in Europe. There are a ton of pumpkin spice products beckoning for your dollars. Some are ridiculous (like this one) and others just funny (like this guy), but I’m putting a recipe out there for those who want to make something good, clean, and a little different using coffee flour.
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I don’t really consider myself a wild and adventurous person. If anything, people would describe me as the exact opposite: quiet and the biggest homebody. I’m the first one to slip away from a party, and for as long as I can remember I like to be in bed by 11. But despite my natural inclinations towards being such a square, there’s a fiery side to me that absolutely can’t stand the routine way in which I choose to live my daily life. That side of me pushes against my rigid shell and sporadically makes me do (crazy) things like go to Oktoberfest semi-alone, and jump off a cliff somewhere off the Dalmatian coast (it was a mini cliff). I’m always extremely grateful for these experiences in hindsight, and I admit the most significant decisions of my life have been masterminded by the “other” me (ie. moving to Paris and pursuing a career in food). I’ve come to think of this side not so much as an alter-ego, but just my gut telling me to take on a daunting but equally exciting challenge. One I know will make me a better person (whatever that means!).
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In the past few months my family has formed a fragile relationship with three stray cats. Despite our better reasoning, we’ve been feeding them meals now and then when they come sit at our back door. For the most part they visit individually, but on the rare occasions that two of them cross paths icy tension ensues. Out of the three, an orange and white tabby reigns fire over the two smaller grey and white cats. They fall powerless while in her presence and reluctantly bow away from their precious meal. I’m not particularly fond of cats, to be honest they intimidate and scare me (dogs on the other hand are a different story), but my heart goes out to these underlings and I sometimes wonder what it would have been like if they had proper homes and owners. They may have been a close knit family, or feline frenemies, but a lot more comfortable and pampered, the life all cats deserve in my mind. I guess that’s what pulls at me the most, but perhaps I’m naive in thinking that their lives would be better living trapped within four walls…
In any case, I feel this give and take can’t last forever. This “relationship” walks on eggshells and at some point someone will forget, to set out a plate or wait, and the fragile symbiosis will lose its rhythm and break. I hope, when that happens, they’ll find another backdoor to go sit at and another family will take notice or invite them in.
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